Ellen S. Wright, LMFT

Anger and Rage: Tapping into Sekhmet Energy Many of my friends know that my alter ego is Sekhmet. Sekhmet is one of the oldest of the Egyptian Gods known as “The Powerful One,” Goddess of War and Healing. Sekhmet was known for destroying large portions humanity because they had become selfish and cruel to each other, violating the rights of each their peers and no longer peaceful. Sekhmet was only calmed by having her anger and blood thirst for the unjust quelled by red mead/wine. Though this is how she was known, she was also a powerful healer. Later accounts of Sekhmet see that she was both a healer and protector of justice/humanity/healing and love. The patriarchal accounts favored symbolism of The Powerful One as being irrational, vengeful she is often depicted- “uncontrollable, scary, wild, violating and unpredictable.” This is often how the powerful feminism is portrayed. It is not a coincidence that most people will say “Now, now, anger isn’t good, you shouldn’t be angry. Anger causes trouble.” It is this “causing trouble” that I find most important right now. For you see, anger is an emotion of change. It is a harbinger and spark for mobilization, and we will look at it in this post. I may be stating the obvious, but most would not peg my current physical lifetime as being “so rageful” but I have learned the nature of anger and rage and I want to share with you at this particular point in time in hopes that it will help you to accept and celebrate your anger. Are you currently feeling an abundance of anger and rage? Well, it is absolutely understandable! Especially given current world events. I mean, like it or not folks, we are all connected. If you have a uterus or not, whether you are LGBTQIA+, whether you are binary or non-binary, whether you have a child, whether you are neurodivergent, whether your skin is colored in any way- we are all feeling the collective trauma of the final rise of oppression, supremacy and scarcity/fear consciousness. When one of us is oppressed, all of us are oppressed. Anger is clarifying. Anger is transformative. Anger is necessary. Those of us who are sensitive/empathetic have felt this connection since birth. That is why for many of us, this experience is an amplification of what we have known is growing under the surface of hate/fear-based belief systems. You may have even experienced being told not to express your anger and to contain it because of your “identify.” We are lucky, that we are now in a time of seeing the core of corruption reach the surface. It is once again erupting and extending itself to the fear-based minds it has cultivated. Right now, it is easy to get overwhelmed, to be taken under the massive wave of anger, rage, collective trauma and perceived loss of inherent sovereignty. So, if you are feeling a primal rage, an anxiousness that lives deep in your core and a calling to know what to do what that energy- you may have come to the right place. Anger is defined as: An emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong. Rage is defined as: intense, typically uncontrolled anger. Anger and Rage are signals that something needs to change or remain as we would like. Anger (like all emotions) are triggered when our internal operating system is challenged. This internal operating system “ego” includes; our preferences, expectations of others, expectations of ourselves, our accepted social/community norms, our skills, our perceptions and beliefs of the outer world. Most of the time the reason we are angry is that something has violated our internal operating system/ego and now we are in a place of mobilization or immobilization. Ask yourself:

• Were my values violated? If so, which ones?
• Was a boundary has been crossed?
• What need is not being met?

Anger is most commonly associated with mobilization of the body, because it is, it is incorrectly associated with aggression and outward behaviors. Rage and hostility are usually what we thinking of when we are generally calling it anger. The important part to remember is that once we are mobilized, we all react to this violation of our internal operating system differently- this could include internal or external behaviors.  Anger and rage are not inherently bad. Though in many places in the world, they have negative connotations. Yet, anger tells us when our boundaries have been crossed, when something personal to us has been violated, when someone/thing breaches our accepted social norms or when expectations are not met. Anger calls us to protect ourselves or someone else, to FIGHT or have the energy to FLEE. Anger wants us to protect ourselves, get away or create needed change. Anger is an emotion and call for TRANSFORMATION. Rage is overripe anger. Rage is the call of collective sustained anger. Just because you feel anger or rage, you may have been acculturated and told not to express it outwardly. Most people associate anger with aggression, but anger can exist without aggressive action. Anger is an emotion that calls us to mobilize, when we have learned the nature of the energy of anger, we can recognize it when it comes up, experience it, accept it and learn what it is telling us. Experiencing and accepting anger are not commonly taught to us as humans. We are also judged by the natural ways our bodies want to experience and allow anger. We are often afraid to feel our anger… Anger feels strong, fast, constricting, tense and activating. Anger can feel very uncomfortable for people who have experienced multiple traumas. It can also feel very empowering. For me, anger is now like an old friend, and not just because of my Sekhmet nature, smile- well partially it is due to her. I want to share with you what I have done when I feel anger. These practices help me to be with anger, without feeling like I will succumb to its strength. In this lifetime, I was taught NOT to use my anger, for it would deem me “an angry black woman” and that was counter “safety- acceptance/belonging.” Now, I know that is not true. But for some time, I repressed my anger and often judged it, thinking that I was a “bad person” for being angry. It is important to note, this also an intergenerational issue.  One time, after a fairly large injustice, my mother shared with me “Ellen, I’m afraid if I start crying or screaming, I may never ever stop.”  What my mother was referring to was rage.  And rage for those people who have been marginalized, de-humanized, enslaved and oppressed feel the well of this collective rage on a different level. The experiences of past plus current psychological weight of unresolved rage is what causes illness, disconnection and further enslavement. Rage is cumulative and demands, at times to be noticed. Transmuting anger and rage Denying or rejecting anger does not make it go away. It makes it go underground and it can render you powerless overtime. When enough alarm bells are not answer for action- they go deeper underground and start to rule our behavior subconsciously. This is why passive aggression, avoidance, and manipulation exists- a need will always find a way to be expressed, even if it is done covertly. Unprocessed/felt anger and rage are at the root of many major health concerns. When one does not recognize, experience/feel and accept their anger- it becomes a challenge for the body to hold onto it and it can make you physically sick. So, not only can experiencing anger and rage be a good thing, it is essential for your health! How does anger affect your body in the short term?

• Increased energy levels (may feel like nervousness/anxiety or overwhelm to the point of to sleep or disassociate from the present moment)
• Raised blood pressure
• Spike in hormones like adrenaline and noradrenaline
• Increase in body temperature
• Increased muscle tension

How does it affect your body in the longer term?

• Heart chakra and Solar Plexus chakra unbalance Obesity
• Low self-esteem/concept (perceived powerlessness)
• Migraines
• Addiction
• Depression
• Sexual performance problems
• Increased heart attack risk
• Lower-quality relationships
• Higher probability of abusing others emotionally or physically or both
• Higher blood pressure and stroke

Anger Movers! (Physical support for experiencing anger) Please know that I attempted to give a wide variety of different body centered practices that can be utilized or modified with people of various physical abilities. If there are some that I have been remiss in adding please suggest. I have listed them in order of what works the quickest and are Immediate body response– Get physical (safely with self and others) QUICK! – Some version of a physical body response is necessary to process anger or rage and keep it moving through the body.

• Change your surroundings
• Rip paper
• Throw something safe in a safe direction (water ballon, pillow, ball, etc)
• Scream (in your car, in your pillow, in outdoors)
• Dance (chair or seat dancing an option)
• Tapping (emotional freedom technique)
• Walk/Run/Jog
• Yoga/Qigong/Tai Chi
• Play a musical instrument
• Massage
• Eat something cold or something your body naturally enjoys

Engagement of vagus nerve– engagement of the parasympathetic nerves system

• Stretch
• Cold compress on your chest and the back of your neck
• Cold water on your face and body
• Making time for relaxation like a bubble bath or a favorite hobby
• Deep breathing exercises
• Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)- Involves tensing and relaxing muscle groups.
• Visualization or guided imagery- Involves asking an individual to imagine, for example, a preferred and/or peaceful scene or situation
• Focussed breathing- Increasing one’s awareness and control of breathing patterns.
• Autogenics – listening to positive self-statements and affirmations, such as “my breathing is smooth and rhythmical“ and “I am in control”.
• Watching a favorite movie or something with positive humor
• Write a letter or record yourself saying what you want to say

Counter with Planning/Visioning/Praying/Intention and/or Boundary Setting-

• Deep breathing exercises
• Creating a list of things for which you’re grateful
• Organizing at home and/or work
• Saying no to things that you don’t really want to do
• Examine and consciously define what you will and will not accept in your life from others
• Examine and consciously define the type of world you want to live within (household/location/country)
• Journaling
• Conversation/Processing
• Story tell
• Create art
• Write a letter or record yourself saying what you want to say- then edit, from an “I am feeling” space.

the most powerful movers of anger. Immediate body response- Get physical (safely with self and others) QUICK! – Some version of a physical body response is necessary to process anger or rage and keep it moving through the body.

• Change your surroundings
• Rip paper
• Throw something safe in a safe direction (water ballon, pillow, ball, etc)
• Scream (in your car, in your pillow, in outdoors)
• Dance (chair or seat dancing an option)
• Tapping (emotional freedom technique)
• Walk/Run/Jog
• Yoga/Qigong/Tai Chi
• Play a musical instrument
• Massage
• Eat something cold or something your body naturally enjoys

Engagement of vagus nerve- engagement of the parasympathetic nerves system

• Stretch
• Cold compress on your chest and the back of your neck
• Cold water on your face and body
• Making time for relaxation like a bubble bath or a favorite hobby
• Deep breathing exercises
• Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)- Involves tensing and relaxing muscle groups.
• Visualization or guided imagery- Involves asking an individual to imagine, for example, a preferred and/or peaceful scene or situation
• Focussed breathing- Increasing one’s awareness and control of breathing patterns.
• Autogenics – listening to positive self-statements and affirmations, such as “my breathing is smooth and rhythmical“ and “I am in control”.
• Watching a favorite movie or something with positive humor
• Write a letter or record yourself saying what you want to say

Counter with Planning/Visioning/Praying/Intention and/or Boundary Setting-

• Deep breathing exercises
• Creating a list of things for which you’re grateful
• Organizing at home and/or work
• Saying no to things that you don’t really want to do
• Examine and consciously define what you will and will not accept in your life from others
• Examine and consciously define the type of world you want to live within (household/location/country)
• Journaling
• Conversation/Processing
• Story tell
• Create art
• Write a letter or record yourself saying what you want to say- then edit, from an “I am feeling” space.

When we have done all of that, we will know best how to transmute angry energy. What happens after I feel the anger and rage? After you have welcomed anger and rage like old friends and let their energy course through you… you will be exhausted.  Let yourself be exhausted by screaming, yelling, creating, moving, sleeping, crying, dancing, or scheming. After it has been felt, you will be tempted to return to status quo, the perceived ease before the upset. Yet, this is the most crucial time. This is the point that anger was leading you towards-what must be transformed or acknowledged.  After all, if something within your internal operating system was triggered, wouldn’t you want to know what it is so that you can be more at ease? Know that anger is the fire. As fire ignites, and inspires, it must be respected. Respect is not the same as control. Respecting is having reverence, understanding, admiration and due regard for something. Like all other elements, fire can is contextual and is not easily “good or bad.” To release anger or rage, one must acknowledge that there is a message of action coming. Which is why, whenever I hear that someone is angry and the first thing someone does is to say, “calm down” it is like throwing gasoline on a fire. We all know we cannot just “calm down” when we are angry. Yet, we can do things to work with the emotion physically (always first) and then process it its meaning and what we can do about whatever we are angry about. Remember, anger is a violation of our internal operating system. When one recognizes which element of their operating system was violated, you are then ready to make the changes to whatever the situation is in front of you. Yet, I must emphasize that this cannot be done before anger is recognized, acknowledged and experienced. Those steps may come and appear to go quickly, but one of the essential ones for the future is to know what you are planning to do. (Added notes: sometimes, non-doing is also doing.) When you are feeling in alignment with the clarity of the anger/rage, you will instantly feel less anger. The overall point of this piece, is to allow anger and rage. Do not judge yourself or others for feeling it. If you have questions or want more on individual tips to work with your anger- please write in the comments or message me!