 |
|
|
Fear, YOUR VIBRATIONS Vol. 2, No. 9 - 9.08.08 Hello!
When I was a little girl, my father and grandfather loved to go horseback riding together around the farm. Me? I was terrified! The horses were so big and, when I was on their back, so far from the ground. And I had seen that they could be moody and mean; they could pick on me all day. Of course, they could also be sweet and gentle, and their hide was so smooth and soft! But riding was too scary, so when my father went to saddle the horses, I would find a hiding place in the house or in the woods. But he always found me and put me, tearful, on big, clumsy Gacela’s back. Once we got going, though, riding was fun and exciting! I loved feeling the wind in my hair as we galloped up the hill. I loved the beautiful, distant landscapes we could visit without having to lose my breath, hiking for a long time. I loved sharing this adventure with my city friends. Actually, I even loved the smell of the horses’ sweat! Even though, as a parent, I don’t agree with my father’s method of dealing with his fainthearted child, I do think I learned an important lesson: my fear of riding could have kept me behind a sofa all day; it could have shadowed me through everything I did throughout my life, a limitation that signaled all that I dared not do. I had to overcome it to appreciate its gifts! I think this is true for all of the small fears that keep us hemmed in. Spiritual retreats are a wonderful, profound way of facing our fears. In their safe and sacred space, we can find out whether our fears are ones that can empower us, or ones that will paralyze us. Read more about spiritual retreats, below. Of course, Reiki is a powerful tool in dealing with fear, If you have Reiki, you can respond immediately to your feelings, channeling the energy. If you don’t, you can learn, or, alternately, Reiki sessions are a good way to begin to clear out the blockages in your energy body that are the result of (and possibly the causes) of your fear. There is also an exercise at the bottom of this newsletter that can help you learn from your fear, and, finally, we will be working on learning from, and transcending our fears, at our monthly Connections meeting. SPIRITUAL RETREATSA spiritual retreat is like a parenthesis in your regular life. You carry it out in order to receive Knowing and to empower yourself to bring about transformation in your life. It consists of stepping out of your ordinary reality, opening a sacred space and time for yourself, in order to receive guidance, wisdom, answers through an intention and by calling on your spiritual resources and guides for help. By the end, you will have greater clarity, new energy, a deep sense of peace. It really is as easy as it sounds! The beauty of spiritual retreats, in my mind, is the feeling of empowerment they leave, the knowledge that I have all the resources I need at hand. Instead of wandering from therapists to soothsayers, and back, nervously trying to figure out who has what I need, I have learned that my retreats will show me how much more I have within me than I thought, and it will point out where I need to look for the rest! And the most beautiful aspect, for me, is the deep sense of peace I am left with by my inner guiding spirits, whose presence reassures me in ways that no human being could! Spiritual retreats can be long, complex affairs, lasting over a week and taking place in exotic locations. But they can also be short and sweet, in your own home. You can take one by yourself, alone with a facilitator, or in a group. Learn how to create your own retreats here! Or contact me for help. And, please, let me know what you think! LEARN FROM YOUR FEARGavin De Becker talks about the gifts that fear gives us. Fear is our best mechanism to recognize and defend ourselves from aggression and danger. Fear can be the language of our intuition and our instincts, indicating to us that we need to prepare to fight or flee, quickly! In this way, fear is a friend. Of course, we also feel fear in situations where our life and physical integrity is not in danger. Sometimes fear does not let us aim for the goals of our heart. Fear can paralyze us completely. And, frequently, with fear come the hurtful inner voices telling us how inept we are, how incapable, how frail, and vulnerable, and unworthy. Fear can also be wise. Especially when we have not heeded our inner knowing, when we have strayed away from our center, fear may be the only way to call us back, to teach us what we have been unwilling to learn. This is why it is so important to face our fears, to look at them straight on and find out what they are really about, where they come from, and what we need to do to release them, or to live with them, or to save ourselves! One way to learn from your fear is to have a conversation with it. You can choose to do this on paper, as if you were writing a dialogue for a play. Or you can role play. Put two chairs out, one in front of the other. Sit in one as your conscious self, and look at the empty chair while you speak to it as your fear. Invite it to speak to you, to tell you what it is here to say. Let it know, you are finally listening. Then, change positions to the other chair and let your fear speak through you, let it express its purpose, its reason for appearing, and what it needs from you in order to liberate you. Change positions again and respond to what you have heard, ask questions, speak your truth to your fear, knowing it is listening. Keep changing positions and continue the conversation until you feel there is no more you can learn from speaking with your fear. Then, sitting in the first chair, thank it for its sincerity, for the job it is trying to do, for the protection it tries to afford you. If it is appropriate, let it know that you are aware of the issues that concern it, that you will take care of them, that it is no longer needed. Now write down what you have learned, and, if you have been writing all along, make a list of the steps you need to take to clear this issue in your life. Start with something you can do now! Wishing you freedom from fear and boundless joy, About the Author
©2008 Andrea Friedmann. All rights reserved. |
