When I came across the quote below from Victor Frankl this morning, I decided to take it into meditation so that I might absorb it more fully. When I read this quote, it seemed to resonate with a chord deep inside me. In this article, I share from my meditation, mindfulness practice, and experience as a life coach for women about a mindfulness practice for developing our emotional IQ and becoming a giver of light.
“To give light one must endure burning.”
—- Victor Emil Frankl
For me, I feel that giving light and love is my highest calling. As a Life Coach for Women I am always striving to be a giver of light and support my clients in developing their own awareness of being givers of light. When I am in a pure space of Presence and allowing the Light to shine through me, it is that sense of Oneness that feels right and clear and open. It is what I believe is our True Nature. And we are meant to share the beauty of our true nature.
What we find is that there are all degrees of being able to experience the light and Presence. There may be a bit of fogginess or confusion that makes it a the light seem less bright and also harder to share with others. Then there are times when I can’t sense the light at all. When there are hurts or fears or doubts, the light seems dim or hard to experience. By working with these emotions, I have come to know that when fearful, I have somehow allowed thoughts and emotions to cover up my access to the light. I can be both aware of this, and also unable to find my way back to the Light easily.
A mindfulness practice called Awareness of Emotions that I recommend in my work as a life coach for women and practice daily myself, is very helpful in returning to the Presence so that I may be a giver of light. It is the process of going deeply into completely experiencing the physical components of an emotion. When we focus attention on the physical sensations in the body of fear or sadness, and remove the focus from thinking and thoughts, an opening occurs, a softening in the heart.
Our egos don’t want to believe this, but mindful sitting with the discomfort in the body, the tension, the tightness, the restlessness, with attention and compassion for our authentic experience is a doorway into the Light. By lovingly bringing awareness to the upset (without the stories), soon we find the warmth that is the Light has always been there within.
This is not an easy mindfulness practice. It can be extremely intense to feel fear or emotional pain in the body. And I believe that Victor Frankl gave a good description of this practice, saying we “must endure burning”. That is why Frankl’s quote struck a chord within me. In order to be a giver of light, I know I must endure the burning of facing and loving my own pain to be able to be a giver of light.
Mindful Life Coaching is support for mindful living and being better able to process emotions for a better life.