Some Thoughts on Fear

This morning during my grounding meditation the thoughts of fear came to mind, not a fearful feeling, just thoughts about fear. Considering the current climate thinking of fear wouldn’t be considered unusual. Everywhere we turn today we are being told to be fearful.

Fear causes us to live in doubt, on edge and without thought filled action. From a reactionary stand point we are likely to make decisions that are short sighted, narrow or just plain wrong. Without thoughtful decisions made from a balanced perspective we are likely to react thus creating unintended consequences.

There is virtually nowhere you can turn these days without being ‘sold’ fear. Fear of terrorists, economic fear, fear of H1N1, fear of insurance companies, fear of government run health care, etc. I am not sure how you are feeling about it, but I am tired of being told to be afraid.

In light of the most recent and prevalent ‘fear’ H1N1 I am taking the same stance I have for years regarding the flu. I have made the statement to myself that I am not getting the flu. The bug is simply not welcome in my body. I have taken on this thinking as a kind of a mantra for many flu seasons now. I can’t remember the last time I was sick with the flu, I can say it is more than 10 years. Any time I hear someone say they hope they don’t get the flu, I suggest they change the statement to ‘I am not going to get the flu’.

This is not my endorsement for not getting a flu shot, I’m simply asking that we step beyond our fears and take a moment to center ourselves; from here we can hear our higher selves and knowingly make decisions for ourselves and our lives.

Keeping a positive attitude during these challenging times can be tough however necessary. Remaining open to the possibilities and opportunities these changes offer us are going to be key to surviving. Finding a way of being comfortable with and open to the changes that are coming our way can go along way in relieving us from our sense of fear and the limitations fear puts on us.

I realize it is difficult to maintain a positive attitude all the time. When I feel myself moving into a less positive space, I know it is time for grounding meditation. You may be thinking I don’t have time to meditate, I am not talking about a long sit of hours or days. Simply focused thought and intention on bring in earths energies up through your legs and bring the light of the divine down through the top of your head. Know these energies meet at the heart and feel them if you can. This exercise will bring you back to the body. When we are in our bodies we can see with calm clarity.

I like to begin each day with a grounding meditation; the meditation as I have learned it and practice it is like this.

1. Sit comfortably with your spine as straight as possible. Cross legged, lotus position, or upright chair. Just as long s your spine is as straight as you can make it. Take several deep breaths and clear your mind. Breath deeply into your abdomen. Remember thoughts will come and go from your mind no matter what; this is the nature of our minds. When clearing your mind simply allow, the thoughts will flow do not giving then any attention or additional analysis. When you find yourself doing so, simply come back to the breath.

2 . Imagine Earth’s energies flowing into your legs from the bottoms of your feet. It may be helpful to imagine a lens opening up like a camera on the bottom of your feet and allow the energy to flow in. Imagine or feel, if you can, this energy rising up your legs and filing your first chakra. Your first charka is located between your hips low in the mass of the body.

3 . Imagine a small portion of this energy as a cord, attach that cord to the base of your spine at your tail bone. Take this cord and imagine sending it to the core of the earth and anchoring it there.

4. Now imagine this Earth energy continuing up your body through your 2^nd chakra (sacral), 3^rd chakra (solar plexus) and 4^th chakras (heart).

5. Now imagine a golden ball of divine light above your head. From this ball of light imagine the light flowing down and into the crown of your head down to your 6^th chakra (third eye) your 5^th chakra (throat) to your 4^th chakra (heart).

6. Imagine the energies now mixing in your heart chakra and rising up to your shoulders. Split the energies into two streams and now imagine these streams of energy flowing down your arms and out your palms.

7. Finally imagine the combined energies rising up from your heart center up through your 5^th and 6^th chakras to your crown chakra then out of the top of your head and showering down all around your body as golden light.

This meditation can be done in a few minutes or you can focus a concentrated block of time for it. Doing this meditation once in the morning and then again in the middle of the day can keep you grounded all day.