In the daily online WeAwakening meditation group that I facilitate we have a very simple format. We begin by getting centered and open, and then I draw an Angel Card that has a word on it which we bring into our meditation time. As we meditate, we don’t think about what the word means. Instead, we let the thinking mind rest as we open ourselves to the energy of the word, letting ourselves feel how it feels. We allow its essence to become activated within us. This week one of the words was Faith.
As I opened myself to the essence of Faith, I felt its serenity, its certainty, its assured calm. I felt it as an intrinsic quality of the eternal Self that knows no death, no danger, no fear. I could feel how the divine Self doesn’t have faith. It is Faith. What else could it possibly be, knowing, as It does, the Love that is the Source of Its being?
It was a beautiful, sublime experience.
But then, that afternoon after the meditation was over, I found myself feeling an amorphous dread. It wasn’t related to anything specific. Rather, I was experiencing the energetic essence of fear—the inverse of Faith.
The contrast between this feeling and that of the meditation couldn’t have been more extreme. And I had a sense that it was precisely the intensity of the Light I had experienced in the meditation that had flushed out of the shadows of my psyche the energy of fear.
Facing Fear
In my life I have had many opportunities to face fear, and there are two things I have learned about how to respond to it: not to be afraid of it, and not to try to banish it.
So when this fear arose, I made space for it. I let myself feel it, making no attempt to chase it back into the shadows. I allowed it to reveal itself; I cradled it in kindness, acceptance, and compassion.
As all of this was taking place, I sensed that what I was experiencing was a microcosm of what is happening on the planet right now. The intensity of the Love that is now flooding the Earth is flushing out of the shadows of our psyches everything that is contrary to Love and which we had judged ourselves for and tried to drive away. Our task now is to stop doing battle with any of it and make space for it, holding it in all compassion.
Containing Multitudes
Walt Whitman famously said: “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes.” For me this sums up what it is to be human.
Being human is a tall order, and we ought to bow to ourselves for our willingness to take it on. It requires that we navigate this world of form in a body that is hardwired for survival (which can never be achieved, since form, by its nature, is transitory—hence the fear), while at the same time carry the awareness of our eternal divine Essence and of the Infinite All which dwells beyond time and form.
It’s a big ask. But that’s what this cosmic experiment is all about: joining the awareness of boundless, timeless Love with the finite fleetingness of form.
At this moment on this planet, we humans are growing increasingly aware that we contain multitudes, and we are facing unprecedented opportunities to grow in our capacity to make space for the complexities we carry within us. This, after all, is what it means to be whole: ceasing to reject any part of ourselves.
As far as the fear goes, what I find is that the more I make space for it, the more I am able to recognize that it has no substance. The more I hold it in Love, the more I come to know myself as the Love I truly Am.
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Thank you, Patricia, for your wonderfully clear and helpful insight on Faith, and on the power of Love to melt anything unlike Itself.
Boundless Blessings!
The longer I practice being with fear the more accepting I am of it as a teacher, a signal of something I need to attend to that I may be avoiding, or a road sign of somewhere I may may need to go. For me, standing beside it rather than in opposition to it is more efficient.
Words I needed to read today. Yesterday, I finally had a job interview, and I thought it went really, really well, and was told I’d be invited back.
This morning came the ding letter.
We’re not going forward with you candidacy.
So, enveloping great in love, I’ll go forward again.
Beautiful thoughts Patricia! Thanks for sharing and expressing so eloquently your experience with these energies. I truly enjoy reading you and feel a strong soul connection! Here in Mexico, we didn’t change the time . . . . so the group meditation is now @ 10 am for me, which is exactly when I finish my yoga class at a nearby studio. I will continue to join whenever I can, but just wanted to let you know why it won’t be as often as I would like to. In the meantime, I can continue to enjoy reading what you so graciously share. GRACIAS!
Such a beautiful way to share your discovery . The darkness , fear comes up because there is brilliant light. I had the same experience from our meditation— big fear that hasn’t been showing up lately. Your share helped me see it in a broader Context. We are all one truly ! Thanks 🙏,
Thank you to all of the above, all beloveds. Your post dearest Patricia resonated perfectly. tyf
As my son’s 2nd “Holy Week” approaches (the last day I saw him to his last day on earth) I could feel the dread arising in me. Your post could not have come at a better time. Reminding me to embrace my fear & pain, cradle it, accept it…do not send it back to the shadows. I can always find comfort & help in your words and for that I am most grateful.