The Dalai Lama says fear and anger are energy, but blind energy. Fear is an energy, there is no denying that. We have all felt the quickening of our heart or the beading of sweat on our neck when we are in fear's presence. For some of us that is when we are speaking in front of a crowd, driving over a bridge or for members of my family, hiking to the top of a waterfall in Ouray, CO.
Fear is energy, same as love. So how is fear blind energy? I know that when I am unconscious and fear is present I am blind. Not able to reach the aware higher self portions of my brain. We see it all the time in our world; fear as blind energy.
Many modern humans live in a constant state of fear and stress. Not even aware that this is their current state. I became aware only when I got sick of how fear was blindfully leading me in life; governing every interaction and relationship. It was in the action of quieting my body in stillness that I became aware of the fear state I was living in. The understanding of how it was negatively impacting my relationships came second.
There was fear everywhere...in my parenting, trusting my body, my relationship with my husband, my family. In Ouray, I witnessed fear become friend. I observed the power of the willingness to be bold in the face of fear when Jacob, who is deathly fearful of heights, was bold enough to explore his fear. Day one of our trip he was unable to climb the mountain to explore the Cascade Falls. With a steep vertical ascension up a crazy amount of feet and a narrow walkway the girls and I went at it alone.
The next day we went back and witnessed Jacob say yes to his fear and not let it cripple him. He was willing to explore it and model for the girls that fear is natural and a part of being human just as much as joy, love and happiness.
To realize that fear is natural and to have the tools to be aware of its presence in our lives is a gift. Jacob's boldness in the face of his fear of heights, our crazy powerful choice to follow our hearts on this journey, and my awakening to how fear blindfully crippled my relationship with self and others is a great gift we our giving ourselves and our family.
