It’s a new year. Do you really want to carry all the same fears you had in the last
year into this one? Which ones can you let go of that you will let go of?
There’s nothing like getting ready to write an
article like this one then having to live its message before you write the
first word. Talk about making sure you don’t wax profoundly (one hopes), as
though immune or above it all. That’s exactly what happened to me when
something I relied on had a significant delay that affected me in a number of
ways. You can bet my fears went into overdrive. And right in front of me, which
I conveniently, repeatedly ignored, was a sheet of paper with the words that
came to me late at night several weeks back: Fear is never the path to walk. Yep. And as many of us know, that
is sometimes easier said than done.
While this article simmered on the back burner
over the holidays, a quote from Abraham Lincoln, one familiar to most of us,
made me look at this topic of fear a bit differently: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” That’s exactly what
fear does—it divides us, in some way, within ourselves, and we feel our world
or some part of it is crumbling or at least trembling precariously in some
measure. We don’t, and life doesn’t, feel stable at such times.
Fear divides us in global and local ways, but I
want to focus on the personal ways it does this to us. When we’re afraid, it’s
pretty darn difficult to feel whole, empowered, in flow—connected to all the
good in the Universe. It’s difficult, if not impossible—depending on the
circumstance—to remember that We Never Walk Alone. Source is always with us. Our Spirit self is always with us. But when our fearful
emotions have us in upheaval, this Truth is not something we tend to remember,
at least, not right away. It may take awhile. And in the meantime, we feel
divided within ourselves and likely feel divided with one or more aspects of
our physical, material, and even spiritual life.
Ernest Holmes wrote in The Science of Mind: “To hold one’s thought steadfastly to the
constructive, to that which endures, and to the Truth, may not be easy in a
rapidly changing world, but to the one who makes the attempt much is
guaranteed.” This also applies to a rapidly changing life, but I like that
Holmes doesn’t say to the one who does it perfectly, but instead says attempts.
Ultimately, experiences that rattle us demonstrate
how much we’ve integrated spiritual realizations, or haven’t as yet, as well as
what we still practice that’s opposite of Truth. But what Holmes said is what
it’s about, isn’t it—making the effort just as soon as we remember to do this.
Our efforts demonstrate intention and commitment to us and to the Universe, and
this DOES matter and count in our favor.
What Truths do you absolutely hold steadfast to
belief-wise, but still get rattled about when something doesn’t go the way you
believe it should or you wish it would—and you find yourself in a state of
fear? It’s a good idea to take a moment and write down a few of them. Look at
the fears you practice—the “common” ones that make you feel god-awful when you
feel them, even though you absolutely believe something else. The fears you’ve
been trying to overcome for such a long time. What Truths do they conflict with?
What are the fears really about?
Ernest Holmes said something that relates to this:
“In the Subjective Mind of man, we find a law obeying his word, the servant of
his spirit. Suggestion has proved that the subconscious mind acts upon our
thoughts. It is the mental law of our being, and the creative factor within us…. It is enough to say that within us is a
mental law, working out the will and
purposes of our conscious thoughts…. And what we call our subjective mind is
really the use we are making of the One Law… And each is drawing from Life what
he thinks into It! To learn how to think
is to learn how to live…” (Bolding is mine.)
What this means is something most of us already
know: It doesn’t matter what we say we think; what matters is what we really
feel and what this feeling leads us to practice, especially subconsciously.
What we really feel lives in the subjective, subconscious part of our mind.
It’s the undercurrent that moves beneath our conscious thoughts.
For example, you may say that in this new year
you’re going to step into your greatness. But if your subjective (subconscious)
thought—your personal use of mental law—conflicts with this in any way, you’ll
deal with the same fears you’ve always dealt with. (This is to get your
attention so that you find a way to free yourself from these thoughts.) For
this example or any other, you have to ask yourself some good questions that
lead you to your right
answers—answers that will allow you to shift your subjective thoughts about
whatever has you tied in knots so you loosen or free yourself from that
particular tether. However, it’s important to remember that this applies to our
personal spiritual path. We cannot intrude on another’s spiritual path, as much
as we’d like to—as much as we’d like to ease the fears and pain we sometimes
feel as a result of being a witness to their path.
Just a
bit more from Holmes about this, because it’s important to keep in mind: “…we
all use the creative power of the Universal Mind every time we use our own mind…. The conscious mind is superior to the subjective and may consciously use it…. The conscious mind
is Spirit, the subjective mind is Law.” We CAN consciously do what it takes
to override opposing beliefs stored in the subjective mind, until the new
beliefs about Truth replace the old. In this way, we train ourselves to a new,
improved practice. (Bolding is mine.)
Whatever
you say you believe but don’t as yet practice as a Truth is something you want
to look at, something you want to shift so you don’t carry all of the same old
fears with you into this new year. You can pay attention to how some of those
fears you’ve carried for years divide you in your inner “house” so you can make
a conscious choice about what to do with them. Please note: I’m not talking about
the fears that help keep you alive; I’m talking about the fears that keep you
from living a fulfilling life. This is a very personal journey each of us must
make for ourselves. And… It’s a good practice, one you’ll appreciate.
Practice makes progress.
© Joyce L. Shafer
You are welcome to use this article in your
newsletter or on your blog/website as long as you use my complete bio with it.
Joyce L. Shafer is a Life Empowerment
Coach dedicated to helping people feel, be, and live their true inner power.
She’s author of “I Don’t Want to be Your Guru, But I Have Something to Say” and
other books/e-books, and publishes a free weekly online newsletter that offers
empowering articles. See all that’s offered by Joyce and on her site at http://stateofappreciation.weebly.com
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