When as children we begin to fear the dark or something living in the closet or under the bed, we are really fearing the projections of unconscious motivations. It goes something like this: Somewhere along the line, we start having experiences that contradict the natural state of innocence and trust we effortlessly embody when we arrive in the world. These experiences challenge our innocence and our safety. Defense mechanisms with their own agendas begin to develop, and initially they do serve us well. For a time, they help us to cope and survive in our surroundings. But years later, those defense mechanisms stay active in the background of our minds, our bodies, and our lives.
Feelings that are generated by and perpetuate these defense mechanisms circulate through our beings, but we have become so used to feeling them that we don’t even know they are there. These feelings, or unconscious intentions, haunt us with messages like Hide. Stay small. Go along to get along. Be good. Be quiet.
Or they might say things like Be first. Hit first. Be the strongest. Be the loudest. Don’t let them see. Scare them and you’ll be safe. For each us the forms they take are unique and different. There are as many possible unconscious intentions as there are characters in all the fiction in history—nay, there are more.
But how do we identify these ghosts in the dark? How do we become conscious of the unconscious intentions circulating in our being that sabotage the conscious intentions that motivate us? And how do we help these ghosts move on and stop scaring us away from manifesting our real hopes and dreams?
The answer is simple. So simple even a child can do it. In fact, children do it a lot better than most adults! Here’s the answer: Pay attention to your feelings. Allow yourself to feel your feelings. When we feel our feelings we get messages from the unconscious mind. When we learn to let those feelings move and express, we get to experience what is going on in the background of our beings.
No matter how strongly we focus and will our conscious intentions for our lives, our unconscious intentions will have their say. This is why we all end up baffled with our results at times, asking ourselves, “How did I attract this?” “I can’t believe I created this!” “I must have done something awful in a previous life.” Actually, it’s what some unconscious part of ourselves is doing right now, in this life.
How to See Ghosts
Are you ready? Are you sure? It can be very scary to see ghosts. It’s not too late to turn back.
Alright, here goes:
Ask yourself, “What is the feeling I struggle with?” “What do I feel that is not in alignment with my conscious intention?” “Right now, in the present, what am I feeling that’s not how I want to be feeling?”
When you identify a feeling, let yourself be fully present with it. Then ask, “What is the message of this feeling?” And if you could give that feeling a voice, what would it say? Let it talk. Write it down. Just keep writing. Don’t censor. In the beginning it may be difficult to get started, but once your feelings realize you are listening, they will start talking.
Once you have gotten a good impression of what this deeper unconscious part of you is saying, it is time to decide what needs to be done about it. You’ll have to use the emotional compass in your heart to decide what to do next. Ask the question, “What can I do that will feel better?” You may need to say something you haven’t been saying. You may need to apologize. Tell your secret. Give back what you took. Reclaim what was taken.
Or you may need to get really mad and find a healthy way to physically express your anger. Here again, there are an infinite number of possibilities. The right move will always lead to energy. You’ll feel energy in your body. You’ll feel alive. And somehow you’ll know—you’ll feel—that you are a step closer to actualizing your true conscious intentions.
Ghosts stick around because they have unfinished business. Before we can use the power of intention to create our lives to be what we want them to be, we have to set our ghosts free. Then all that emotional energy can reintegrate and cooperate with the whole of our being and we can begin the good work of realizing our hopes and dreams.
