anger alchemy

Yesterday I woke up troubled by something in my life, and I felt that warm, hot, stuck feeling of anger and frustration. 

The vibration of anger is powerful. The nature of frustration is to contract around that power so it does not move. 

Like many of you, I have often in my life practiced tamping down anger, it happens quickly and often unconsciously. While sitting with this a few months ago, I decided to allow and follow the sensation, the energy current of the anger. I learned it was rising from my pelvis, then taking a sharp turn towards the back of my body, then it leaped forward again at my head. Where, no doubt I was trying to intellectually control the force of the current. Without it passing through the crucibles of the solar plexus, the heart center, and the throat, however, it would not be able to gain all the lessons it needed to transform.  AHA! Very useful information!!!!

So at that moment, and yesterday, I said ok- what if I let the anger current flow up through my central channel without the distortion? As I practiced this I felt the anger-yes- but it felt coupled with an integrity and clarity that it did not have before. And as I allowed anger to follow the more natural direction energy travels, I deeply asked from my soul:

“Help me channel this anger constructively to the service of myself and all parties involved.

Help my channel this anger constructively to the service of life.”

Then I went on about my day.

Here is what happened:

-I had a conversation with someone who just “let me vent.”

-I did a wild and somewhat aggressive dance to George Micheal’s “Freedom”

-I taught a movement class and got to be in service to other.

-I went for a long walk.

-I drew a picture.

-I made a meal.

-I got to have a very constructive conversation with the person who I was originally feeling the anger and frustration about. (This, by the way, was a huge gift and bonus. This is not a step that is always possible or always goes well. I encourage you not to hang the alchemy of anger on anyone else’ actions but your own.)

When I looked back on the day I realized how clearly that powerful energy of anger had transmuted into joyful creativity. I had FUN doing these things. 

Directionally Joy and Creativity and Anger are all upward expanding energy currents.

Energy is Energy. And the strain of holding back the force of an energy current is terrible, it gives us physical and emotional pain. It exhausts us, plus it doesn't work. We can never fully stop the flow of energy, so we end up bending tremendous effort of our will to simply GNARL and DISTORT the flow.

So next time you feel the power of anger arise: I encourage you to first: TAKE SOME SPACE- don't go at your anger target. Instead MOVE, DANCE, SING, YELL, VENT (with a friend, counselor, journal, in your car), and ask spirit or your inner self to HELP you TRANSMUTE this powerful raw current into something that SERVES the forward positive movement of your life. Allow the power to be aligned and clear rather than muddy, deceptive, or punishing. 

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Image by: Kamala Kingley

Dancers: Stephanie Lanckton, Douglass Allen, Mark Kline from HYDE