The word Passion has been coming up a lot in conversations lately, online and in person. I’ve noticed that passion has a variety of meanings. In some situations, when a person speaks of having passion, they are referring to a level of emotional expression that is full and palpable. Having strong emotions makes someone passionate. Other times, people talk about living a passionate life, living with passion and purpose. And this looks to me more like the quality of enthusiasm and joyful expression.
However, one could also be passionately angry, passionately sad, passionately in love. There are many ways to be passionate! Passion is usually about emotion, the expression of emotion, the movement of energy. And, without having our awareness centered in Spirit, passion looks and feels like a rollercoaster of emotions, swinging us haphazardly in various directions. We lose our way. It can be confusing and exhausting to have passion without purpose. And, of course, it can be extremely painful to shut down expression of emotion altogether. Passion allows movement of energy, which is always better than stuck or frozen! Then, when we’re ready, there is a next step.
Aligning with Purpose allows passion to transform into a higher octave of Love, Enthusiasm and Power. The intensity of emotional expression that passion can be without the centering and grounding of purpose shifts to qualities of Spirit that really aren’t emotional, so much as pure Beingness. This shift is especially noticeable in the Heart. When we are practicing letting go–forgiving–the natural result is a shift from the movement of any stuck or old energy (emotion), to the clear and radiant presence of Joy and Enthusiasm. And in this space of Joy and Enthusiasm, all manner of Creative Power emanates, with unlimited potential.
This is the true meaning of the passion of the Christ. Not an emotional mess of confusion and anger, but a clear and shining presence of Love and enthusiasm for Life. This is not to say that confusion and anger are bad or wrong. It certainly isn’t helpful to add judgement to the pain. But, when we allow heavy emotions and distress to move, to release, while keeping our sight on God, on Spirit, on That Which Is, on Love, then we return to the clear and shining space of our Wholeness. Knowing and living in this Wholeness sets our Heart on fire with the Love of Life. We become a beacon of brilliant Light because our Light is embodied. We are a source of inspiration and healing as our Love spreads like wildfire.