Luke Skywalker & Handling Difficult Emotions

How many of us ever go through a car wash with the windows open?  I cannot think of a better image for being flooded by emotion than leaving the windows open while we go through a car wash,  Now granted---I am not saying we should not let ourselves "feel."  Even Luke Skywalker had to trust his feelings!  The point is that many of us don't know what to do when an event "floods" us with so much emotion that we are literally "awash."  So what are we to do?  How about trusting ourselves to let the flood wash over us--knowing it is only emotion.  That's difficult!  It means stepping outside of the car wash effect and pushing the button to turn off the machine.

I have been so favorably impressed by this new book---
 How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind by Pema Chödrön

Notice the key part of the title--"making friends with your mind."  It means that you do not let your emotions wash you away. You allow yourself to feel them, then to settle through breathing and focussing on something else, and once you resettle--then the event has passed (i.e. the machine is turned off --and you can step out of the event instead of being dragged around by it.  

For Chondron, the key is to realize that you are NOT your emotions and thoughts--they are like electricity that pass through you.  The point of meditation is to learn on a daily basis to separate yourself out from thoughts and emotions.  Trust yourself to let them go!  Sorry Skwalker--it is not to trust your feelings.  It is to trust yourself to let them pass through you while not possessing you.  

Luke had to trust himself to let the Force of emotion pass through him.