GATES WITHIN THE EMOTIONS
Gate 6
The Gate of Conflict Resolution
You stand as a giant set of scales, balancing high emotions in one hand and clear resolution in the other. Your presence in any situation can either inflame circumstances or calm them. It all depends on the clarity you bring with you as the chief diplomat who weighs each situation on its merits. You accept that for some creative processes and alliances to grow, there has to be a certain amount of friction. At other times, you need to be the peacemaker.
Many things in life are emotionally driven and not rational. Gate 6 has the responsibility of bringing clarity to these situations. You can find it hard, sometimes, to remain on the tightrope with the scales in hand, lurching from the extremes of ―Get me out of here!‖ to ―Now listen to me, it‘s like this!‖ But you seek resolution by meeting people halfway, seeking compromise and settling matters creatively, equitably, and with a sense of justice. You can be the arbiter at work or in relationships.
Gate 6 is built on a furrowed field where seeds for emotional growth can sprout and flourish. There is a maturity to this emotional gate.
Physically, Conflict Resolution regulates the pH in our body‘s chemistry, representing that fine balance between acid and alkaline that counts for so much of our well-being. If you overindulge in any areas of your life, you can lose that balance.
Overindulgence comes in many forms, from greed to anger to addiction, from overeating to being oversexed. Conflict Resolution fosters an internal balance, an emotional
awareness, and the responsibility to bring an equilibrium into life. This is a powerful emotional gate, meaning your emotions rule the environment you‘re in. How you feel dictates how everyone else is going to feel. Clear feelings — clear environment; unclear
feelings — trouble!
Gate 22
The Gate of Grace
Grace can either be a divine benevolence that shapes our lives or relate to beauty and elegance. Either way, it can be an enabling gift for expansion and enhancement in all aspects of life. Whatever you do, you deliver it with grace.
It will be evident to people around you, if not to yourself, that you are attractive in your own individual way in how you conduct your life. Your Grace can show itself in many ways: through your graceful movements, the stylish clothes you wear, or the
refined ways you treat others. The chances are that God‘s grace often smiles down on you and that you‘ve lived a charmed existence, pulling through even the most distressing moments. Gate 22 means grace shines out of you.
This doesn‘t mean your life is a bed of roses. Light is followed by darkness, and so your Grace can be followed by Three Ugly Sisters and all their troubles, just as Cinderella was. So you have to be prepared for such challenges. At these times, be watchful of your emotions because there is a tendency to turn grace into disgrace when tested.
You also have a romantic view of the world, like the charmer you are. Even animals can‘t get enough of you and will come as close as they possibly can, regardless of any allergies you might have! They seem to recognize in you something that is mysterious but magnetic.
It is said that the greatest kings and queens gain their reputation not necessarily through their wisdom and conquests but through the grace they represent — and so it is for you.
Gate 30
The Gate of Desires
Sometimes called The Clinging Fire, this gate relates to the desires burning within you, the longing to engage with life and experience all its offerings.
One lesson with this gate is for you to let go of any expectations before entering into a relationship, pursuit, or experience, because attachment to an outcome leads to disappointment, whereas being receptive and open to what you feel and what an experience teaches you leads to fulfillment.
As you go through life, your desire to try new things will expose you to pleasures and pains and their associated rewards and penalties. You will ultimately learn to restrain a wanton, and sometimes random, penchant for trying anything and everything. Tending the inner fires in an appropriate manner is what matters, drawing wisdom as you proceed.
Too often we are persuaded that life is a school of hard knocks where we come to learn our lessons before going to a better place. We forget that the Earth can be a paradise and that we also come here to have fun while enjoying illuminating experiences. You will know that life can be lived out in two ways: one, where you get the sense that something might be worth doing but are not sure if it is ―allowed,‖ so you tiptoe into it and get trapped in never really having the experience; or, two, where you find your clarity, follow
your feelings, and dive deeply into the totality of an experience, coming out of the other side with a ―Wow! That was impressive!‖
I often say this is the gate of sex, drugs, and rock ‗n‘ roll, to illustrate the sense of outrageous desires burning inside you. The challenge is to determine which ones — if any — fit with your nature, and which are desires for desire‘s sake. It‘s all about clearly feeling which ones to embrace.
Gate 36
The Gate of Crisis Resolution
Emotionally speaking, it may well feel as though you‘re forever teetering on the brink of catastrophe. As the gate‘s name implies, you have a tendency to attract
emotional crises, which can feel highly destabilizing. Yet your crises seek resolution in the same way that darkness calls for light. So when you don‘t have them, some might say you even invent them. This challenges you, but then I can hear you retort: ―I don‘t need to invent them — they always find me!‖
The source of any anxiety stems from a feeling that each new experience
represents the unknown, as if you‘re stepping into the pitch dark. What you‘ll find is that taking the first step with clarity can immediately dispel your anxiety. What you‘ve got to do is learn to let go of anxiety and embrace the experience of all manner of tumultuous human emotions. Then you‘ll always come through.
Your true nature will feel its harmony, and increased balance, once you can accept the inevitability that you, more than most, are going to be presented with all kinds of situations that test your resolve. What you perhaps don‘t realize is the strength of this resolve. If you remember your inner brilliance and outer gentility, you can become better and better at anticipating and handling trouble by allowing a little objectivity into the emotional ride. Once you‘ve braced yourself and taken a deep breath, apply your
authority. Profound emotional experiences can become your teacher, not your enemy, and a source of great wisdom.
Gate 37
The Gate of the Family
There is a strong sense of the family about you. Sitting around a table breaking bread with those you love can make up some of your favorite moments — and also explains your fondness for food!
Family is everything to you, the solid foundation of your life. You are someone who has an intrinsic sense of responsibility toward the family and community you serve.
You thrive in tight-knit communities and feel good when a family or household comes together. You‘ll be the proud head of the household or the key family member, teaching cooperation and mutual respect and bringing guidance and good communication.
Domestic matters are important in your world and there is something traditional about your views in regard to the roles within a home.
People may well observe a degree of familiarity about you. Perhaps you are tactile, sometimes overly so, but you have a natural inclination to make people feel welcome and part of your circle through a sense of touch — whether that‘s via warm
handshakes, embracing hugs, or reassuring touches on the shoulder. This is important to your bonding and trusting process. Woe betide anyone, therefore, who reneges on a handshake or double-crosses you. If that happens, their seat will be removed from around the table and the family door shut in their face.
Gate 49
The Gate of Revolution
You are someone who feels when it is time for change, renewal, or revolt, driven by a need to ―get life right.‖ The inclination is to move with the times, breaking free from old established ways to revolutionize life, sometimes abruptly. Transformation happens when you reach a breaking point and your emotions rise up and say: ―I‘ve had it — I‘m moving on!‖ You feel your way through life and feel when something is no longer working.
If the tendency of gate 29 is to always say ―yes,‖ the tendency of gate 49 is to say
―no.‖ It can come about in many situations. ―No, that suggestion doesn‘t feel right to me‖
or ―No, you can‘t behave in that way‖ or ―No, you can‘t just ride roughshod over how I feel!‖
Revolution can be most effective when it addresses communal discontent,
opening ways for practical improvements. The French Revolution took off because most of the population was starving. Likewise, you‘ll feel it when areas of your life are
depleted, starved, or neglected and will look to amend things with a swift, down-to-earth approach.
Often, you can find yourself coming to a fork in the road where you part company with those who have been companions or allies. In this way you bring about emotional revolution. You can be particular about the people you allow into your life and the attitudes they hold. Whether you are aware of it or not, you have a breeder‘s eye that can discern strong bloodlines and lineage.
You must learn to go beyond being concerned about getting everything right and move into and through the transformations that are a natural part of your life. It might well take courage at times, but the rewards are worth it.
Gate 55
The Gate of Abundance
You can feel abundance with five bucks in your pocket — or five million. It‘s not the currency that counts; it‘s more the emotions and moods it brings. What matters in your life revolves around a sense of spirit — be that the spirit of higher aspirations or the spirited nature in which you live day to day. When your spirits are high, you can be outrageously silly and effusive, skipping down the street or whooping with joy, embracing the abundance of life itself. But should those spirits drop, you can still be found beating your chest, being unreasonably emotional and demonstrative.
Abundance has you brimming with all sorts of emotions that can spill over the top
— and gate 55 struggles to contain them, or keep them private. You would rather just let it all out and I would dare to suggest that some may have described you as a bit of a drama queen at times! Your over expressive demonstrative nature means that you can be
selective in the company you choose. It matters that you find like-minded, like-spirited people; just never expect anyone to be able to extricate you from a dark mood. Only your favorite music and sounds can soothe you then. Be left alone.
This gate carries an urgency for you to honor emotions. It also asks you to recognize that it is in your darkest hours that you can find the greatest creativity. Your moods are your gateway to great things. ―Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.‖ ―Make hay while the sun shines.‖ ―Strike while the iron is hot.‖ Pin these sayings to your wall — and live by them.
Extra Dimension
With no gates on, the Emotions are open as well as undefined, making you amazed at the dramas and fuss that other people allow in their lives. You are the detached, fascinated observer in regard to the emotions of others. This can make you appear a little cool and uninvolved but also means you can ride the emotions of people around you. It is no surprise that some great performers and Hollywood stars have open Emotions, allowing them to ride the required emotions of writers, directors, or co-stars.
Open Emotions does not mean you don‘t have feelings — it‘s just that they are not at the forefront of your expression in life and you‘d prefer, if possible, to keep them private.