In many religious and mystical teachings, ‘remembrance’ is at the heart of prayer, meditation, and good deeds. We are taught to remember our ancestors, our present obligations, and our Source. But real remembrance is not remembering using our heads, it’s remembering with our hearts. It’s not outward, it’s inner. It’s remembering who we are and whence we came. We remember through feeling the true essence of who we are and whence we came.
This is what I believe:
- Worry is not a feeling.
- Anxiety is not a feeling.
- Guilt is not a feeling.
- Stress is not a feeling.
- Rage is not a feeling.
They are simply thoughts that attach themselves to us. If we don’t brush them off, they dig into us, and eat away at us, like parasites. Then we start to think the thought is part of us, and we turn it into a personal emotion. But it was just a hungry thought that happened to be floating past and wanted a place to land.
Our Feelings show up when we remember who we are: beings of peace, joy, gratitude, harmony, and love. Those are feelings that don’t come from without. They come from within. If we try to be grateful or joyful for outward reasons, we’re doomed to replace one thought with another, whether it’s positive or negative. Instead, try the practice of remembering.
Remember a moment as a child or in meditation when you felt pure joy. Remember watching dolphins play. Remember times of feeling a deep peace, perhaps when you fixed or built something. Or being in a rushing creative flow, beyond ambition, judgment, or criticism. These are feelings that buoy us in times of stress and disaster. In stillness, we can remember who we are and whence we came. And maybe we can feel—even just for a little while—better about it all.