“Fear is beyond logic and reason”
It does seem like a time of uncertainty and darkness in the world today, and it would on the surface be natural to be afraid. However, fear is totally debilitating, and it interferes with all understanding so that we are not able to think clearly. It can very often be so debilitating as to leave us paralysed and unable to decide where or how to move. It is then that danger becomes more real.
At a time of darkness, the most important thing is to have our eyes wide open, to be alert and to be careful. If I am generating fear, it reaches others and makes matters worse. We need to finish fear and anxiety and to do so, we need to deal with the underlying causes of fear.
There is a distinct connection between fear and loss. When there is ego, there is fear of loss. I may be afraid to lose my position in society, from where I derive respect and esteem. When I have attachment to the body, then I am afraid of death. When I have greed, I am afraid to lose all that I have accumulated. When I am addicted to anger, which is often seen as a natural response to fear, I am flooding the body with toxic energy. The heart rate zooms higher, my complexion changes colour, adrenalin pours through the blood stream – all of this is anything but natural. All these negative feelings are so destructive to the body, the soul and to relationships. Dealing with these underlying causes of fear and anxiety can sometimes be managed for a short time, but under stress or dramatic triggers, they will all emerge again. The way to permanently let go of destructive and negative thinking patterns connected with fear, is to accumulate spiritual power.
Spiritual power comes from the understanding of the spirit, the soul. When I learn and understand that I am not the body at all, but a conscient being of light, combined with the body, but separate from it, then fear begins to diminish. With spiritual power I can direct the intellect to control the negative patterns of thinking in the mind. These patterns have been influencing the brain for a long time, and the neural pathways are well used. However, the brain has plasticity and new pathways can be formed with power from the intellect, which is an attribute of the soul. This power is derived from a connection with the Supreme Soul, the Divine energy, God. This Divine Source, this point of light, will flood my mind with love, joy, peace, purity and truth, the moment I make a connection. When I do this, then I experience a love that is totally stable and constant to such an extent, that I feel that everything I need is coming to me.
The deeper this practice of soul consciousness and connection with the Divine, the more fears begin to dissolve. I stop bringing the fear of the past into the present and stop being afraid of the future. The future is totally dependent on the present, so if my thoughts are of a powerful quality, that is what the future will hold. Thoughts are seeds, words are even more powerful seeds, and actions are very, very, powerful seeds, all of which bring a harvest in the future. If today I understand the laws of the spiritual dimension, understand the self and understand the Divine, then I will know how to deal with fear. The more I trust and the more I love, the more I can be sure that that is what I will receive. I do not need to be fearful of the future, just attentive to the present.
B.K. Jayanti is Additional Administrative Head of the Brahma Kumaris.