We need to have a conversation about Fear.
It’s not a fun or favorite topic, is it?
In fact, it’s one that I hear many people try to avoid: “I’m not afraid, I’m worried/concerned/whatever different label I can put on it to keep from admitting that I’m afraid.”
Do you ever hear yourself denying Fear like that?
There may be no better time than right now in 2020, with the COVID-19 experience, to talk about Fear.
The last time that middle-class America was collectively this afraid of anything might have been when we were all learning how to “duck and cover” under our desks.
…with the 2020 version of “duck and cover” being “Wear your mask.”
What I notice most in the mask-wearing debate is people arguing about whether it comes from a place of Fear.
What I don’t hear or see is enough people saying, “Yes, I’m afraid. So what?” We (collectively) are not letting it be OK to be afraid right now.
Do you see how entrenched we’ve become in denying that Fear exists?
The important message I want to convey right now is, whenever we deny or ignore Fear, we’re missing an opportunity.
When you feel fear, it’s something to pay attention to, not rationalize away or sweep under the rug.
When you feel Fear, you are revealing a place in yourself where you haven’t yet embraced your eternal, empowered Divine Nature.
This is true in any situation where Fear arises:
- Being afraid of catching a serious disease means that you don’t believe in your body’s ability to protect and heal itself, which means that you don’t believe in your mind’s ability to command your body. Which is true because it’s self-fulfilling: As long as you don’t believe in your mind’s ability to command your body, it can’t. There are people like me who can heal their bodies – or not get sick in the first place – because we’ve mastered the mind-body relationship.
- Being afraid of criticism or rejection demonstrates a disconnect from your inner, Divine source of Love. It means you seek Love from other people instead and are afraid you won’t receive it.
- Being afraid of blazing your own path in the world suggests that you’re afraid to trust your innate Desire to be a guide in your life.
Now, this is a pivotal point in the conversation, because you can take what I’m saying in two ways:
- You can receive all the “you don’ts” as Fear-shaming – that I’m wagging my finger at your for having these Fears. That’s what a lot of the world tries to do to us, right?
- OR, you can take this opportunity to recognize, “You’re right – I don’t,” then embrace Fear and recognize the opportunity it brings for healing and self-realization.
With the right attitude, Fear becomes the road map to all the places in yourself that aren’t yet enlightened (full of light), so that you can bring light to those dark places – whether it’s in your cells, your thoughts, or your emotions.
If you’ve been asking yourself, “How do I reach Enlightenment?” there’s your answer. Follow your Fears!
You can talk with your Fear:
- “What do you have to show me? What is it I’m really afraid of?”
- Where do you feel that Fear in your body? What does it feel like? What shape or color does it have?
- Does that Fear have an image attached to it? Perhaps even a memory?
The key reason for these questions isn’t to get information about your Fear, but to break the habit of pulling away from it.
The moment you embrace your Fear, it loses its power over you. Exploring how it shows up inside you is one way to embrace it. Then you can also bring Light into that space to transmute the Fear.
But you can’t do any of this if you deny that Fear exists within you.
If you want to take this exploration further, there are other specific ways to embrace Fear. I teach about them in my recurring webinar, “Your 5 Core Fears and How to Conquer Them.” During this time together, you’ll learn about the deepest root causes of Fear that underlie all the others, with clear, practical tools to recognize and conquer each one when it arises.
I use the word “conquer” in this context because for some people it evokes a much-needed sense of power over Fear. In truth, those tools I’ll teach you for in the webinar are all ways of bringing Light into those dark, Fearful spaces.
To register for the next offering of the webinar, click here.
Cover photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash