You know the feeling: you see what someone else is doing and a fire rages within. Perhaps you notice someone’s success, beauty, social media popularity or romance and you are filled with flames of desire that scorch you.

When jealousy strikes, do you block it, do you try to positive think it through, do you pretend you didn’t just feel a forest fire blazing through your psyche, do you lash out with venomous fervor, do you smile a fake societal smile to hide the shame, or do you look at jealousy in the eyes and listen to its sacred message to you?

I’ve certainly experienced my share of jealousy, I’m not beyond it, and I don’t strive to be. I’ve discovered when I’m willing to face jealousy, I can receive the spiritual teachings it graciously offers and move on.

When we leave jealousy untended, unloved and ignored, we amplify the feelings of shame, hiding, fear, isolation, anger, sadness, depression, not-enoughness, insecurity, pretending, over-compensating and stress.

 

Jealousy burns like a wildfire within our psyche.

It’s time we look at this wild emotion and lift the shame from its breath so it can stop burning us with its fire and start lighting the way instead.

I’ve put together a list of the great teachings of jealousy and how we can face this fire and find our power.

 

The 10 Spiritual Lessons of Jealousy

 

1.  Jealousy exposes our trigger points

Better than anything else, jealousy will shine a spotlight on your trigger points, your insecurities, your fears, and your mis-aligned beliefs.  When faced with the experience of jealousy, ask yourself: What is this bringing up for me?

Jealousy offers the gift of awareness and self-discovery. Jealousy gives us the opportunity to listen to ourselves and understand the inner workings of our own thoughts and feelings.

 

2. Jealousy exposes our true desires

When we see someone else getting, having or experiencing what we want, it can bring up a whole web of emotions. If jealousy comes up, ask yourself: Is this something I desire?  Am I giving myself permission to own this desire?

 

3. Jealousy uncovers our limiting belief systems

When we know what we want but we don’t have it, and we see someone else getting it, this can feel like oxygen feeding the flames of jealousy. When we notice ourselves in this situation, there is a spiritual teaching on the horizon. Ask yourself: What limiting belief do I have that makes me believe I can’t have what I want?

 

4. Jealousy shows us when and where we are disembodied

When we’re focused on what everyone else is doing, we lose track of what we’re doing. Jealousy disembodies us from the moment of our path and places an external force as the measure of our moment. When something external defines us, we exist outside of ourselves.
If jealousy has you in its grip and has left you living on the outskirts of your own life, ask yourself: What do I need to feel safe in this world? What do I need to make my life a priority?

 

5. Jealousy asks us to love ourselves first

Being inspired by others is a beautiful thing, but when we’re focused on others at the expense of our own peace and happiness, we are not loving ourselves. We are placing ourselves in the cage of “not-enoughness” and “comparison.” When this happens, acknowledge that you’ve found yourself in that suffocating cage and ask yourself: How can I love myself now?

 

6. Jealousy teaches us to focus

Jealousy scatters our energy by giving attention to everything and everyone else.  We lose our center when we’re in the grips of jealousy. When jealousy has its grip on us, it’s an invitation to surrender and open to receive one of the most brilliant spiritual teachings. Jealousy calls us back to our center. It asks us to be in the center of our experience, no matter what is happening around us.  It asks us to focus. To receive this powerful teaching, ask yourself:  How can I come back to my center now?

 

7. Jealousy gives us proof that the world is abundant

When we see others succeeding we are being given actual proof that success is possible and great things can happen in this world.  Jealousy gives us the opportunity to see the abundance of the universe. To practice this spiritual teaching ask yourself: When I see someone succeeding, what does this say about the universe?

 

8. Jealousy teaches us how to celebrate other people

It’s easy to fake celebration. It’s easy to congratulate someone for their accomplishments but not really feel it. Although we might think we’re getting away with that in the moment and holding a societal smile to hide our true sense of lack, the truth is jealousy doesn’t let us get away with pretending. Jealousy asks us to cultivate the feelings of true celebration. If you are jealous of another person’s success, and find it hard to truly celebrate them, ask yourself: What do I need to genuinely feel happy for people?

 

9. Jealousy detoxifies our system

When we allow ourselves to listen to jealousy and uncover the limiting beliefs that created it, we can cleanse our whole system of those ideas. Jealousy gives us an opportunity to update our entire inner world to a nü way of being.  When you feel the burn of jealousy ask yourself: What limiting beliefs am I willing to burn away right now?

 

10. Jealousy calls us to take our power back

The ultimate gift of jealousy is the call to find our power. It begs us to recognize our own power.  It doesn’t let us get away with half-truths, it waits patiently until we’ve learned the lessons it offers. Jealousy calls us to claim our power. Jealousy calls us to claim our desires. Jealousy calls us to own our own life and keep our focus on our path. Jealousy calls us to feel so full within that it is natural to celebrate another.

 

Which Spiritual Lesson are you ready to practice?

Jealousy is one of those taboo topics.  People often pretend they don’t have it, but silently battle the burn. Jealousy is a human experience that needs some loving attention. Everyone has faced jealousy but not everyone knows what to do with it.

Help lift the shame of this emotion by sharing your thoughts and feelings about jealousy in the space below.

Share ‘The 10 Spiritual Lessons of Jealousy’ with your conscious and not-so-conscious friends. Everyone can benefit from the love.