Fear constrains and empowerment releases; and caring for the heart allows us to find our way to that freedom.
Fear is a deeply rooted meme in society because every generation on earth has been faced with the need to survive. In earlier times, the fear of abandonment was paramount to most people, because abandonment by the tribe often led to death.
Fear is also widely used by egoic minds and unaware beings to control, manipulate, and force consensus, even when it is false.
Fear is an illusion.
Fear is truly false, because it presents false evidence to force us into submission; he often dodges the imminent danger of abandonment to make us cower at the possibility of what other humans might do to us.
Even this grandiose fear posture is fake! In truth, the Creator cannot abandon the creation, for the creation is the very expression of Divinity in physical form. To abandon creation, the Creator has to abandon Himself, and that is not possible. Both the Creator and the creation are one in consciousness; therefore, all divisive concepts of fear and abandonment come from the unawakened ego self.
To make room for the realization of Divine support and protection in our lives, we need to dislodge the fear of what man can do to us.
We need to understand that fear is a man-made phenomenon that has no power over our eternal souls. Only then can we affirm that we are embraced by a loving Creator who does not and cannot abandon his creation.
taking care of the heart
Once we have revealed fear for what it is: false evidence that seems real, there is a Zen Buddhist teaching that reminds us that there are only two things in this world we should do: sit down and tend to the garden.
Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of power to overcome. When we stop and still ourselves, we can see this.
And so, we need to take care of our hearts so that we can make the transition from fear to faith; from disempowerment to true empowerment.
Take time to sit down and calm your heart; Feel under the fear of the wound that there begs for healing. It takes courage to step away from the crowd, step away from the busy schedule and sit back, tending to your heart and soul. Yet all the teachers knew how important that is: even Gandhi took one day a week to sit quietly, tending the garden of his heart so that he could be the change he sought in the world.
good action
When we have taken the time to care for the heart, we can engage in meaningful action. How you do your job is just as important as what you do. Never act out of guilt, because then you are spreading the very suffering of the world. If you really want to grow love and not anger, fear or guilt, then do what you do out of love and not out of any other emotion.
When we act out of guilt, anger, or fear, we are acting out of ego, no matter how noble the cause we are involved with.
expand your circle
We also need to stay connected to the whole of life, even as we discover our individual parts of the journey. Don’t draw your circle of life too small. You are more than a person: you are one with life itself, expressing yourself in this life through consciousness.
Get your connection back
It is by sitting and contemplating that we recognize the stillness of the Creator’s Presence and our connection to all. That awareness can foster in us spontaneous care and compassion for the world’s wounds, so we commit to awakening and caring for the world.
Many brave souls have gone before to show the way. I often find inspiration in this excerpt from author Diane Ackerman’s poem titled School Prayer:
“In the name of dawn
and the eyelids in the morning
and the walking moon
and the night when it begins,
I wear I will not dishonor
my soul with hate,
but I offer myself humble
as guardian of nature,
a healer of misery,
a wonderful messenger
and architect of peace”.
Centuries before, the Buddha taught: “To live with joy and love even among the haters; to live with joy and health, even among the afflicted; to live with joy and peace, even among the troubled; to quiet the mind and care for the heart, and Free yourself from fear, confusion and attachment, and know the sweet joy of living on the Camino”.
What is your gift to the world that only you can bring? Listen carefully, push beyond fear to find it, and then commit to doing it with love and joy!