Greeting God Spirits,
A gentle reminder of our group meeting. Date: Sunday, June 9 th 2019 Time: 10 AM till 11:30- 12 Place: 937 Canvas Back Drive, Charlottesville (Redfields) Contact: 252 312 7322, Kathy
The message will be “The Subtle Seduction of Duality” with Rev Dr. Barbara Watterhouse. We will also be discussing the article below from Science of Mind June magazine, Fearless Unshackled. Please feel free to bring some goodies to share. Friends are always welcomed.
LIVING THE FOUR AGREEMENTS class is almost here. Save the date: JUNE 15. Check our web page for details: somcville.org
Looking forward to seeing everyone. Blessings, Kathy
FEARLESS UNSHACKLED by Trish Hall
LIFE WITHOUT FEAR
The restraining power of physical shackles that fasten a captive’s wrists or ankles together to prevent escape pales in comparison to the power of fear, which can suck the vitality out of life, diminishing our capacity to love. Instinctively, we struggle to get loose from the powerful restrictions that bind us, yet we fear being separate. Humans seem to have mastered ways to perpetuate this fear and amplify its effects. We see authority figures use fear to manipulate and cripple broad segments of populations by triggering sensations of disconnection. Common experiences that contrast differences-such as not being selected for a job, being fired or being spurned by a lover – erode confidence and convey messages such as, “You’re not okay,” “You are less than” or “You’re not part of this group.”
FEAR The sense of being separate is at the heart of so many of the world’s ills because interconnectedness is entangled in our identity. To some degree, most of us define ourselves as reflections of what we are to others and what we believe others want or require us to be -mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, colleagues, co-workers, employees, friends, neighbors, spouses. We live our lives “subject to” the people and circumstances of our lives. We so fear the loss of the relationships that we become “pleasers” and stifle our authenticity to such degree that we may not comprehend what being authentic means. Our ability to fully express ourselves has been so subjugated to others that we truly do not know who we actually are. Fear of rejection has prompted many of us to relinquish our identity, engage in codependency and endure all manner of hardship and shame, claiming it is better to be connected, no matter what the terms.
EXAMINE YOUR SELF – TALK
The habit of reacting to fear-triggering stimulus is reinforced by our self – talk. We are our most convincing manipulator. No one can cause us to think anything without our conscious or unconscious consent. Self-doubt whispers, “They are right!” Our self – talk grants consent. This internal dialogue grasps at even the smallest cues to prove the sedation it so deeply dreads. Fear operates on a platform oa assumptions constructed from our own experiences, reinforced by others. Anchored at a visceral, other-than-conscious level, our fears filter and alter all our perceptions-sights, sounds, feelings-that is, everything we sense. While some fears are essential for survival, most function like corrupted software – valid programming that becomes exaggerated, resulting in distorted functioning. Fear is the root of anger. Something is at stake – power, goods, status, relationships, identify- so something could be lost. We must remember that our reaction to fear is nothing more than a habit, and any habit can be changed. How we deal with ant fear is a matter of choice. As Victor Frankl said, “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
IMAGINE A FEARLESS LIFE
Unshackled, you are free to fully express your uniqueness, creativity and boundlessness. Imagine a life without fear, doubt or the resulting hesitancy. What if you have been letting fear stifle your radiance? How would you be if you fully embraced the truth of your being, that you are an individuation of Spirit? You would have nothing to fear. You would be unstoppable. If you felt a glint of fear at the prospect of being unlimited, it’s just a reminder of how deeply rooted our fear habits can be.
Ask yourself, “Am I allowing circumstance to control my experience of life, or am I exercising my power to control my experience of circumstance?”
Ask yourself, “Am I listening to the chaotic, outer din, or am I gleaning from the Divine within me?
Ask yourself, “Am I reacting to my fears, or am I responding with the calm assurance using my inner wisdom?”
Divine guidance is never taught ti us; it is evoked from within us. We cannot force it or reason it into existence. It is simply made known to us when we stop long enough to be still and know. When we fail to listen within and forget that we are individuations of Spirit that are inseparable from the One and from one another, we experience instability and fragility. We tend to blame our feelings on worldly circumstances rather than courageously examining what is filtering our perceptions–the beliefs that are generating our fears. When we remember that each of us is an activity of God, we are reminded that we have the power to change our beliefs. We can neutralize fear, angst and anger. Sounds simple, right?
YOUR CHOICES
Fear, love and gratitude are the three root-level generators of experience. Of these, fear is the most pervasive, insidious, negative force. Fear is ubiquitous. The potential devastation that rampant fear can wreak certainly validates this assertion, yet it misses the positive purpose for fear entirely. Recognizing fear as an early warning system is highly effective tool. Rather than giving it the strength to paralyze us, we need to acknowledge its message and follow the admonition of Emma Curtis Hopkins to “turn away” from its potentially negative effects. “Change your thinking, change your life”, and view fear in a different light. Love is the most powerful healing force. Genuine love requires authenticity and vulnerability, a willingness to be present in the moment without assumptions or projections. This is a tall order that most of us grow toward. Often confused with emotions such as lust or self=gratification, the real thing is neither needy nor manipulative. It requires nothing in exchange. Love simply is. It opens a space in which life can be expressed and experienced fully. Gratitude is the most healthy catalyst, awakener, amplifier. It causes us to awaken to myriad possibilities and opportunities to express appreciation. Like genuine Love, sincere gratitude never manipulates or harms. Gratitude opens a vessel in which there is warmth and an invitation to expand into pure potentiality. In gratitude, we are more alert, appreciative and alive. Contrary to putting on rose-colored glasses, perceiving the world through the lens of gratitude welcomes us to “living love”–embracing and valuing the interconnectedness of all of creation. Love in the presence go gratitude opens our sensors and makes us greater gleaners of life. Fear, love and gratitude can cause and / or resolve all manner of human conditions. The wisest of saints and the most demonic of villains throughout history have used them to manipulate populations for good and evil. These three forces, including fear when compassionately applied, are the means to transform most of the worlds’s ills and bring about peace.
UNLOCK THE SHACKLES
Unlocking the shackles the bind us to fear truly is a simple process, a basic journey of spiritual awakening: 1 Our first step is to reidentify with what our being already knows: We are each an activity of God and we get to choose how that activity
shows up. 2 Our next step is to relabel fear. It is not our enemy unless we grant it the power to do harm. When we look at expressions of fear as a messengers, they unveil enormous insights into how people experience life. These insights provide us with guidance and opportunities to apply love and gratitude. Without this guidance, we stumble around trying this and that. 3 Our next step is to be present as love. When we remember that we are Spirit’s means of expressing love in the world, the transformative power of love is unleashed. When we are willing to be present with fear, our own and others’, we are guided intuitively to infuse the healing power of love in perfect ways that reveal the interconnectedness of al and facilitate the emergence of life-affirming interpersonal and international relationships. 4 Our culminating step is to apply gratitude-gratitude for the freedom, for the process, for the opportunity to be a transformative force in the universe. Apply and express gratitude in all ways. No matter what, find something or someone to be the object of your gratitude. Keep it alive and potent.
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