Often people will comment on my deep belly laugh and how they love to hear my laughter. After acknowledging the compliment, I quickly say to them, “It came from deep cries, deep pain, and deep self-reflection.” My deepest joys come from sitting in my own darkness and learning that there is no reason to be afraid.

We want to rush through the “not so good” feelings to get to the happy place; we do not understand that you cannot rush the process.When we rush the feelings of sadness, anger, disappointment, or rage, we are not able to get the full benefit of having the feelings in the first place. When we embrace the feelings, it leads us to greater insights and wisdom, shape-shifting our current reality into something much deeper and perhaps even magical.

Last year I led more than 200 people in our spiritual community through a seven-week study program based on a bestselling book about going from darkness into the light. It was fascinating to witness how most people couldn’t wait to get through the first two chapters about darkness. So many commented on how they wanted to get to the “good stuff.”

As long as we disassociate from one-half of our feelings, we will continue to only half live, and we will die a little, for we have not truly lived with the full capacity of who we are created to be. It is not feeling our feelings that creates problems for ourselves; it is denying our