Transmuting fear through love!

According to A Course in Miracles, there are only two emotions: love and fear. I think this is more easily understood as seeing that there two CATEGORIES of emotions; all emotions fall under love or fear. On the surface this might not seem correct, however, upon further inspection it can be seen as truthful. For instance say I feel angry because a loved one was disloyal to me, underneath the anger, I am actually fearful of my perceived inadequacy, which comes from believing that I am a separate individual/human, rather than knowing that I am much more than this. Or as another example, if I am irritated with someone, I am really upset because I believe that someone/something outside of me can upset me, which again would mean that I am vulnerable which is not in alignment with the truth of who I actually am (spirit/pure consciousness) and this causes a deep sense of unconscious fear. ACIM further teaches that fear is always a call for love or help. This is really important to consider; when I recognize fear or one of it's "derivatives," in myself or another, I can provide the remedy: LOVE.  

I find that it is easier to extend love to someone else when I see them being fearful than it is to extend love to myself when I am feeling fearful. But, understanding that fear is a call for love, I KNOW that when I am fearful (or experiencing another emotion that is actually masking the fear), that I need to love myself and remember that in truth I AM LOVE. 

The process of doing this, healing fear through love is strong and is reflected in the body's physiology!  Fear (emotions in general) is an energy that gets stuck in the bodies' organs, muscles and tissues if not expressed or released; this can cause burnout, emotional imbalance, and eventually disease. To avoid this then, the fear must be expressed and "loved." An effective process of doing this might include the following steps: 1)  Recognize the fear (this does require self-awareness and mindfulness which comes with practice).2) Accept/allow it's full expression. I find it helpful to do this by sitting, closing my eyes, finding any tension in my body and imagining that I am breathing through that area. This grounds one which is important when fear is present and allows the tension to release. 3) If it feels like there is still more to do to allow the emotion to express itself, engage an activity that will allow this. For instance, I might cry, journal, pet my dogs, meditate, go for a walk or bike ride, or do some yoga poses. Find things that work for you. 4) Lastly and importantly, after expressing the emotion, sit with yourself and focus on the heart center, either put your full attention there or put your hand there (I find this very helpful), focus on a positive/loving emotion and imagine you are breathing through your heart. For added benefit, repeat to yourself "I love you" while you are doing this. This last step brings the heart into coherence which is the state when the heart, mind and emotions are in energetic alignment. Much fascinating research has been done on this subject, a primary source of information can be found at www.heartmath.com. HeartMath Institute Research Director Dr. Rollin McCraty states, "It (coherence) is a state that builds resiliency-personal energy is accumulated, not wasted- leaving more energy to manifest intentions and harmonious outcomes." I find it to be amazing that what spirituality says, that fear is healed through love is reflected in the body!

But don't stop here! For further healing and preventive measures,  we need to recognize the thought patterns that lead to the fear in the first place. Because unless we are in imminent danger, fear is a projection into the future, I am making some kind of prediction, making up a story and believing that I am this small separate self/ego.  This is why it is so important to remember that we are not our emotions or our thoughts. As a frequently used analogy, they are like the clouds floating through the sky of our mind, or like leaves floating down a river (the mind). Through meditation, one learns to not become attached to these thought forms and to be the observer or witness, or as it says in ACIM  we learn to "rise above the battlefield" (i.e. seeing the situation from a higher perspective and not being attached to it).   It is also helpful to intentionally focus on things that more helpful, such as finding things to be grateful for, sending positive intentions to others (because we are all connected), or to repeat positive affirmations or prayers.

Fear can be a powerful catalyst for change because it exposes the areas that we have hidden in the recesses of our minds, and allows the opportunity to heal them.  I think of humanity's current condition (covid) as "hitting rock bottom," like when an addict has gotten to the point of the problem where they realize they absolutely need to make a change. Jesus said in the bible that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us (Luke 17:21). I believe this means that we have within us the "place" (our minds) where there is strength, peace, joy, wisdom, etc. Let us use this time where there is great anxiety and fear, to turn within, to "enter the kingdom of heaven," to transmute our fears and come out of this stronger, wiser, more loving than when we began this crazy phase of our development.

As a helpful prayer/meditation, the following words from ACIM is helpful: close your eyes and "try to slip past all concerns related to your own sense of inadequacy. It is obvious that any situation that causes you concern is associated with feelings of inadequacy (fear) for otherwise you would believe that you could deal with the situation successfully. It is not by trusting yourself (your small egoic self) that you will gain confidence. But the strength of God IN YOU, is successful in all things...You must gain an awareness that confidence in your real strength (the strength of God in you) is fully justified in every respect and in all circumstances...Try now to reach down into your mind to a place of real safety. You will recognize that you have reached it if you feel a sense of deep peace, however briefly. Let go of all the trivial things that churn and bubble on the surface of your mind, and reach down and below them to the Kingdom of Heaven. There is a place in you where there is perfect peace. There is a place in you where nothing is impossible. There is a place in you where the strength of God abides."