The Emotional Center - Michael Teachings

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The Emotional Center

BY PHILLIP WITTMEYER

The Negative Inspiration Center is the "Emotional" Center. People who have a strong Emotional Center respond to events in their lives with much feeling. It is as if everything in their lives is colored with an emotional meaning. For instance, each article of their wardrobe may have a value attached to it which has nothing to do with its function or style, but has everything to do with an emotional event that happened when the person was wearing that particular article of clothing. They were sad when wearing that sweater, happy when wearing that shirt, angry when wearing those pants, and so on. So, whenever they see or wear that particular garment again, it reminds them of the mood they were in before. The same could be said for every other object in their possession.

The Complement of the Emotional Center is the Impressional Center. Whereas Emotionally Centered people are prone to weep, even when they are happy, Impressionally Centered people are prone to laugh, even in adverse circumstances — they make a joke out of everything. Emotionally Centered people see pathos and are sensitive to the suffering of others. Impressionally Centered people see humor and are sensitive to the happiness of others. People in both Centers like to be intimate, but in opposite ways. Whereas Emotionally Centered people like to be physically close and touching, Impressionally Centered people like to be psychologically close and touching.

The Counterpart of the Emotional Center is the Stoic Attitude. Both are Aspects of the Involution Process, so people with these Traits feel more at home in the physical realm than they do in the psychological. The Emotional Center is the Positive Aspect of the Pair in the Formation Dimension. It concerns the response of the inner realm to outside stimulus. The Stoic Attitude is the Negative Aspect. It concerns the perception of the outside realm from an internal perspective. You see the one is outer-toward-inner and the other is inner-toward-outer.

The Opposite of the Emotional Center is the Spiritualist Attitude. People in the Emotional Center are very physical. They are concerned for the well-being of their physical bodies and enjoy catering to its pleasures. On the other hand, Spiritualists tend to resent their physical bodies because of its limitations, suffering, and need for attention which takes time from more "important" spiritual or psychological pursuits. You can see how this causes difficulty when both of these Traits occur in the same person. Such people find difficulty in reconciling their "higher self" and their "lower self". The struggle can last a lifetime, and the internal conflict can affect both the mental and physical health of the individual.

The Positive Pole is +Sensibility. In the System, this does not refer to "being sensible", meaning having intellectual capacity. It refers to emotional response or susceptibility, and to a lesser extent, sensuousness. People in this Pole are sensitive to things that "feel good" emotionally, and they react accordingly, with revelry and merrymaking. As children, people in this Pole are "giggle-boxes". They are playful and excitable. Sometimes they seek thrills because it excites their emotions — just for the fun of it. As adults, they are usually more subdued, but still jovial. They are tender toward their loved ones and cordial with others. These are your typical "party-animals". They also enjoy "soul-stirring" events. Another aspect of this is that they like to celebrate occasions — any excuse will do. In its highest expression, people in this Pole cherish everything with tenderhearted affection. The worst that can be said about these people is that they are sometimes gushy and effusive. Even so, all those emotions mentioned above are the commonly-recognized positive or pleasant ones.

In contrast to the Positive Pole which has to do with pleasant feelings, the Negative Pole of -Sentimentality is concerned with unpleasant moods. As children, people in this Pole are "crybabies", and they whine a lot. This tendency to fuss and cry extends into adulthood. Such people enjoy "tear-jerker" movies — the more maudlin and mawkish the better. Such people are acutely aware of their own suffering and the suffering of others, and this makes them sad. They react strongly to things they perceive as pathetic. These people also "wear their feelings on their shirt sleeves", so they get their feelings hurt often. This means they often sulk. At best, people in -Sentimentality are overly nostalgic about anniversaries and other past events, and overly attached to things like souvenirs and other memorabilia. At worst, such people are moody and melancholy, filled with negative emotions such as loneliness, grief, and guilt. If there is any advantage in this Pole, it is that people in it are able to commiserate with other wretches — to weep with those who weep.

The fear that drives -Sentimentality is the fear of physical loss, or loss of physical contact. People in this Pole cling to things (that is why they like souvenirs), cling to the past (that is why they feel guilty about it), and cling to people (that is why they get lonely easily). The way to overcome this is to consider and apply the Positive Pole of the Complementary Center, which is +Empathy. Lift up your feelings and contemplate the sublime. Get in touch with your soul, your spirit, rather than your body. Listen to uplifting and inspiring music, rather than the melancholy kind. Look on the light side, and see the humor in every situation. Get psychologically intimate, rather than physically. These will bring you up to the Positive Pole of +Sensibility.

The Emotional Center gives "warmth" to the personality. When you meet Emotionally Centered people, whether they are your friends or not, they want to get close to you, and even make physical contact if possible — they like to touch and to be touched. They are very affectionate — for them, love is affection. With their loved ones, they will snuggle and cuddle. Emotionally Centered people are very caring in the sense that they respond to the suffering of others, even to the point of weeping. They desire to comfort and console others who are suffering with hugging and caressing. On the other hand, people who are weak in this Center are generally regarded as "cool", or even "cold". They tend to keep their distance from others. Nor do they respond to situations with a display of emotion or affection.

Emotionally Centered people usually regard their warmth as a virtue. They may feel sorry for "cold, mechanical" Intellectually Centered people: "Computers can think but they can't feel. Is it not emotion that makes us human?" Emotionally Centered people are often subject to guilt feelings themselves. They are surprised that unemotional individuals don't feel guilty about their "inhumanness".

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Phil Wittmeyer is a longtime Michael student and scholar of the teachings. He can be reached at: wittmeyer@hotmail.com