Sometimes you just gotta feel...

One of the books I am reading was talking about trusting your intuition and learning to understand and interpret the signs our bodies send us in relation to maintaining health. And a point it brought up is that when dealing with dreams or memories, sometimes you don't have to understand what the symbols mean, but you need to open yourself up to what emotions it brings up in you, and through working through those emotions, you can address the core issue, even though the particular symbols you were shown might remain a mystery.

There are so many ways that we can interact with signs and symbols around us. Through divination, omen's, inner work, dreams...the ways are countless. And while I am a big fan of looking into the history and intellectual connections behind symbols, I think that sometimes I focus too much on this and not enough on the visceral reactions that the symbols bring up in me.

I am somewhat used to flashes of intuition...sometimes I just 'know' things, and I don't have a problem with accepting that information without any supporting knowledge. What I don't always do is listen to my gut. But as I was reading this concept, I got to thinking that it was a powerful message that I should heed. Thought and emotion are often so intertwined, it is easy to overlook one because we are listening to the other.

I think that it can be a vulnerable thing to open ourselves up to our emotions...without relying on the crutch of intellectual justification. To just let ourselves feel whatever we are going through, and really BE in the moment, and just let it was over us in whatever way it will is absolutely letting go of control. You will end up doing things you probably wouldn't normally do. You might yell, you might cry, you might completely embarrass yourself. But this kind of emotional experience is also very cathartic. It can let you move beyond something that is holding you back. It can let you face parts of yourself that you dislike or fear. It can release you from pain and bring you back into balance.