When fear comes upon us all other thoughts just prior, evacuate; and the very gift that fear brings, becomes that of being and enabling; bringing with it a complete reset, so to speak, in the moment - which is no ordinary thing at all.
Fear invokes the experience of stopping, of ceasing, of freezing, of reviewing, of being able to cease - to bring to a halt, whether temporary, or as a catalyst to permanent change.
Change is often initialised with the experience of fear. And this mostly unpleasant experience can be brief, perhaps appearing momentarily before the mind’s eye, presenting itself in microform, thousands of times a day.
It offers cautioning, with its silent but commanding voice, that we be careful in certain circumstances where we have been told, or have learnt firsthand to be apprehensive of something earlier.
Equally, fear may bring a completely new revelation instantaneously that is pertinent to an unusual or freshly viewed situation. And this can be a great gift.
Alarm or panic can follow, however these two are separately distinct from the fear itself, and this is something that can be discussed in a later paper. But today we are examining fear in its application of usefulness.
When the gods gave fear to Man (the Fairy Godmothers) it was indeed held to be a fine talent, and one of the most useful prized gifts of all.
There is a saying: “There is nothing to fear, but fear itself” - which could not be more incorrect as there is nothing fearful about fear whatsoever, and when the experience is understood as it is meant to be, we may simply perceive it as a gift from divinity that is enabling us other experiences in contrast to those having gone before - of full warning, of attracting energy, of summoning new thought, and of changing perspective.
Fear may also draw to itself many other emotions that follow in quite quickly, but these are not to be confused with its element either.
Fear is often a precursor to unpleasant, dangerous or terminal events - and for this reason by association alone it has been held with an unpopular view - and yet it can also be said, that of all the talents an individual may hold, fear is first and foremostly the Guardian Angel that enables and protects us throughout our lives relentlessly.
Early Christian symbology incorporated imagery that particularly was fear provoking. It has only been of recent years where the focus of piety has shifted to happier and more peaceful portrayals.
However the purpose of contemplating, or being confronted with something most fearful, was to invoke the very change that it might bring to enable a deeper reflection - to pause from one’s life and thoughts, and divine a great cause. And the fear itself was not regarded therefore as being worrisome or troublesome, but appreciated for that which it did incur.
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| Maerten van Heesmkerck |
There became a movement in the Western World to eradicate unpleasantness from the consciousness, and to aim to incorporate a meditative quietude, believing this to be the healthiest outcome for mental stability and spiritual wellbeing. It is upon this premise that pop experts and psychiatrists measure success and failure with impossible standards, that of themselves, are unhelpful to the organised thinking of an ever evolving and adapting individual.
Imagine floating in the water at the beach and trying to move against the rhythm of the waves as you are lifted up and down with their motion and their weight - believing that you can control the experience encompassing the entire bay.
The circuit of frustration is a false belief that it is in any way possible, or desirable, to establish an equilibrium amongst the currents, the rises and the troughs, in our own time, as we would choose.
In order for one to obtain a measure of peace and equilibrium, the objective is to become more conscious, and therefore more capable - and not less able.
There will be those who seek annihilation of mindfulness i.e. intoxication - and drunkedness is a perfect example of how the emotions and talents still remain irrespective of the suppressed consciousness.
If an individual is seeking a quietude we can prove through drunkedness it is not achieved by this suppression of the consciousness, even with sleep. For the very difficult emotions and experiences continually rise up within the inebriated and are not only ever present, they are exaggerated in this state. Fear will be ever before them, all the more, until heard.
There is a fable about a little ant who carried a bead of sugar upon his back, and dutifully followed his companions on a path to the nest with great pride and purpose carrying his load. The little ant continued on until he was stepped upon by the great paw of a passing dog. With this he dropped his sugar bead and was flung far from the group he had been following. The tiny ant wriggled out from the grooves of the dog’s paw and clung to a blade of grass, until the creature had gone. A moment later he was magically turned into a tree frog - one that could spend his days at the side of the pond, sunning himself, socialising with other tree frogs, enjoying his days. That was until he ventured out onto the side of the road where a truck came through, and ran him over.
This story is a wonderful example of that which lacks fear - for fear and the premonition of fear, was absent from the text. Conversely, dramatic depictions in novels, or film, are more savoury when fear is imbibed as a prelude to the action about to fall.
If we are at the theatre and have been introduced to the idea itself of fear without knowing the outcome, the preliminary experience of fear is preparing us for change - and we find this appealing to any story - most enjoyable - and people come back for more and more of this experience ... sometimes to such degrees that are hyper-emotive such as horror or murder, genres.
Returning to this point: fear in its anticipatory element, in this context, can be perceived as exciting and invigorating: and is often sought after at the carnival, the poker game, with the extreme sports, and so it goes.
Although it may sound simple, it is extraordinarily helpful when one experiences fear of any kind to recognise it, and stop and ask oneself “what is it in this moment that I need to change? What do I need to do to take action? Is there anything I can do? Or am I just experiencing that something needs to be reformed or removed from me”.
All conditions eventually change and although we may be restrained in a fearful compromise by our will and our want, we can begin to effect the change into our future with our consciousness. Over time this has been misconstrued into thinking that we may completely create our own world instantaneously - which of course we cannot. But the truth in it is that our very future conditions in the spiritual worlds to come, and future lives (if not in this life) are certainly constructed with our desires, and our conduct, and our creative thoughts we have today.
For both ourselves and Humanity we are in the present fabricating our futures to be, continuously. And it is with reinvention and creativity, we shall outlive our fears and continue on - not despite of them, but with the great assistance these Angels of Change do bring.
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