The feelings that make us want to run away are buried treasure, full of energy and inspiration if we are willing to look.

One of life’s great paradoxes is that the things we don’t want to look at in ourselves are the very things we need to look at to know ourselves better and become more fully who we are. The feelings that make us want to run away are buried treasure full of energy and inspiration if we are willing to look. These feelings come in many forms, from strange images or snippets of information to recurring dreams and feelings that rise seemingly without reason. Whatever shape they come in, and no matter how scary they seem, these messengers bring the information we need to grow.

When we are tired of pushing something down or trying to run away from it, an excellent first step is to write down what we think we are avoiding. Often this turns out to be only the surface of the issue or a symbol of something else. Expressing ourselves fully on paper is a safe way to begin exploring the murky territory of the unconscious. The coolness of the intellect can give us the distance we need to read what we have written and feel less afraid of it. It helps if we remember that no matter how dark or negative our thoughts or feelings may be, all humanity shares these energies. We are not alone in the dark, and all the gurus and teachers we admire had to go through their unprocessed emotional territory to come out the other side brighter and wiser. This can give us the courage we need to open the treasure chest of what we have been avoiding.

Some emotions need to be felt within the parts of ourselves that we don’t want to look at. Unfelt emotions are stuck energy, and when we leave emotions unprocessed, we deprive ourselves of access to that energy. When we feel strong enough, we can begin feeling those emotions independently or with guidance from a spiritual counselor. It is through this work that the buried treasure of energy and inspiration will pour forth from our hearts, giving us the courage to look at all the parts of ourselves with insight and compassion.