Facing Fear
Most of us have accumulated protective layers of behaviours that shield our fear rather than face it because we don't know how to face it. From the get-go, it's important to say that this psychologically defensive fear differs from the spontaneous healthy fear our body generates to protect itself, and we generally have no choice but to act upon it because our brains are designed not to question it. However, we can divest ourselves of this psychologically habitual fear as it no longer serves us. It is the darkness within that we dread. These protective layers are many repetitive thoughts and behaviours that contract our energy, distorting all aspects of our lives, perspectives, relationships, careers, financial lives, and how we perceive the world. What actions we take, how we organise our living, what people we mix with, and how we conduct every decision are influenced by how these contractions shade our entire worldview at this moment or how liberated we are. Even if we realise our true nature of universal love, these contractions take time to dissolve, like ice melts in the warm sea. (perhaps not a good metaphor to use in our times!). Based on these contractions and their plethora of micro-avoidant suppressive and dysregulated activities, we may have built lives on shaky foundations that keep falling apart until we realise the actual cause of our suffering. They cause us to live from the outside in instead of the inside out.
The process of melting the ice of the egoic contractions occurs most powerfully as we consciously turn and face fear first, having realised and feeling the love of our true nature. Psychology offers us ways of seeing the defensive cognitive patterns that have built up but do not really deal with the fundamental existential dread that is at the root of all fears, which lingers even after specific patterns of behaviour have been tackled. This is not to say that psychology has developed tools for modifying behaviour patterns are not helpful. They are, and we can significantly help ourselves by using them. But we can only really face our most fundamental fear of existence when we have found the security of the experience of our essential nature, which is what I call the "two but not two" experience where we can perceive and truly feel that we and the environment are one are a constantly available process of existing. Once we have found that, we have found true, lasting security and the source of a continuously available, powerful, life-affirming love that is not dependent on anything and is instantly renewable every moment. Then, we can genuinely start melting the ice of fear, which we discover is actually frozen love. We can look into the dark cave of the experience of fear and explore its recesses to find out that it naturally melts every time we do so and releases what seems to be a burst of love. There is no monster waiting to kill us. It was simply a charade caused by mistaking appearances for being reality instead of realising their illusory nature. Even the appearance of our bodily sensations is the cause of this if we misunderstand their nature. Once we have seen the true nature of fear, it is quite easy to dissolve all fears.
This process of ice melting is a natural process that we do as and when we can. It is not something we have to do or should force ourselves to do. It is not a competition with others to do. It is not something we should look for or dig up deliberately with the same egoic urge that caused it in the first place. However, it is vital to understand that it is the flip side of spiritual awakening. Sometimes, the fear is so intense that we may need the company of others to help us face it. Sometimes, it is the case that our traumas can be helped to be released with specific psychological tools, and we should take advantage of these. Why not? These tools have been proven and fast ways to reprogram the mind. Sometimes, it is essential to recognise that there may be physical and neurological reasons that fear is being generated, which are not psychological. Again, modern psychotherapy can be an enormous help here. Often, our fear comes from a collective source as we pick up on cultural anxiety and fear in the minds and bodies of others, and over time, we can discern this and learn to deal with it. Realising our true nature comes hand in hand with dissolving our fear, which is essential to realise. They are two sides of the same coin. We must seek help if we think we need it. Not to be ashamed of being frightened. Facing fear is the common battle and what brings forth our humanity.
Love
Freyja
