Nothing to Fear

Imagine having nothing to fear. Imagine having no regrets, no feelings of shame or guilt. What a relief that would be! What a clear space in which to experience the world!

I find myself coming closer and closer to that. Indeed, it is becoming familiar ground to me, a garden of peace and joy where I enjoy all that grows, no matter the season.

There is no way out, but through. Fear must be felt and met. Shame and guilt must also be faced and faced with great courage. You can do this, as I have done this. It is worth every moment that you spend facing these troubles. Once faced, they quietly take their leave. Once they have been fully seen, witnessed and heard, once they have said all that they have to say to you, they have no further reason to trouble you. They dissolve, disappear, and leave you clean, clear and free.

I believe that shame and guilt stem from fear. We fear that we are not, cannot be, loved. We fear that we are not worthy. We fear that we are too tainted, too much at fault, to receive the acceptance and validation, not to mention the affirmation of ourselves, that we need.

Only we can deliver ourselves from the fear that is in us. No one else can do this. Not now, not later. No one else can do this for us. Only we can provide for ourselves the validation, the acceptance and the affirmation of ourselves that we need. No one else can do this for us. Any validation, security, love or acceptance that comes from outside of us, unless it also comes from within us, will be seen by us as a lie, a trap, or a desperate illusion on our part. And, unbelieving in our own strength, our own goodness, our own worth, we will pick at it and demand of it until, no matter how loving the person who has given it to us, they will tire of trying to convince us of our worthiness, our loveliness, our own resources, and will begin to echo back to us our own fearful beliefs about ourselves.

Yes. I've seen it happen. I've felt it within me.

The only way out is through. The only way through is on your own, with all the courage and integrity that you can muster.

There is a process, a way, that I have used to do this in the past. I find that I have little need of it now. My garden is a peaceful place, and I have it with me wherever I am, for it is self-generated and self-sustaining. That is true peace. That is true security. That is true love. And that is the only validation of self that will ever be enough for you; it is the validation of yourself by yourself.

The process that I have used is a simple one. Go to where you can be alone, all alone, for a time. It might be an hour or two that you will need for this. I doubt it will be more than that. Sit or walk alone and ask yourself the questions that need to be asked. Be the wise and loving friend or counsellor that you have always wished you had. Be that for yourself. Ask the questions that need to be asked with the compassion and love that you would give to your own beloved child. Pretend that you are parent to that child, and yet, know that you are the child as well.

The questions are not difficult to find: What are you afraid of? What is the worst that could happen? What would that look like? Feel like? What would you do? Would you die? Are you afraid to die? Why?

Do you feel guilty? Why do you feel guilty? Do you feel worthy of forgiveness? Why did you do that thing that you feel so guilty about? If your friend came to you and told you that he had done that, what would you say to him?

This is the work of clearing. It is the work of self-knowledge, self-acceptance, self-forgiveness, self-appreciation and self-love. It is necessary work. It is yours and yours alone. And for each person whom you know and care about, they also have this work to do, when they are ready, when they are able to do it. And only by doing this work with the self, for the self, can we clear a space for the divine frequency of joy to flow into our consciousness and bring light to our world.

Imagine knowing no fear, only peace. Imagine knowing no shame. only self-knowledge and self-acceptance. Imagine the joy that we can experience, the love that we can share, when we are clear of all of this fear and loathing.