HUNGRY GHOSTS and our human compulsions.
Yes that.
** Hungry Ghost is a Shadow part of ourselves that is insatiable and remains unsatisfied when we try to give it what doesn’t really deal with the raging hunger it feels. I know this is kind of deep, but think about it. If you throw food, or alcohol, or money at a Hungry Ghost who is writhing in pain from grief, guilt, shame, etc. that’s not going to help fix things, is it? Right…
If you find yourself being pulled back into your compulsions… and who doesn’t have them, I know I do… you might be dealing with a Hungry Ghost. The compulsion could be anything from eating, decluttering, drinking alcohol, using drugs, spending money, cleaning the house, anything under the Sun that’s in the realm of human behavior. And on The Spiral Path, we do find ourselves traveling through these patterns again and again, sometimes to our chagrin and sometimes desperately, but hopefully each time with more and more understanding.
*In simple terms the issue is, if you believe…and you find that… you CAN’T NOT do it…it’s a compulsion.
Chances are, if you’re feeling yourself pulled into one of these, that you have been trying to bypass dealing head on with some painful feelings of loss, disappointment, sadness, grief, anger, rage, etc.
So, it might be time to take your journaling to a deeper level, might be time for more prayer and meditation, might be time to get with others who truly understand, and might be time for expert help from someone who knows the way and can take you deeper and higher into healing what’s underneath the compulsion.
In any case it’s definitely time for kindness and compassion toward yourself. Sometimes we may tend to get annoyed or angry at ourselves when we find ourself back in the same old same old compulsion (especially if we thought we were over it). But the truth is, these are just defense mechanisms, they’re just ways of coping when things get tough and we haven’t figured out a better way yet.
So take a minute, take a breath, be kind, offer yourself some love. And perhaps take one of the suggestions offered here to begin to step your way out of the grasp of your Hungry Ghost, and back into your innate freedom to be human and actually attend to your very real, very poignantly legitimate needs. ?
Sacred Self-Care is something we find we must return to and deepen each time we find ourselves lost and in the grips of our Hungry Ghost. The permission for Sacred Self-Care is something only you, as a sovereign being can give yourself, and it might not stick the first time. But, don’t give up. Keep on going and, moving around on The Spiral Path and you WILL most certainly go higher and deeper into healing.
Don’t give up. Keep going. And even if you are not indulging your compulsion, you owe it to yourself to dive deep into the very human pain we all experience. Compassion, kindness, spaciousness, exoneration, hugs…all of these are welcomed by our hurting inner vulnerable self, and serve to soothe and comfort and reassure….
You are so worth it.
**The Hungry Ghost archetype is based on that found in most Eastern religions. For our purpose we equate it to a Shadow aspect, a part of self that has been rejected, denied,banished.
I love you….
And as always, I hope you SPARKLE!
Jan XO
Janice Masters, M.Ed., The Shaman Mama
Counselor, Coach, Mentor for Amazing INDY Women ready for what’s next.
INDY = I’M. NOT. DONE. YET!
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