Jealousy as an Opening
We’ve all experienced it…
That swell of (borderline disgusting) emotion that rises up within us as we see someone else with what we want, with what we feel we deserve. Whether it’s a career, partner, material possession or even an aesthetic. It’s a tricky thing, jealousy. We rarely vocalize these feelings of insufficiency, allowing them to fester and build within our hearts without any true release. Only furthering our own self-limiting beliefs about what we actually deserve. But envy can be used as a doorway, an opportunity to learn more about the stories we tell ourselves. If we are only willing.
Jealously speaks from a place of separateness and limits. But, as with all of my spiritual practice, I look to nature for the teachings. The Earth is naturally interconnected and abundant; overflowing with possibility.
We can, if we consciously try, actively transmute our jealousy. We can allow those feelings of inadequacy to be an indicator of what is actually possible. Not only for us, but for the entire collective. This is a bold act of waking up and releasing our mindset centered on lack. Beyond that, jealousy is so closely tied to capitalism and is rooted in white supremacy. Jealousy says “there is only room for one of us here.” But connectedness says “there is more than enough for all of us.”
“Jealousy is always a mask for fear.”
Meditation
Optional: Tune into this hang drum track to begin the opening of your heart.
Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down. Take a few, deep inhalations through the nose, and exhale out through the mouth. Close your eyes and begin to create a portal or a doorway in your mind. Consider, even if just for a few moments, that you are crafting this portal out of your jealousy. Use your feelings of enviousness as the material for which this opening is being created. Once you have imagined a large enough portal, envision yourself crossing the threshold of your jealousy. Allow yourself to actively pass through that doorway, leaving behind the unattainable and setting sail for endless possibility. Make a commitment to self in this moment. From this point forward you will aim to recognize these emotions as they start to take shape, no longer allowing them to stifle your true capability.
This is not a secret recipe for ridding ourselves of jealous feelings. But this is a simple technique to transform these emotions, to use them as a map for furthering our trust in the Universe’s ultimate abundance. Consider how you can sit with the discomfort of envy and then alchemize it to move beyond.
Thanks for taking the time with me today.
Gratefully,
Hannah