The General and The Emperor Part 2

So if we find our self in the situation detailed in part 1 of this article how do we redress the balance. How do we place the Emperor or Empress back on the throne and ensure the general returns to his regular duties. To accomplish this we will need to approach each official in turn and create the right environment for them to heal.   

Healing the Emperor

Its worth mentioning straight away that healing the Emperor may need therapy or counselling, depending on the initial trauma. I've used the approach I'm about 

to outline in conjunction with therapy in the past, the combination of the two can be highly effective. even by itself this approach should yield good results. 

To understand how to heal the Emperor we need to know what's important to him, what kind of activities and emotions will heal him. There are 4 main areas that Ive found the Heart or the Emperor needs. 

Joy

Like any child the Emperor wants joy, it wants to smile, to laugh, to see the funny side of life. One sign that the Emperor is out of balance is when we are unable to connect with this joy, our life can become bitter and joy can feel like a distant memory. If we want the Emperor to heal, make him laugh!

So think about what makes you laugh, I tend to watch Seinfeld when my heart needs some joy. Discover what you find fun and encourage it, consciously create it. 

Passion

Closely linked to joy but distinctly different is passion. Although the Emperor needs joy he also needs uplifting and inspiring, that's what our passions do. Whether its painting, going to the gym or watching old movies, your passion puts a smile on your face and lights up your eyes, it makes life worth living. 

One note of warning , be playful in your quest to find passion and inspiration. Remember the Emperor is a child and nothing bores a child more than seriousness! 

Connection

Connection refers to the feeling you get when you truly connect with another living thing, this may be a romantic relationship but not necessarily. We can connect with anything that's alive, so people, pets, plants, anything that shares the experience of life with you. 

In practical terms this may mean becoming more social, or deepening relationships that already exist. Personally I find time spent hanging out with a dog is always time well spent. Animals can be a beautiful way of reminding us that life itself is the gift, there can be joy in just experiencing it, and even greater joy in sharing that experience. 

Something Greater

Historically the Emperor was seen to rule by divine right, in many cultures they may even take on God like status. This connection to something greater, something almost mysterious, is the final piece in healing our Emperor.  

Although Religion would certainly fall under this heading there are many other ways in which this need finds expression. Even looking up at the stars at night, or maybe spending quality time with family. When I'm looking for that greater connection I'll often go for a walk in nature or use meditation. We can all find our own way, connecting with the heart can be a very personal journey. 

Now we have our 4 keys to work with, overtime these will begin to heal the Emperor and hopefully entice him back into a more prominent role within our life. To encourage this re-awakening we must also heal the General, remember he's been doing a job he wasn't meant for, possibly for many years, he also needs ourhelp. 

The General 

Just as an electrician fixing your plumbing may lead to a few issues, its the same for our war weary general. We need to be aware of his role and general character, then we can understand his responses and actions. The General who in this case represents the Liver is also related to spring time, I feel spring is a wonderful analogy when trying to uncover the role of the general. Spring is new life, its a bursting forth of life, the leaves appear, the birds begin to sing, it can sometimes feel like the whole of life has woken up. The idea of life bursting forth can be quite insightful when considering the general. Not only is he there to protect us but also to push us, to make us grow, just like spring the general will burst forth with new challenges in an effort to help us develop and change. However it doesn't take to much imagination to see what would happen if the General got overly pushy, rather than a friendly guiding hand he's now a Drill Sergeant barking out orders in an effort to MAKE us grow.

Describing the General as Drill Sergeant can often help us recognize him when he pops up in our thoughts. He'll be the voice pushing you, the one telling you your not strong enough, urging you to man up and get on with life, nobody likes a complainer!!

Remember he's doing the best with the tools he has, in his own way he's actually trying to help.

Being aware of this role can often really help as when we hear that voice we recognize it for what it is, and as such we then have permission to let it go. 

For the general we also need to add one more thing, compassion. This may be the generals best kept secret, or maybe something he wouldn't admit to. Compassion and understanding bring balance and harmony to the general. This means we should endeavour to stop judging ourselves so harshly, to understand where we are and show ourselves compassion. This act will help to calm and nourish the general and make it far easier to re-instate the Emperor when he's ready. 

Conclusion

If you feel your Emperor or Empress has been exiled and the General has taken over now you have some practical steps to redress this imbalance.

First we need to heal and encourage the Emperor to return, to do this focus on the 4 points mentioned: 

  1. Joy
  2. Passion
  3. Connection
  4. Something Greater

To help this process don't forget the general by following the two points mentioned:

  1. Recognize his dialogue, know when he's talking so you can make a choice about whether to listen.
  2. Show the general and yourself compassion. This step can not be overstated, if the general has been in charge for a while the self critical voice in our head may be extremely damaging to us. Compassion and understanding are the way to calm this voice while also recognizing you don't have to listen. 

I hope this article has been helpful to you, this topic is quite complex so please feel free to ask questions if they arise.