Today’s lesson is from “The Fear Book” by Cheri Huber

Some things we may not think of as fear
– anger, sadness, irritation, urgency, depression, control issues –
are pointing to an underlying fear.  Resistance to doing something is one of the processes that masks fear.

Every time we choose “safety” we reinforce fear.   We close down.  We close off.  And our lives shrink.

What is that Terror? 

It is Egocentricity losing its grip on you.
You were taught that fear is useful, that it takes care of you.
When you begin to let go of it, a part of you feels like it is dying, and it doesn’t want to die.
Fear doesn’t want to die. 

It would rather you died. Maye not in physical form.  But in terms of your life’s experiences.

It would rather your world shrank until there is nothing left of you.

But if you no longer believe what fear tells you, you will live, and it will not.

When that terror arises, when it gets backed into a corner, when it is a matter of its survival or yours, almost nobody has the required combination of courage, desperation, willingness… to stand up to it.

That’s why it’s important to remember projection.

Fear/egocentricity screams, “If you stay with this, I will die!”  And it’s true, “I” will die.

Its life is your death.

Its death is your life.

Fear has its own identity.  The identity of Fear is separateness.  

Fear is the movement away from center.

When you’re out there, away from center, fear, becomes your identity.

Fear and self-doubt undermine the desire to learn when adults say to children, “What’s the matter with you?  Can’t you see that’s dangerous?  You know better than that!”

Think of a child who is around a horse for the first time.

What is the adult going to say?  “Be careful……don’t do this……don’t do that……What’s wrong with you, don’t stand there!!”

What’s reeeeeallllllyyy going to happen??????

Thhe fear is not of “the horse.”  The fear is of “the adult” and the adults reaction.   Suddenly, the person on whom you depend for your survival is very upset.  Something is wrong!  As a child you have no way of knowing what’s going on, but you certainly feel the upset.