Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Fear and Light



Fear is the biggest bully we ever encounter on life's playground! We all know him/her by sight even if we don't know their name, we quake in our boots, in frozen paralysis when encountering that huge, dark, looming, sun blocking, terrifying, surly, unhappy, thieving, intimidating, oppressing, hurtful, loud, obscenity yelling, despair wielding, heartbreaking demon who creeps out of the shadows, swooping in to torment us when we are going happily along our way. Fear doesn't have to lay a hand on us, we do the damage to ourselves, when falling and clamoring for a hold on rocky slippery terrain in our escape from him/her. Our flight from fear is more devastating than standing up to him/her, facing the risk of being knocked down, our faced rubbed in the dirt of possible failure, or surrendering and calling "Uncle". Fear is the one who cowers when we let our "heartlight" (powered by love of self, love of our world, a source of power that outlasts The EverReady Bunny!) our world, a source of power more endurable shine, darkness can not exist in presence of light. Yet without the darkness our light doesn't have a chance to shine, truly shine. Once we remember our light, and the power of that light, and let it shine, Fear knows it's cast off, defeated and slinks back into the shadows waiting for its next chance. Our light grows stronger and is less easily dimmed the next time. If only we remember we have that light!


This morning I read my friend Julie's blog, http://wisdomfromthefire.wordpress.com/ She included the following story that I thought perfectly illustrates the power that we allow fear to have over our selves.

“How could anyone know the extent of their courage, their strength, their faith, their trust and belief in themselves, if it were not for Fear blocking their way forcing them then to go within and find their Light.”

Fear. The mere mention of the work causes reactions in your body, in your emotions, in your spirit. Fear keeps people stuck, steals their peace, and immobilizes them. However, what if we look at fear not as a bad thing, but as something that pushes you, makes you dig deep and see what you are truly made of, challenges you to move beyond it, to find more strength, to get through it, and then find your wings and fly? What if that place beyond fear is far worth all the struggle and the pain it takes to get there. Is that not what child-birth is? Most say it is the most excruciating pain they have ever had. I have never heard anyone say it is not worth it.

The following was read at a seminar I recently attended. Everyone in the room could relate. Everyone walks up to that insurmountable mountain of fear. The ones that keep going are the ones that truly live life to the full. It is long, but worth the read.

Once upon a time there was a man called Jack. Jack was a wonderful man with an amazing golden light inside him. He couldn’t see that golden light nor did he know it was within him, but he knew it existed because he could feel it calling him. He knew it contained all the secrets he needed to know about who he really was, and why he was really here. It contained the key that would unlock the door to all that his heart desired, and all that his soul dreamed of. He knew that there was more to life than the reality he saw around him. He sensed there was another way to live, and he was determined to find this new way.

Jack knew that the golden light would help him, so he set upon a path to search for it. He came across many big scary monsters and dark forests, but still he kept going. He came across many wonderful people who all talked about this golden light, so it only made him want to find it even more.

The closer he got to finding his light, the more intensely he felt his highest dreams and deepest fears. His greatest fear was that his amazing dreams would not come to pass, were an illusion, or would leave once he received them.

His worries made him doubt his heart’s knowing. What if it was all an illusion? What if the golden Light doesn’t exist? What if dreams don’t come true? He questioned himself, “What if I am searching for nothing? Everyone in my old town says I should just get a normal job and that happily ever after soulmates only exist in fairy tales. What if they’re right?”

Jack was very confused and tired. He had come across yet another hill, and just didn’t know if had the strength to climb it only to be disappointed again. He sat down at the base with his head in his hands. What to do? As he sat there he saw a great shadow come down in front of him covering the hill. This shadow was Fear. It contained all the obstacles in the way of him getting up to the top of the hill and seeing once and for all what lay on the other side. It contained the parts of him that didn’t trust his own innate inner knowing. It contained the parts of him that had followed his heart before and got hurt. It contained all the beliefs that said “You don’t really deserve this. What will people say? What will they think? What if I’m making a mistake??” It contained much guilt and self-judgment.

Jack looked up at the Great Fear and knew he had come to a crossroads. A part of him felt it would be much easier to just turn back round and forget about the adventures calling him from the other side of the hill. Yet he had a nagging feeling inside. What if his visions were real? What if his feelings were true? What if his heart was right and was trying to point him in his right direction? What if he were but a few steps from his destiny? He looked up at the top of the hill once more. What if his feelings were wrong and it wasn’t what he thought it would be? His mind was active as always. Yet the heart, the light heart, whispered, “But what if you are right? What if it is everything you ever imagined??”

At that moment, the great shadow that was Fear spoke to him. Fear said these words: “If you want what you desire, you have to go through me. You cannot get rid of me. You can only walk through me.”

Jack was afraid. He said to Fear, “How can I walk through you? You are so big, and it is so dark in there. What if I get lost and never find my way out? And then I am neither here nor there!! I think you are a sign I should just stay right here!”

Fear laughed. He knew the way through him but he would never tell Jack. He quite enjoyed the power he had over people.

Thankfully, at that moment the great Sun came out. He carried the energy of Light and thought it was about time Jack got a message that he needed to hear. He said to Jack, “The way through the fear is to use your light.” Jack laughed, “Yeh I know, only problem is I’m having trouble finding it.” And the Sun laughed too, and he said, “Oh Jack, look inside you. The light is inside you. It is like a torch, shining so brightly. It is on right now, you only have to realize it.” Jack looked within and sure enough there was a great, shining light!! “How did I not see this before?”

The Great Sun had a few words of wisdom. He said, “The way through the fear is to know that the light inside you will guide your way. You do not have to see the whole path in front of you. The light is just big enough for you to be able to see one or two steps ahead of you. And that’s all the light you need. Take one step at a time, and the light will keep guiding you until you have gone the whole way through fear, and then you will find yourself at the top of the hill and see what wondrous things there are to see.”

So, Jack had a choice. To embark on this great journey through fear, knowing he had his trusty light inside him that could never be dimmed, and never go out, knowing that the journey through fear wouldn’t take very long at all. Once Fear knows you are walking through it, it loses its challenge and the shadow starts dissipating. Fear will then leave, looking for someone else to cast a shadow over. Fear is only as big as the power we give it. Jack also had a choice to not walk through Fear. But he didn’t come here to Earth to let fear get the better of him.

So he called upon all his ancestors and guides, and he asked “Please be with me as I walk through fear.” For fear is something you have to walk through on your own, yet you do not have to be all alone. And you are not.

He started to make the journey, and he must admit he was still a little scared. But something else started to stir inside him. Excitement. Adrenalin. The energy within him that was a spiritual warrior started to get activated. With each step he started to believe in himself more and more. “I can do this,” he thought. “I can do this!!” As he started walking faster, Fear was not happy and started taunting him more and more, telling him how stupid and wrong he was, telling him there’d be nothing but trouble waiting for him once he got over that hill. But Jack was no longer under the grip of fear. His inner light was glowing brightly now, it was carrying him faster and faster up the hill. His guides and ancestors were with him every step of the way, encouraging him, “You can do it, you can do it!”

As he ran faster a strange thing happened, wings started sprouting out of his shoulders!! He was running so fast now his feet almost weren’t touching the ground! Then all of a sudden, wooshka, he was flying!! He couldn’t believe it!! He was soaring in the air like a bird!! He felt so free, so exhilarated, so liberated. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world!

Fear was left behind, arms folded, “Grrr another one got away.” Yet secretly, Fear was smiling and happy for Jack. Not many people knew this about Fear but he actually existed to push people to their full potential. With every liberation, with every pair of wings sprouted, Fear gave himself a pat on the back. “Yeh, I did that,” he tells himself. The Sun always rolls his eyes. Everyone knew how great the Ego of Fear was. But they indulged him. For where would we be without him? How could anyone know the extent of their courage, their strength, their faith, their trust and belief in themselves, if it were not for Fear blocking their way forcing them then to go within and find their Light.

As Jack soared across the skies, he looked down and thought, “Well, here goes, now is the time I get to find out what it was all for.” He looked down and his heart leapt with joy and sighed with relief. There was an amazing kingdom! It contained his dream cozy home, tools galore to create whatever else he wanted, many like-minded kindred spirits already busily creating their part of this amazing new reality, and there in the centre of the meadow was a beautiful princess, waiting for him, waving her arms, saying “Hurry hurry, come down, there is so much to do!” He soared around the sky a couple more times, before swooping down to her. “How did you get here?” he asked. “How did you know to meet me here?” The princess smiled and said, “Because I have what you always have had, the inner light that told me which way to go.”

Jack and his beloved princess spent their days having so much fun and adventure. They traveled to many lands. They shared their story with many people. They told everyone, “Just like we have a light, you have one too. Look within, it is there, and it will guide you.” All was well in their world, and they lived happily ever after.

(c) Dana Mrkich 2011. Permission is granted to share this article freely on the condition that the author is credited, and the URL www.danamrkich.com is included.

…and they lived happily ever after
. My wish for you.

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