I was first exposed to the concept of emotional energy when my first child was a toddler. While participating in a life-long learning conference, I attended a session on parenting. The speaker talked about how we can impact our children’s lives by what we fear for them. He said that in trying to protect children from some outcome we fear, our fear-driven efforts will propel them toward that outcome. Much later I came to see how that concept applies in all areas of life – we attract what we fear. This cause-and-effect principle applies to every emotion.
All emotions have that magnetic power. Every emotion has an energy field that attracts whatever it aligns with. Just as fear attracts what we fear, frustration attracts additional situations that frustrate us, humor attracts situations that amuse us, gratitude attracts more to be grateful for, and serenity attracts peace.
The 5 Modes of Emotion [Click here to visit the Modes of Emotion diamond] are listed in the left-most column of the chart. Now notice the rows across the top. These identify the characteristics of the different modes. Each mode has a Hallmark, a Potential, a Gateway and an Outcome. Let’s consider each of these Attributes.
By Hallmark, I mean that in general this is what each Mode attracts. So, Victim Mode emotions attract suffering, and on the other end of the scale, Creator Mode emotions attract Oneness. Oneness with yourself, oneness with your intentions, and especially oneness with the Universe. So, if you find yourself in struggle, you will know you’re in Interpreter Mode, and if you recognize you are neutral, you will know you’re in Observer Mode. Etc.
The second attribute, Potential, refers to one’s view of what’s possible. To someone in Victim Mode, nothing seems impossible. One feels hopeless and helpless. All options have been closed off. A person in this lowest Mode may have only enough power to say, “No more of this.” It’s unlikely they will see what exactly is to be done, but if someone throws them a lifeline they may be able to catch hold of it. As one moves through the Modes, the ability to see options increases. To someone in Interpreter Mode, all the alternatives may seem burdened with difficulties, but at least they will see two paths ahead instead of none. In Observer Mode, multiple possibilities open up. Some will look good, some may look awful, but anything is possible. Once one is neutral, one can assess pros and cons from various angles and use logic and reason to choose mindfully,
If you look at the Modes of Emotion diagram, you will see the diamond narrows when one moves into Partner mode. This is because in Observer Mode you not only see more options, you gain greater discernment and can separate what you want from what you don’t want and make wiser choices. By ignoring the alternatives you don’t want and forming intentions regarding what you do want, you find cooperative Partners who are eager to turn possibilities become probabilities. And when you focus strongly on your intentions, the higher energies of Creator Mode let your desires become inevitable.
The third Attribute is the Gateway into each mode. This Attribute may be pretty self-explanatory, but I’ll confirm the obvious. Fear opens the trapdoor into Victim Mode, whether the danger is real or imaginary, and especially if it results in any degree of helplessness and suffering. Longing is the desire for things to be different, and it often opens into the long, endless corridor of struggle. Becoming calm opens the door to neutrality and provides a high, wide-angle view of possibility. In Partner Mode the gates of opportunity welcome you within, and when you trust – in yourself, in your intentions and in the universe, you are the Creator.
And that brings us to the Outcome you will experience in each mode. Because the hallmark of Victim Mode is helplessness and the gateway is fear, the result is pain and suffering. The judgments and difficulties of Interpreter Mode turn all longing into a struggle. Neutrality, on the other hand produces calm, widens one’s view of the possible and offers a wider range of choices. In Partner Mode, one finds ease and welcome and invites cooperation. And ultimately, the surety and trust of Creator Mode inevitably results in oneness with the universe itself. In that oneness you will experience better health, improved relationship, a deeper sense of purpose, happiness, and even a stronger financial position.
Moving up the diamond of The Modes of Emotion is the journey of a lifetime. For help along the way, read (my book is a good start), learn (we offer classes), become more mindful, practice, and view every experience as a growth opportunity.
