I saw a really cheesy movie over the New Year Holidays. It had a great set and props and look, but the plot was horrible. One main plot point was that a kid was able to save the world because he got a decoder ring out of a jar of Ovaltine. Which made me think about two things – 1) how my experience of the movie generated conflicting emotions and 2) decoder rings.

I thought about how handy an emotional decoder ring would be – so I decided to make one. I picked 4 emotions, knowing that there are lots more. If you notice one of these emotions, use this key to see what secrets you might be able to uncover.

Discomfort means that you are living on the edge of a change, moving out of your comfort zone. Sometimes that’s a good thing because you’re about to be challenged and grow.  Sometimes it’s not, because it means that something is out of alignment with what you value or believe. You have to use your intuition to tell the difference.

Jealousy isn’t the same as envy, and it isn’t a “sin” (unless you act inappropriately). Jealousy is an indicator that you want something, but you believe that you can’t have it. It unlocks a secret, outdated belief that does not serve you. You could change what you want. Or you could change what you believe about yourself.

Guilt is the primary tool of your conscience and your moral compass to tell you that you are doing (or being, or saying or thinking, etc.) something that you shouldn’t. Problem is, it’s been hijacked and misused – a lot! Are you really a person who does so much stuff that you shouldn’t? No, you aren’t. Guilt is an indicator that you have taken responsibility for a lot of shit that isn’t yours, and it’s time to declutter.

Shame is telling you that you have bought into somebody else’s belief system about who you should be and how you should live your life – and you aren’t living up to it. The secret is to figure out who YOU want to be. Ain’t no shame in that.

Basically, it comes down to this. Own your own shit. You don’t need anybody else’s.

And remember: in all things – progress, not perfection!

Love and light,

*****

Maggie

*****

I signed off with “love and light” back when this was originally published and I’m not gonna practice historical revisionism by changing it now.