Fear,
Love and light.
When we seriously embark on and pursue change,
We become intimately familiar with the barriers to change in ourselves.
One barrier to change of any sort,
And to the growth of life-giving connections,
Is fear.
We need to name fear at this point because of the particular relationship of love to fear.
Fear cuts across connection of all sorts,
That is the way fear works.
Happily for us,
Love reverses this process.
Love builds bridges and finds ways through tangles of fear that would challenge the most skilled therapist.
While avoiding things that make us anxious usually brings immediate relief,
Very soon avoiding fuels fear and anxiety.
This is another way which fear works.
By contrast,
When we choose to bring our fears to the light,
Facing them,
Grappling with them and exploring solutions to them,
This starves them.
The challenge is not to get rid of fear and impossibility,
It is instead to name the fear and to face it.
This way,
Rather than unthinkingly allowing our actions to be shaped by fear,
We have a growing choice about how we will act,
Despite our fears.
Fear is a brief guided visualisation for bringing fears to the light of love.
Take some time to settle yourself in a place where you will not be disturbed.
Allow yourself to settle further into this still place using a brief mindfulness or relaxation exercise.
Become aware of your breath.
Become aware of your breath and follow it for a time,
In and out.
Allow your attention to rest on your breath.
As you breathe in,
Breathe in a sense of calm and relaxation.
As you breathe out,
Let go of any sense of stress or tension.
Once you are settled,
Turn your mind's eye or inner imagination to your fears.
See them before you,
Perhaps in a pile or in your cupped hands or listed in your journal.
Wherever you visualise your fears,
Now see that place slowly lit up with loving light.
Hcoming to this Error Theorist You may want to increase the intensity of the light in your mind's eye.
Or see the light getting into the dark and hidden places.
Use your imagination to the full.
Allow this loving light to shine on and change these fears.
Take the time you need to complete this exercise in an unhurried way.
This sort of visualization can often feel like an intense experience.
When you are ready to leave this exercise,
Allow yourself some time to slowly shift from an inner focus back to a sense of yourself in the present moment.
It can help to notice the sensation of your body against your chair,
Then the sounds you hear around you,
And finally the things you see around you.
As you emerge from that focused place,
Remind yourself that this is an activity and place you can return to whenever fears arise on your journey into loving and life-giving connection.
When you are ready to leave this exercise in an unhurried way,
Allow yourself some time to slowly shift from an unhurried way to an utter feeling of joy.
Take some time to notice your responses.
What was this exercise like for you?
You may wish to journal about this experience or discuss it with a friend.
