By "metaphysical" I mean each emotion has, to borrow from David Kelsey, an "eccentric" character. Something from the "outside" comes to us--rescue, gift, joy, identity, grace. To borrow from and slightly tweak C.S. Lewis, for Joy to be Joy there must be a surprise to it. Joy is something that cannot be harnessed or controlled, it comes to us as gift.
In the posts that follow I'd like to sketch out the metaphysical structure of these emotions, while also pointing out how foundational each are for mental health. The implication is, of course, that mental health is rooted in a religious posture toward the self and the world.
