A Basin for Flooding Thoughts and Memories

Me, Walking Along the Berlin Wall

I’ve been practicing some strategies to be more aware of my feelings.  What the feelings are, where they pop up from, and how to handle them consciously, when I make choices.  When I have a flood of feelings, I'm learning to step back and put them in perspective.  Not an easy thing to do, sometimes.  

I want to share a strategy with you.  It helps me to "picture" feelings I am trying to put in perspective. This strategy came from a set of books I read. 

I talked to my friend, Madeline, today. She's a reader of my blog, as well as a friend.  After I talked to her I thought, "I'm going to finish something I was writing about feelings!"

I borrowed the complete set of “Harry Potter” books from my nephew, Brendan, a couple of months ago.   It was a stack! I was determined to read them beginning book to the last. I’ve needed to form my own thoughts on R.J. Rowling’s writing.  I read only two of them,  years ago.  It wasn’t enough.

Brendan's Books 

I took the books and started.  I couldn’t put them down for more than a day.  I loved living the adventures in my mind.  I read them all. The book I found the strategy I was talking about, was in “The Goblet of Fire”. Rowling writes about Professor Dumbledore putting the wand to his head and taking out his disturbing thoughts to go over at a later time.

'“What is it?” Harry asked shakily.

“This? It is called a Pensieve,” said Dumbledore, “I sometimes find, and I’m sure you know the feeling, that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind.”

“Er,” said Harry, who couldn’t truthfully say, that he had ever felt anything of the sort.

“At these times,” said Dumbledore, indicating the stone basin, “I use the Pensive.  One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one’s mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one’s leisure.  It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form.”

“You mean…that stuff’s your thoughts?” Harry said, staring at the swirling white substance in the basin. 

“Certainly,” said Dumbledore.  “Let me show you.”

Dumbledore drew his wand out of the inside of his robes and placed the tip into his own silvery hair, near his temple. '

After reading this part of the book, I drew a bowl of my own.  I wanted a “Pensieve” basin of my own.  I put my troubling thoughts and will let them stay, until I’m ready.  It’s such a waste of time to dwell on them all the time.  Maybe this will be helpful to you.