There are times when you become aware that you are carrying around unwanted emotion (generally it will be a 'negative' emotion like anger, or sadness, but happy emotions can come from unknown places as well). It may hover continually in the background or pop up at inconvenient moments. When those times have happened for me, I have used the following visualization to identify the emotion, its source, and what lesson is presenting its self to me.
* * * * *
Relax and get comfortable. (It is your choice as to whether you want to be lying down or sitting up - just don't fall asleep!)
Choose a single word to describe or represent the issue. (It may be 'sad,' a person's name, or even 'pink.') The word is your first step, so don't feel limited by convention.
Picture this word in huge block letters marked on a door. Examine the door carefully and note its details.
Focus again on the word you chose. Gently open the door and look in. Look to the front, the left, and the right (just as you would if you went into a room you had never been in before).
* If you see a person, or any being, begin to talk with them about your problem.
* If you see nothing, or a vast horizon, close the door and continue on. Another door will present itself. Go through doors until you can find a being with whom you can talk about your problem.
* It may also be that you will simply find a place where you can be alone with the problem or a where you can actively work it out.
In any case, give yourself time to be with the problem and see the many layers of this situation. (You may need to return here again.) If you are communicating with another being, ask to see the truth about the situation.
Old memories and people may come into visualization. Observe what they say and do, and how they interact with the environment. Make the effort to see them as they are, even if it is different from the way you think they are.
When you have seen enough (even if you aren't done and will be returning again), thank any beings present for their assistance. Leave the area and close the doors behind you.
Breathe deeply and return to full consciousness. Spend a moment reviewing what you just experienced.
When you are ready, open your eyes and journal everything, even if its just associations.
Take a break before moving on.
* * * * *
When you feel ready, review your notes and explore the insights and meanings you found.
As with most things of the spirit, the answers you come up with (as opposed to those given to you by books or outsiders) are the correct ones.
~from Maat's Book of Shadows
(based on work by 'the Wizard Ariel')