Fearscape by Judith Arianne

We all know what fear is. We deal with it each day we are here. We chose to live in this physical world and so we also chose what went along with it. We see it in the ads on television. What horrid fate awaits you if you do not have the right insurance? Old people advertise the rampant disintegrations of the feeble body of time. Cancer is talked about on every talk show. Be sure you look for this sign and that sign of illness. We are bombarded with medicines that will help our hearts and lower our cholesterol, and if we do not heed these warnings, what will happen to us? The insurance companies promote fear, causing us to pay them in anticipation of an accident, death, or illness. If we do get sick, then the insurance companies do not want to pay if… and believe me there are many ifs. But they still take your money while you struggle to see a doctor or get into a hospital.

Any strange feeling that flashes across your brow could be a sign of some deadly disease. What about waking up in the morning and thanking the universe for yet one more day? What about accepting what happens to you in the day? Where are the miracles when you need them? Where is God, a higher power, spirit, etc., when we need them? How do you stay calm in a frenzied world? Calm is the word. Fear is the feeling that erases calmness. Why is it we buy into fear? Does it lie in the past? Did we bring it with us when we were born, or do we just acquire it like a new car? How do we cope with even the word? Sometimes we need someone to give our ego, our fearing self, a kick in the psyche. Sometimes we need someone to help us look into our fears and see the darkness and pain we create. Sometimes we have to look at why fear takes over and masks the truth of who we truly are - fearless beings capable of taking on anything.

Why do we buy the fear that spins us out of control, that sends us to doctors, psychiatrists, counselors, healers, for their assessment of what is wrong with us? And why is fear so strong? Fear can make us more ill than disease. Fear can cause disease. Fear can kill. Fear can break apart relationships. Fear is not knowing the unknown. What can you see that can break up the fear response? Where can you go? To whom do you express your fears? Where is the loving spirit, the light, the pillar of strength to get you through the fearful night? It is within, but we are so fearful of what is at hand, we can't find that spirit, that divineness that is what we really are but don't believe. Sure, we say we found it, for the moment. I think we have to believe we have it. We have to find it. Sometimes to find it, death may be at our doorstep.

Just maybe, in our search, we can leave behind the world of fear, the people who feed upon our fear, and step into a world that mirrors our longing for peace and harmony, health, optimism, and the idea that, indeed, if we are creatures of Godliness, shouldn't we be able to find that part of us that responds to that, that believes there is another way? Most of us fear dying. Most of us fear losing our loved ones, and most of us fear just living day to day we are so programmed in fear. I have been one of those beings. I too must look beyond the word that brings so much chaos into the lives of all of us. Sure, we can meditate, do yoga, pray, but the one important question is: while you are doing it, is it a surface bandage, or do you go within and really find what brings you to the fear that eats up your life?

Do we stop listening to the news? Never read another article about health, death, disease, earthquakes, tornados, hospitals, relationships? Do we leave the planet? In some respects we do. If we are to conquer fear, then as I see it, we must believe in something so strongly it negates any fear. It is not an easy journey to leave fear behind. We must fill our thoughts with action, with light and love, with trust in the universe, with trust in the divine beings we are. Fear should simply take a permanent vacation. And yet, when we almost crash, die, find lumps and bumps, go bankrupt, lose a child, see life through the smokescreen of fear, the only thing that gives me the strength to see the world through stained glass is knowing that I am that stained glass, I am the world, and I am the only one that can let the light and love into my soul, my spirit. I am the only one who can put fear in the cookie jar where the cookie monster can find it, chew it up, spit it out, and leave the crumbs for someone else like me who has not yet totally conquered fear.

Each day with new challenges I must look to my divine self who knows what is best. And days that I cannot, I have a divine partner who shows up on my shoulder and reminds me of who I am. Who often sits on my side of the bed and walks me through the fears in life, and why the best for me is to believe that I have the power to escape the man-made element of fear. I am not saying I never have fear. I am saying that now I have the tools to work with, the partner who seems to walk above fear, and above all takes me on wondrous trips to the universe of the mind and soul. I have much to live for, to be happy about, and the support and love of a true shaman, living the life we were meant to live with harmony, truth, and, oh yes, fearlessness in practice. Learning to accept each day and what it brings is the most important lesson.

Judith Arianne was born in Wisconsin and now lives in California. A person with many profound events happening in her life, she is always open to new secrets of the universe. She is an artist, writer, and works with older people who if given the time, have many life stories that have too long been silent. She loves and cares for the planet as a citizen of the earth and is grateful for the gift of learning that has held such great bounty for her. She can be reached via email at Idyllprincess@aol.com.

Read Judith's Previous articles