Phillip Moffitt - Emotional Chaos to Clarity

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Copyright Phillip Moffitt, 2012

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

Excerpt from Burnt Norton, Part II, in Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot, copyright 1936 by Harcourt,
Inc., and renewed 1964 by T. S. Eliot, reprinted by permission of
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Excerpt from The Dry Salvages, Part III, in Four Quartets, copyright 1941 by T. S. Eliot and renewed
1969 by Esme Valerie Eliot, reprinted by permission of
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Excerpt from Little Gidding, Part IV, in Four Quartets, copyright 1942 by T. S. Eliot and renewed
1970 by Esme Valerie Eliot, reprinted by permission of
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or otherwise be copied for public or private use, other than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews, without prior written permission of the publisher.

The information given in this book should not be treated as a substitute for professional medical advice; always consult a medical practitioner. Any use of information in this book is at the readers discretion and risk. Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any loss, claim or damage arising out of the use, or misuse, or the suggestions made or the failure to take medical advice.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-84850-997-9

Printed and bound in Great Britain by TK PRINTER LINE.

DEDICATION

Dr. Joseph L. Henderson, M.D. (19032007), author, psychiatrist, and Jungian analyst.

Joe was my analyst first, then my mentor, and finally my friend. Over a twenty-year period, he led me through understanding the subtle mysteries of the archetypes in the unconscious, the role symbols play in the psyche, how dreams can be interpreted, and the vital need for initiation in each stage of our lives. Working until he was 102, Joe helped many individuals journey from emotional chaos to clarity.

I want to express my appreciation to Caroline Sutton, my editor at Hudson Street Press, for her enthusiasm for this book and to Stephanie Tade, my agent, for finding the perfect home for it.

I also want to acknowledge my teaching colleagues at Spirit Rock Insight Meditation Center and Insight Meditation Society, who collectively offer the wisdom of the Buddhas teachings to all who are interested. Many thanks to Jack Kornfield, who gave generously of his time to review my manuscript.

I am grateful to my meditation students, particularly the members of the Marin Sangha, whose questions and comments helped shape many of these teachings. I also appreciate the courage and generosity of my Life Balance clients who have allowed me to share their stories and hard-won insights.

Id also like to thank my partner, Pawan Bareja, for her patience while I spent long hours writing on most weekends and for forgoing all but one week of vacation until the book was complete.

I want to credit my dear friend David V. White, who has contributed in countless ways to my understanding of how to gain clarity. We have been fellow travelers on the journey of insight for more than forty years. During a time when I was living in New York City and struggling with my own emotional chaos, David flew to the city and spent a weekend reading T. S. Eliots Four Quartets out loud to me. It was the first time I realized the deep wisdom with which Eliot addressed the modern dilemma of suffering, and Eliots words continued to be of great comfort to me during that difficult period.

What I most need to acknowledge are the diverse, multiple, and invaluable contributions of Kathryn Arnold, the creative director of the Life Balance Institute. When she was editor in chief of Yoga Journal, Kathryn got me to start writing about skillful living in my Dharma Wisdom column. Now, as my colleague at the institute, she is the one who waded through four hundred different talks Ive given and numerous articles Ive written and suggested the initial outline for Emotional Chaos to Clarity. Kathryn then worked with me every step of the way to create the manuscript. This book simply would not exist without her efforts. Thank you, Kathryn.

I chose the shell of the chambered nautilus for the cover of this book because it symbolizes the spiral-like growth that the human psyche undergoes in journeying from chaos to clarity.

This enduring sea creature, which has existed for 500 million years, lives in an exquisite shell that is a perfect logarithmic spiral. The creature grows continually and, as it does, it seals off the chamber it inhabited previously and lives in the outermost chamber of its shell. Similarly, our search for clarity is a continual process of growth and requires that we be willing to live at the outermost edge of our awareness.

Unfortunately, the chambered nautilus is now in danger of extinction due to commercial exploitation. If you would like to help preserve this ancient creature, please consider refraining from purchasing any jewelry or other decorative objects made with their shells.

L ets be honest. Isnt it true that no matter how hard you try to make your life the way youd like it to be, its still difficult, disappointing, and stressful at times? Life just doesnt always go the way youd planned or hoped. Consequently, isnt it also true that your mind is often in turmoil? In addition to all the anxiety created by thinking, planning, and making the decisions that go into fulfilling your dreams and goals, you are beset by uncertainty about how things will turn out. Your confusion is compounded by the tension that arises when your wants and needs conflict with those of others. I call this mental storm the emotional chaos of the untrained mind.

Emotional chaos is the result of reactive mind states. You know all too well what these are: anger, anxiety, frustration, irritation, restlessness, worry, insecurity, doubt, obsession. They can stem from a relationship problem (with a family member, friend, or romantic partner), a challenging work situation, a health issue, or some personal limitation. The reactive mind is like a puppet on a string being pulled first one way and then another by its perception of how things are going. When it likes what is happening or might happen, it is automatically pulled toward wanting to keep what it perceives as pleasant; when it dislikes what has happened or may happen, it pushes away the unpleasantness. The chaos that arises from this constant pushing and pulling drains your energy and affects your mood, causing you to lose perspective. Therefore you find it harder to maintain a sense of well-being, even when your life is going just fine. You often act and speak unskillfully or are bombarded by unwholesome thoughts. Your life deteriorates into melodrama, and you become stuck in a soap opera of your life. Do you really want to live like a puppet on the end of your emotional strings?