How to Overcome Compulsive Emotional Patterns? | Sadhguru Answers
Sadhguru: Now, I want you to observe,is it happening once in three months?Is it happening once in nine months?It’s so uncanny that even physical situationshappen exactly the same way. Depending upon how unaware you are,how destabilized you are, you become available to those cycles. Spiritual process is telling youhow you can get away from these cycles. Questioner: The same pattern of thingskeep happening over a period of time. The same kind of emotion,the situation we go across is same. How to come out of that pattern in life?Sadhguru: So, it’s good at least you noticethe same patterns are happening, repeating itself. Most people don’t even see that. They keep repeating the same cycles in different sceneryand they think they are okay. Its good of you at least if you are noticing it. The scenery may change; life’s scenery will anyway change. The last time some rubbish happened to you,you were in school. Next time it happened to you, you were in college;so the scenery was different. Next time it happened to you, you were in a job. Next time it happened to you, you were married. But the same things are happeningif you closely observe your life. Suppose you are going to Coimbatore from Isha Yoga Centerand you saw outside there was Semmedu. You know there’s Semmedu? No, Semmedu. Iruttupallam, that’s a nice name. Iruttupallam means a dark ditch. So you were going to Coimbatore, you came to Iruttupallamand you looked around and you pass. Now there’s no danger, they put a bridge. There was a time when you had to go through,you know, some dangerous waters. And you were driving happily towards Coimbatore,again Irrtupallam came. “Oh, again Iruttupallam? It’s okay, bad luck. ”And again you keep driving,after some time again Iruttupallam came. “Tch, ah, something. ” You know, coincidence. Again Iruttupallam came. You must knowthat you are in Iruttu, Iruttu. If four times the same town is coming on the way to Coimbatore,that means you are going in circles. That means you’re not going anywhere, isn’t it?If you’re looking at human life as just body,yes, body is getting somewhere,we know where it’s getting. You know where your body is getting? Where’s your body going? To the grave. Whether it’s full-moon or no-moon,whether it’s night or day, body is going… see, ten seconds closerto grave, twenty seconds now. As I am talking, you’re getting closer to grave physically,that’s all that’s happening. If you exist here as a physical entity,that’s all that’s happening. And if you exist here only as physical entity,slowly you will see life will be play,then it becomes pleasure,then it becomes so many things,then every joint hurts and then it gets terrifiedbecause it’s coming to an end. Physical life, this is the progression. You don’t have to go through it to know it,you have enough intelligence to sit here and see it. But our fortune is we are not just physical,we have other dimensions to us. In terms of your mental status,either it can continue to grow or it can go in circles. In terms of your emotional status,it can continue to grow or it can go in cycles. Other dimensions you may not be aware yet, but even thereyou can go in cycles or you can go somewhere. Now when you say,“I notice that my life is going in cycles,”you are essentially talking aboutthe situations around you,more than that you are talking about your own mentaland emotional states going through the same cycles. Some of the ladies. . . With all due respect, I’m saying this. Some of the ladies may observethis better than the menbecause their mental and emotional cycles are shorter. Every month at a certain time of the month,at least many of themgo through a certain level of mentaland emotional states which are repetitive. Because every month it’s being repeated,they clearly know it’s happening because of this. Because of a certain physiological situation,it is creating a certain psychological situationis something that they can clearly notice. But unfortunately, you don’t have menstrual cycles. I am saying unfortunately, because if there weresuch a strong reminder, you wouldn’t miss it. Because your cycles are of a different kind,you can close your eyes to it;you can go through life the same waywithout noticing it. Women are blessed because they cannot miss it,they can notice it that this is happening to them. Men have to be much more aware,they need to do much more work;because otherwise, you will think you’re going somewherebut every time you’re going toIrrtupallam, Irrtupallam, Irrtupallam,thinking you are going somewhere. Physiologically, there is a strong reminderin the female body. The strong reminder that is therein the female body is not a curse;it is a blessing if you know how to use it,because any volatile situation,any destabilized situation is a possibility. It’s a possibility for change. When there is a set process,you can’t change things so easily. When there is a periodic destabilization of the system,there is a great possibility for changing. But anyway, if you are going through cycles. . . Everything in this system is cyclical, isn’t it?The earth is going in cycles,the moon is going in cycles; everything is cyclical. If you do not stand upwith a certain level of awarenessand a certain level of determinationand a sense of going somewhere,you will naturally become a part of the cycles. There are various kinds of cycles happening. The longest cycle that’s happening here is 144 years. Once in 144 years, certain things happen in the solar systemfor which we have… 144 years we have a Kumbha Mela. We were fortunate that in our lifetime we witnessed that. The next cycle is twelve-and-a-quarter years which all of us see. The others are much shorter. There are three-year cycles,there are eighteen-month, sixteen-month cycles,there are other kinds of cycles – all these cycles. Depending upon how unaware you are,how destabilized you are,how unfocused you are,you become available to those cycles. If you are completely scattered,you become available to the smallest cycle. If you are little focused,you become available to longer cycles. But everybody is subject to these cycles. These cycles can mean a bondageor these cycles can also mean transcendence;that from one cycle of life to another you transcend,or you repeat the same cycle. That depends on who you are. When so many people…The difference between astrology and spirituality is just this. . . This is an unpopular subject that I am taking on. Astrology is trying to tell you how these cycles bind you. Spiritual process is telling youhow you can get away from these cycles. We are not denying the cycles. It will be stupid to deny the cycles. The cycles are definitely there. But we are looking at the possibilitiesas to how you can slip away from these cycles. If you live by the cycles, being conscious of the cycles,your life will have a certain equanimity,a certain level of success,certain level of well-being, certain level of prosperity. If you break the cycle, if you are constantly lookinghow to become free from the cycle,you are looking for your liberation. Are you looking for just well-beingor are you looking for liberation?That’s the question, accordingly you must live. So, right now, if your lifeis going into cycles, repetitiveness –that you are repeatedly coming to Iruttupallam, you understand you’re not going to reach anywhere like this. It’s time to change the pattern. Now I want you to observe, is it happening monthly?I’m sure for you it’s not monthly. Is it happening once in three months?Is it happening once in nine months?Is it happening once in sixteen to eighteen months?Is it happening once in three to three-and-a-quarter years?Is it happening in once in twelve years?I want you to notice this. Now, you don’t start imaginingall kinds of things, but it is happening. Do you understand? It is just happening. Whether you’re able to notice it or not, it’s happening. It’s not just happeningwith your mental and emotional situations;if you are conscious, even physical situationsaround you will repeat themselves. It’s so uncanny; it’s so uncanny that evenphysical situations happen exactly the same way. If it’s manifesting every three months,we can push it to nine months. If it’s manifesting every nine months,we can push it to eighteen months. eighteen months, we can push it to three years, we can push it to twelve years. Or we can push it to 144 years. Or above all, instead of trying to dodge these cycles,we can ride these cycles. I have been riding my cycles. Every time it comes, my life changesand it will change dramaticallyin the next four to six months.