HOW TO BANISH FEAR

There is no denying that fear has its place and its uses. Fear of consequences for instance, can stop you behaving recklessly and doing damage to yourself.

But then other more irrational fears can be problematic and cause us to shrink into ourselves. Taken to extreme, they can really affect our quality of life.

We are often asked to confront our fears and face up to them. “Feel the fear and do it anyway” is something that is often bandied around. We are seen as bigger, braver and more courageous if we can face our fears.

But doesn’t this put even more pressure on us? Fear then becomes something to overcome and control. And if we can’t, well then haven’t we just failed big time? This makes us feel even more deflated and even more of a failure. Not great for your self-esteem!

So what if you could just erase your fears, helping them to dissolve into nothingness? By not giving them a second thought, you are not giving them any power over you. And this is the thing. You want to be running the show. Not your fear!

Recently, I faced a huge fear. Thanks to my spiritual training, I was able to redirect my thoughts and energies away from it, refusing to give it the attention it demanded. By so doing, it was not able to take form.

So what was this fear?

I have always been terrified of speaking to a group. As a very shy, introverted, and quiet individual, speaking has never come naturally to me. Added to this, my lack of ability to be able to speak coherently or fluently; I often struggle to latch on to the right word, floundering as I try to remember the word that is just on the outside of my grasp.

So when the thought came to me that I was to set up and run a spiritual development group, all my fears and insecurities reared up at me, staring me in the face. I was being forced to face one of my biggest fears.

“No, you can’t possibly expect me to do it” I raged against the Universe, “I would be terrible.”

But there was no ignoring the wise, soulful inner voice. “So you would put your fear before the love of others?” it asked of me. “You have been a dedicated student of this spiritual learning now for ten years. Not only have you learned a great deal, but you have put it in action and changed your life. There is so much support and help you can give to others. Your group will be a great support, and it will help give strength through difficult times. You have so much wisdom to pass on. Think about what you can contribute, rather than what could go wrong. Let go of your ego, and do the loving thing.”

Well what could I say? There is no arguing with loving wisdom.

So I did what I always do when I need some confidence building. I asked the Angels to let me know through my oracle cards if I had what it took to set up and run this group.

Using my animal tarot deck, there was no mistaking their answer. Three cards literally leapt out at me as I shuffled the deck. They were three of my favourite cards, and they all promised success, abundance, happiness and joy.

I then asked how the attendees of the group would benefit. Even though I picked two cards from different decks, I received the same answer. The transformation card appeared, symbolized by the butterfly. Knowing that the spiritual journey has gifted me the greatest transformation of my life, there was no denying that this was realistically possible.

My fears had no chance of taking form. Such is my faith in the messages from my Angels.

But something did surprise me. As the day loomed for the first group meeting, all I felt was extreme excitement. I was reveling in this opportunity, and seeing it as a beautiful gift from the Universe.

At no point did I feel even a smidgeon of nerves. It felt like a huge hurdle had been overcome. I told myself that this was an act of love on my part, with investment of all my passion, wisdom and experience, and this is all that mattered. If I happened to forget my words, so what! Just showing up and doing my best was enough.

It went better than imagined. Even though I had written prompts, I just laid them on the floor and spoke from the heart. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and promised to return in a month’s time. Our group had taken flight and I am hugely excited at the journey ahead.

Overcoming fear can be extremely empowering. It demonstrates that fear originates in the mind and is not real. “Wave the wand and make it disappear.”

If I can face my biggest fear then so can you. Remember, it is not real!