The 7 Rs of Managing Anger

I ran across a similar list on another blog the other day. Since the original author asked me not to use her material (even though it was "fair use"), I have adapted it here:

1. Realize that you feel angry.


2. Relax your mind.


3. Release.


4. Remember to care for yourself.


5. Recharge with supportive people.


6. Reshape your anger generating perceptions.


7. Rectify your errors and retire your resentments.

What a great list of interventions — I only wish I could give credit to my original inspiration. And there are SEVEN of them!!! As in seven colors of the rainbow, seven days of the week, and even seven chakras. So indulge me in a little mytho-poetic romp through these "7 Rs of Managing Anger"

1. Realize that you feel angry. Color: red, the color of anger. Day of the week, Sunday. Image: the dawn - it dawns on you that you are angry. The chakra is the root chakra, tied in with basic survival instincts, it is the basis of being rooted to the Earth. Its color is red, feel it located at the base of your spine.

2. Relax your mind. Color: orange, the color of stress. Day of the week, Monday. Image: the Moon, waning from the full queen of the midnight sky to the mystery of the new moon, hanging out with the sun, in an ever repeating cycle. Rhythms of nature, not stress, just allowing the balance of the system to operate. The chakra is the second chakra, associated with generativity - don't stress, allow your creative and grounded self to bring forth new solutions. Its color is orange, feel it located at the center of your body, just below your navel.

3. Release. Color: yellow, the color of the mind. Day of the week, Tuesday. Image Ares / Mars / Tir, the Gods of War. Chakra number three, associated with anger, with self-protection, with being willing to go to war. Release. This is a must. Visualize a war god unhitching his horses and releasing them in a meadow and letting them graze. Visualize him kicking off his sandals and cooling his feet in a stream. Feel this chakra at your solar plexus. Visualize it rotating smoothly and in harmony with the rest of your body.

4. Remember to care for yourself. Color: green, the color of fertility and fecundity. Day of the week, Wednesday. Image: Mercury / Hermes / Wotan / Odin - traveling Gods, passionately loving deities. Hermes and Mercury, messenger Gods - open your heart to receive the message off compassion. Wotan / Odin - wanderer Gods, who frequently knocked on doors, dressed in rags, and richly rewarded those who showed them hospitality. Chakra four, the heart chakra, located at the center of the chest, associated with compassion, love, and mercy. Having compassion for others requires that you first show compassion to yourself. Take good care of yourself, do not harm yourself with anger.

5. Recharge with supportive people. Color: light blue. Image: the blue sky under which we all live; sitting down in a circle for council, for fellowship, for a picnic. Day of the week, Thursday (Thorsday). Thor, the protector of the Norse communities. Wotan was feared, but Thor cherished. The fifth chakra, located at the throat, governs communication. Surround yourself with people who are impeccable with their word, people who speak the truth with respect. Be recharged by honest feedback and assertive communication. Tell somebody that you appreciate them and what they've done lately.

6. Reshape your anger generating perceptions. Color: indigo, the color of midnight blue. Day of the week: Friday, Freya-day, the day celebrating Freyr and Freya, Norse fertility deities coming from the pre-warrior traditions. Chakra — the Third Eye — associated with dreaming, with understanding. Gain a new understanding. Instead of the warfare of the Aesir such as Woden and Thor, seek the peace, union, and fertility of Freyr and Freya.

7. Rectify your errors and retire your resentments. Color: violet (or silver). Day of the week: Saturday - Saturn-day, Sabado. Saturn, the Roman God of setting limits and boundaries: it's time to examine the limits of your behavior, to make amends for the boundaries you've crossed, for the times you've failed to limit your aggression. Sabado - Sabbath - the day of rest and reconciliation. A day for God to walk in the Garden of Eden with humankind. The Crown Chakra, at the crown of your head. This is the place of spiritual connection with the universe. Allow your contact with Spirit to empower you to amend your shortcomings and to exercise the Grace of forgiving those you judge to have harmed you.