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# Exercises in Mental Discipline of the Emotions

#### Message 01973 of 3835

- To: "FBM" <FranzBardonMagi@yahoogroups.com>, "BardonPraxis" <BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com>
- Subject: Exercises in Mental Discipline of the Emotions
- From: "Rawn Clark" <rawnclark@...>
- Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2003 15:12:27 -0800

    Dear Friends,

    Recent discussion has brought to the foreground an important issue which
    Bardon didn't speak about directly in IIH -- the necessity for control
    and discipline of the emotions. Although such emotional discipline is a
    direct result of both the mental discipline and the soul mirror work, it
    is still worthy of specific attention since so many budding magicians
    fall prey to their own habitual emotional reactions. Emotional
    discipline is also an important part of attaining the astral Equilibrium
    of the Elements that, if ignored, can lead to years of frustration.

    While the *experiencing* of our emotions must not be repressed, they
    must still be examined and understood, and their *expression* must be
    within our conscious control. Just as the initiate's thinking must be
    reshaped into a useful tool, so too must their emotions be transformed
    from knee-jerk reactions, into conscious choices of expression.

    As with the transformation of the thinking processes, this
    transformation of the emotional processes begins with detachment and
    observation. Here then are series of exercises which will lead from
    observation, through to discipline and ultimately, to the conscious use
    of emotion as a means of clear Self-expression.

    Exercise #1:

    Choose a piece of music that is very sentimental and which you know can
    stir up a strong emotional response within you. Play it through once
    and let its sentiment play with your emotions. Just go with its
    emotional flow. Abandon yourself to it and really get into the emotions
    it makes you feel.

    Now play it a second time and, as before, go with its flow. After a few
    moments, step back from that flow of emotions and separate yourself from
    them. Observe them exactly as you observed the mind's chatter in the
    first mental exercise of Step One. Listen to the remainder of the piece
    of music from this detached perspective and observe how your emotional
    body is being manipulated by the music.

    Now play it a third time and resist involvement with the sentiment of
    the music. Refuse to involve yourself in the emotions that result from
    the music's manipulation of your emotional body.

    With a fourth playing of the musical piece, alternate between giving in
    to the experience of the piece's sentiment and stepping back from
    involvement. Work at gaining that power of choice to participate or
    not, as *you* wish.

    Now choose other, equally sentimental pieces of music and practice your
    ability to engage and disengage at will. As you're practicing that
    ability, take careful note of the ways in which this mechanism works.
    What sort of input results in what sort of emotional result? Why? What
    parts of *you* are involved in that process? Etc.

    Exercise #2:

    Repeat exercise #1 but this time, with a piece of music that gets your
    foot tapping and your body dancing, something that stimulates and cheers
    you. As before, work to gain that power of choice to participate or
    not, and examine the workings of this mechanism as well.

    Exercise #3:

    Now repeat the same exercise, with the same aims, but this time, view a
    beautiful painting or picture that moves you deeply. Also view images
    that disturb you. As always, work to gain the power of choice to
    participate or not in the emotions which images elicit and examine the
    mechanism.

    Exercise #4:

    Now apply the same exercise to poetry and to stories that move you, both
    favorably and unfavorably. Gain that power of choice and examine the
    mechanism by which ideas affect your emotional body.

    Exercise #5:

    Now watch a movie or television program that you know will stir deep
    emotions with its strong sentiment. Exercise your power of choice and
    examine the mechanism by which images *and* sound *and* ideas affect you
    when they are combined.

    Exercise #6:

    Now extend this exercise to your everyday encounters and the emotions
    that they generate. Gain that precious power of choice and examine very
    closely the mechanism by which live interaction affects your emotional
    body.

    Exercise #7:

    This exercise is a departure from the first six. Here you must *create*
    an emotion within yourself. This is really an extension of the Step Two
    sensory concentration exercise, except here, the feeling one creates is
    emotional instead of tactile. Practice this in private meditation until
    you can invoke any emotion you wish, at will.

    Exercise #8:

    Now put these abilities into action and make your emotional expressions
    conscious acts of will. During your everyday encounters, first note the
    emotion as it naturally arises. Before you express it, examine it and
    see if it exists as you would choose to express yourself. If it does
    match your true will, then consciously and willfully express it as it
    is. If, on the other hand, it does not match your true will, then
    modify it and express an emotion that does.

    My best to you,
    :) Rawn Clark
    17 Dec 2003
    rawnclark@...
    rawn@...
    http://www.ABardonCompanion.com
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BardonPraxis
    http://E.webring.com/hub?ring=arionthebardonwe

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