Controlling Fear
I believe that fear, along with its associated anxiety, is one of the biggest stumbling blocks on the path, along with doubt and anger. Actually, I have heard it said that everything is born of two things - either love or fear, and that is definitely one way of looking at it.
Of course, there is natural fear that keeps us from harming ourselves in various situations, but that is not the fear I am talking about. It is the fear that is not rational, that compromises our peace of mind and puts us in a state of anxiety that is the fear we need to address. But how do we conquer that fear? That is what we are going to look at in this discussion and hopefully everybody can share their favorite fear conquering techniques.
The first thing is to really decide if we are ready and willing to give up the fear and anxiety that we may be holding on to for various reasons. Psychologists have found that fear and anxiety are states that some have been in for so long that they are not really comfortable with a more peaceful state of mind. So the first thing is to take a hard look at why we may be holding on to fear/anxiety.
When we are ready to give up being in an ongoing state of fear and have made the sincere determination to do so, we can begin to take steps to overcome it. One of the keys is to keep on moving, to move through the mirage of fear and not become stuck in it. Many times we feel fear and anxiety but never take the time to really examine why we are feeling that way. Or we try to suppress it, which only makes it grow stronger. We need to look at the shadow side - bring it up for air. When we try to hide from fear, it grows in power. We must know the fear - name it - in order to replace it. When the unknown becomes the known, that is a giant step in mastering fear.
I would like to share a spiritual practice/meditation to help in overcoming fear:
1. Have the courage to admit to your fear - that you are afraid, otherwise we are still dealing with shadows which we cannot address.
2. If it is part of your spiritual practice, call to higher guides and assistance with your meditation.
3. Position yourself in meditation as the Observer - the Buddha under the Bodhi tree. Allow yourself to be fully aware of your fear and any other feelings. Allow waves of fear and anxiety to move through you, without denying them, holding on to them or pushing them away.
4. Allow yourself to remember other situations in your life where you felt this same kind of fear. As the Loving Adult, soothe and comfort your Inner Child, the younger part of yourself, who carries the pain of that drama from your childhood or youth.
5. Mobilize your courage and determine to take positive action, to act "as if" you were indeed fearless, whether you feel that way or not.
6. Surround yourself with violet flame, which as noted in the Meditation Guide is good for transmutation of lower vibratory energies - such as fear. Let it blaze forth in every single cell and atom of your being, visualizing it erasing all energy patterns of fear and anxiety.
7. Determine to continue to address any and all remnants of fear that may arise in the future.