I am honored to speak with students at Pacific Lutheran University later today about my book Yakama Rising. Thoughtful students sent questions in advance and one question asks about “negative” emotions. I love this question!
In our beautiful Yakama storytelling traditions, we learn about the importance of the full range of our emotions. Even one of our most revered teachers, Spilyáy (Legendary Coyote), has so-called “bad” emotions (i.e. envy, greed, conceit). Rather than denying these exist, or trying to hide them, we use our precious stories to learn from them. When we have the courage and wisdom to do so, we become a better version of ourselves.
Our emotions are helpful teachers. When we notice them and honor the power and energy they have, we can consider:
- What can I learn from how I am feeling right now?
- How do I want to honor the power and energy I have as I move forward?
Our precious stories remind us: Spilyáy, as a beloved teacher, doesn’t always get it right.
And neither do we.
The blessing is in the pausing, learning, witnessing, and choosing our beautiful future. This is a powerful process in which we become strong individuals who can make our best contributions to our beloved collectives.
Credit: “OS/ Coyote” by GD Taber is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Would you like to plan a beautiful future for your Q2 (April, May, June) of 2023? Registration for my Quarterly Planning Workshop is open! Learn more and register here:
https://anahuy-mentoring.mn.co
Michelle M. Jacob 