The Pain Teacher

If you and your pain are the same thing, what can you do about it? You can do this.

You can consciously refuse to do anything at all to relieve it.

Don't phone your girlfriend to talk about it or be bitter because that man left you for another woman.

What you can also do is understand that the slightest move towards removing the pain will keep it going.

If you consciously refuse to do anything about the pain, that will increase the intensity.

This intense watching is what increases the separation so that there is born in you something new that is not a part of emotional heartache.

This is the beginning of God, Truth, operating on the darkness inside of you.

The light shining on the pain does the one thing that puts it away, which is to show you its actual nature.

What it consists of is unseen movements passing through you that you in your non-evolvement say 'I' to.

~ Vernon Howard – Your Spiritual Adventure

What advice can we take from Vernon Howard regarding emotional pain?

When he says, you can consciously refuse to do anything at all to relieve it, I take that to avoid any behavior that would sedate, distract, or pacify you.

No alcohol – no caffeine – no sugar or carbs – no doom scrolling – no extreme behavior – no complaining – no impulsive eating – no diversion – nothing that you might do to remove or dull the pain.

Sit with the pain teacher and observe without judgment. What are your feelings? Where do you feel these emotions in your body? Are they moving around? What thoughts are going through your mind?

Just watch quietly and learn. Alone and undisturbed. The truth will reveal itself. Dig deep through the layers of it.

You may be feeling deep grief. Your body can process sorrow when you allow it to.

You may feel shame for a perceived shortcoming. Breathe into it and get to the truth of it.

Maybe you are angry with someone. Take the time to see both sides. Did you have a role in the disagreement?

Perhaps you are under great stress. You could be very frustrated.

Are you trying to control another person or a circumstance? Do you feel rage over it?

Ask how you brought this experience into your life. Be open to your participation in the circumstance. What could you do differently? Have you misjudged something?

This is not easy work.

But as he tells us, when you identify with your emotional pain, it stays with you.

When you separate from your pain, Truth sheds light on the darkness inside you, darkness that you have claimed as yourself.

Then you can be free of it.

American philosopher Vernon Howard [1918-1992] saw through the illusion of spiritual suffering in its many forms and showed the world the way to be free.  

There is a web site that carries on his work where you can find his audio and written works, as well as sign up for a daily message. Click here.

Howard taught that our minds hold the key that unlocks the secrets of life. Once we discard the wrong ideas we hold about ourselves, we make room for Something Higher to enter.

From the web site: All his teachings center around one grand theme:

There is a way out of the human problem and anyone can find it.