I just found a very interesting article among my usual reading and research circuit which I wanted to share with the forum on Anger. This should serve as an eye opening adjunct to our previous discussions regarding emotions and their direct effect on your health, a concept I have been championing since year dot. During my Esoteric studies during my late teens and early twenties I found much information from various world traditions that fully corroborate the scientific findings of this Nobel Peace Prize winning study. The Jewish traditions of the Kabala make use of a coloured tree in their teachings known as the Tree of Life. Chief among the concepts of this ancient esoteric tradition is the identification of various coloured balls of light which represent the various paths and emotional states we experience in our lifes journey. The core teaching from the Kabala, that is shared by nearly every culture I have studied in comparative religion, is the concept of the Middle Pillar. The Kabala concept of the Middle Pillar, which is also shared by the ancient Egyptian Temple teachings of Thoth and others, is shared and known in other cultures as the Middle Path, the Narrow Way, the Road less Travelled, The Tao, Yoga, Balance etc ad infinitum. In the Western Esoteric Tradition when a a Magi/Magus performs a ceremony or working he/she meditates on moving and working the various coloured balls of light, known as chakras in the Indian tradition, that exist on the Tree of life. The Tree of life has layered meanings, much like the body contains various layers of energy from etheric, astral, right through to the physical aspects of flesh, skin and bone. The Indians identify Chakras with a set group of core colours which indicate the various levels of spiritual attainment, both literally and metaphysically. When the practitioner reaches a stage where they can visualize and manipulate the coloured balls of light, which represent internal energy, they are said to have achieved a higher state of awakening and awareness. This a point where you begin to master and understand that thought is physical and manifest. As you think, so you create. As you feel, so your body shall follow. By mastering these processes we are able to heal ourselves right down to the individual human cell. It is by this same process that people long abandoned by traditional western medicine are able through visualisation and affirmation to heal themselves. Further detailed analysis of the colour purple and anger can be easily attained when we look at the common usage in every human culture to describe the physical effects of anger on a persons visage. Blue in the face - A deeper tone similar to purple Red faced anger - Again tonally relative. Blowing your stack - Raising the qi in anger, blowing the qi to your upper Dan Tien etc etc etc. I could go on and on about these things but I found it an interesting article as it served to corroborate much of what I know from collective traditional wisdom and the esoteric traditions of many ancient cultures. Science often has allot catching up to do and in some cases this is the only means by which some people will come to accept long known wisdoms. Qigong is another cultural metaphor and practice which only seeks to achieve what all of these other traditions call the Middle Pillar, Middle Path, Narrow Way, Balance, in that it seeks to achieve a sense of moderation and balance in everything we do from eating to sleeping, feeling and every aspect of our lifes activities. We are talking the same language with different ways of describing the same thing. This traditional widsom is the birthright of every human being, some of us have chosen the path of Taijiquan to reach that goal but it should be remembered that when the ancient path is followed correctly, all roads lead to Rome ... so to speak. Qi - Chinese Ki - Japanese Ka - Egyptian Ku - Hawaiian Prana - Indian Are we not all members of the same family?
That is a really neat post. We were just learning in theory class about the liver as a functional organ system (in TCM), and our professor was saying that Americans in general tend to have a lot of liver disfunction. The reason? We tend to stifle our creativity in order to be more productive. In TCM, the liver is thought to be the organ that governs both creativity and anger-- its energetic dynamic is upward-reaching and strong. When we force ourselves to go to work, and feed into the rat race in general, it is often at the expense of our creative energy, leading to chronic anger, and often, causing disturbance to the heart, which houses the shen or spirit. Hence, anomie. On a random aside, I just learned that one of the symptoms for kidney vacuity is fear, and "feeling as if being chased." God I love this stuff.
after reading this thread i'm thinking maybe i should stop listening to my Rage Against The Machine albums, they're killing me :bang:
Actually all adepts in the above cultures who seek the middle way would advise you remove all extremes from your personal sphere and that would include aggressive music. Now I'm from the age of first generation Punk Rock and a pro guitarist and musician at various times so believe me when I say I empathise! But the fact of the matter is that what you surround yourself with does indeed affect your moods and emotional states. It might sound lame but the sounds of nature and silence are far more soothing for your soul than anything else you might seek to artificially surround yourself with. I would make the exception in the case of traditional music such as Japanese Koto, classical Indian music and things like Indonesian Da Gung. That stuff will literally send me into a blissful trance in my awakened states. The fast pace and modern rat race many of us live in makes it difficult to keep to the middle path and avoid extremity ... this is the battle every day. I made my stand and moved out of Sydney' inner city and now live in a world heritage national park in the Blue Mtns. The difference in my life and the way I feel by comparison? There is no comparison ... it's the best I've ever felt. There is a whole other discussion to be had regarding the power of sound and it's effect on the mind, body, spirit ... an esoteric effect at that. The Indians have a saying for this, 'all the world is sound', which also refers to the fact that everything right down to sub atomic particles are agitating, moving and vibrating ... even our cells; we just don't notice it on that level as we lack that infinate perception. Yes indeed, all the world is sound and sound is a powerful tool for healing and illness just like everything else we have discussed above. Indeed there are frequencies that the military use as psychological warfare that will make you empty your bowels and bladder when fired at you! This is one of many negative examples of what sound is doing to you in an extreme auditory assault. Anyone remember the way the BAFTA and FBI used loud speakers to assault the Branch Davidians in Waco Texas in the early 90's? If you haven't seen the documentary I suggest you get it out and check that stuff out. We are affected on more subtle levels by sound but we are less inclined to notice it until the stress builds and we get headaches and various other forms of illness that we just naturally associate with every day modern life. People don't get away for weekends in the country for nothing! There is a good reason that Monks and Hermits withdrew from the clatter of secular existence. Dig the Tibetan chanting ... believe me when I say that those guys know the power of sound as a vibrating living energy that permeates the universe. Use it wisely. Just as there is pollution in the air that fills our lungs in the big city ( black lung ) , just as there are ways to pollute our bodies with poor foods and poor nutrition, just as there are pollutants of the mind such as anger and negativity there are also pollutants in what we choose to listen to and the sounds we entertain in our life. All of these things form a symbiosis that cannot be extracated from one another ... it's all connected.
Hey Rich. I don't have anything online as this was from one of my usual magazine junkets. I'll check the article again and see if there is any further reference or bibliography. You could try and do a google with some select words and see if anything crops up. The piece I quoted is from a much larger article on internal energy in IMA. I immediately started having idea's for a William Gibsonesque novel when I read the purple snow residue ... it's actually more P.K Dick than Gibson, but thats an aside.
i dont think being being happy does anything but good. the yogi's strive for constant bliss and being enlightened by definition is a state of pure and constant happiness. Even modern medical evidence suggests the only side affects of it are a stronger immune system, clearer and more relaxed mind, etc. the reason for this is because true happiness comes from balance. but in a way that you're so balanced that everything gets out of the way and happiness "bubbles up" and you're in a very loving state. The yogis also believe love have no opposite. not even hate. If this sounds confusing i can write detailed information on this from one of my yoga book's chapters
that was one of the best post I read... I gotta share it with other guys... on forums... do you mind syd??? I believe that body can be healed without the medicines... there is actually a big truth in it... with some methods you can get into deeper stages and understand it... there is no scientific studies prooving this... but the fact that I have healed myself many times makes me believe it... it is about some time I fell Ill(about 10 yrs). I think I should shut up... this is one hell of article -TkdWarrior-
Sure, It's not like I own any of the information. This is just stuff I've been interested in for many years and I like putting it all together like a jigsaw whenever I pick up new scraps of info and write about it. It's a way for me to process where I'm at and where others are at. If human beings can learn to find balance and unlock the healing potential of the mind ... that would be the new frontier. We are pretty much ignorant of our own power, every one of us. It's all true, but peoples perceptions of their own reality determine what they themselves will allow to happen. Such a huge part of internal energy work is to do with creative imagination. Society is a profoundly damaging experience for the creative mind. We are institutionalized and mentally programmed from birth to strive for mediocrity and to belittle subtle beauty. We eventually give in and acquiesce when we realize that everyone is being pumped out of the same sausage factory and most people aren't even aware of whats happening to them and the alternatives available. This eventual acquiescence is a self preservation technique so people don't go crazy hating themselves and their lives when they go to the factory each day; but one day these ugly undercurrents rise to the surface and manifest as disease and anxiety, pani disorders etc ... The Matrix eat your heart out! The irony of that film for me was that it was art imitating life. The 1950's was a classic example of this suburban vaneer of perfect homes and families hiding terrible secrets, addictions and self hatred. The only way out is to get off the roundabout and exit stage left! Anomie is rife in the 21st century. I've been there my friend, I know what you know ... as I said before it's a double edged sword. If you don't believe it, it will never work. Peoples fear of the unknown keeps them from exploring the unknown until disease or some terminal illness comes knocking at the door and their vaneer comes crashing down. People find the heart of their belief when they hit rock bottom ... as I said, I've been there. Irony again is the line in the film Fight Club when Tyler says to Cornelius ... "It's not until you've lost everything that your ready to do anything ... you have to give up" Surrender is the sweetest victory but how can you free minds who have become prisoners of their own device? The usual self defense response when confronted with these things is cynicism ... sarcasm etc. Is there anything open, loving, freeing about those two attitudes? No ... I ain't no hippy but I tell you, I've seen my own dark side and I'll take the Tao any day of the week. It's the way of courage, you have to be a warrior of the heart to know the road less travelled. It's the journey we all take eventually, some take longer to get there than others. It's a long old road, I suggest we all get on with walking it sooner rather than later. I thought so too my friend ... then again I think life is one hell of an experience ... how come so many people aren't experiencing anything? To know life in every breath ... to live life every day as though it was your last. Thats some righteous sh*t! I want to know that code and not be a factory robot consumer existing to produce and consume without ever finding my inner meaning. I think I'll shut up now too!
There's a difference in TCM between being happy, and it's pathological manifestation. Pathological happy symptoms include mania, excessive laughter (can't stop), and ultimately, a reverse into an opposite pattern of symptoms. C'mon, you knew there could be too much of a good thing, right?
Great thread! I'm not sure I'd use the term anger but rather its ugly cousin hate. Anger is a necessary motivator, anger says something needs to be done, NOW! Do it! Anger that is correctly acted upon can be healthy. Misdirected, supressed or tinged with fear it becomes hatred. Hatred is poison to the body and the spirit. It consumes subject and victem alike. Once again with the color references: The blackest of hate. The question that each must ask is: Do you exist or do you live? "Every man dies. Not every man truly lives" The cruelest thing that I've seen is the "walking dead" industrial soceity has produced. You see it in their eyes, the spirit has left them. The body just hasn't figured out that it's time to stop.
I think your confusing the "Now! Do it!" energy with anger when in actual fact it's emotional content is governed by a commitment to act, not be angry. These things are quite different, as is the fight or flight response. Anger is exactly what they are talking about and hatred is a limb from the same branch. People with anger issues give themselves ulcers, cancer; you name it. Keep in mind the study was based around anger not hatred. I think allot of people mistake anger as a motivational tool for emotional content! Bruce Lee made this distinction in Enter the Dragon to a young child student. It's like fighting; you don't fight angry, you fight with emotional content. Anger causes the Qi to rise, emotional content allows you to do the job with a clear mind, or 'no mind' as they say in Bushido. No kind of anger is healthy ...
I think that the suppression of emotion is even unhealthier Syd... the talk of purple snow goes into territory that tbh I shudder when hearing... I have learnt many cool and great things about qi etc since embarking on my taiji journey but sometimes things approach a line far to metaphysical for my liking... (out of interest how did they tap the ducts... poke probes into them or just tape a line on them...??) I agree completely that too much of any one emotion is disruptive and harmful to a person and those around them but to suppress emotion rather than learn to deal with it or turn it to positive use is much worse imho... anger is necessary in small amounts... after all without it we wouldnt progress very well eg during my taiji practice I often have moments of frustration (along the same branch of anger if not small anger itself) when I get the form wrong or dont do it correctly or as well as I should... this in turn aids me to perform the form better... a positive outcome... of course I have learned to handle frustration and higher degrees of anger much better since stepping on the path which has made things in life much more enjoyable... yin and yang baby... its great...
I think there is a concept here that people find difficult to grasp simply due to habitual ritual and that is that it's our perception of a situation that determines how we feel and again confusing anger with emotional content in the guise of determination to succeed. I don't have to feel angry in order to compete or improve at something, this is entirely the wrong emotion. If thats your motivator then thats your bad habit. The other thing people seem to missundestand is the idea that finding balance means suppressing real emotion. Not at all; the point is that when you can achieve balance you are able to see things clearly as they are and don't allow yourself to be ruled by your extreme emotions. You are able to stand objectively clear of what is known in Indian spirituality as "attachment". It is your attachment to a set idea or concept that drives you to feel angry or fearful. Your perception controls your reality, it's a choice you make. The point is, there is no need for anger ... it's an emotional imbalance. It's not what happens to you, but how you deal with it that determines your experience. I agree that suppression of emotion is the worst possible thing you can do but you have to accept that emotions are a mental choice we make. We choose to allow ourselves to be controlled by certain emotional states and in many cases act as though we are victim to those emotions when in actual fact we make conscious choices to feel the way we do. It's called emotional laziness ... anyone can lose the plot and yell and scream in a difficult situation. The goal is to rise above the situation and see things from a universal perspective. How you see a thing determines how you think and feel about a thing. Your mind and your conscious will are the determining factors in how you feel. When you learn to let go you will be free of your self imposed emotional dictatorship. There are so many parables in various world religions that try to teach the lesson of perception determining experience but some people just aren't ready to get that ... yet. For people who can't help themselves from feeling anger and feel they need anger as a motivational tool in life, meditation and Qigong are important tools for re-balance and for finding an inner peace. Just remember, no great fighter would ever tell you to fight angry. Anger causes the Qi to rise and when that happens bye bye. Re - How they did they perform the experiment? I have no idea, the article did not detail the specifics of the test; it seemed to be the findings that were more relevent to the discussion.
"Anger, fear, aggression, the dark side are they." The doctrine of the mean, from the Confucian texts, advocates moderation. Trying to not go to extremes in anything, including emotion. You can get angry, but you shouldn't let it rule you. You need to relax the anger. "Fear is the path of the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." Anger is a fear response. It could be the fear of failure, the fear of being made to look like a fool, the fear of injury. Fear has 10'000 faces, they all lead to imbalance. In taiji we seek balance, so we seek to relax our fear, to see it for what it is, not what we thought it to be. If we can do this, we can control our fear. If we cannot, our fear controls us.
the only 2 definitions of fear i've seen that i really agree with are: 1) fear is a combination of anger and sadness. 2) fear is an imagined bad future. and as dr phil says.. theres only one fear, the fear of being out of control. This includes death and the myraid of other fears.
