We've all heard the term,
Feel the fear and do it anyway.
But it's easier said than done,
Especially when sometimes it may be entangled with other things,
Like our past trauma or future dreams.
This may sound simple.
But one of the ways we can release the grip of fear is to befriend it.
The Buddhist nun,
Pema Chödrön,
Says,
If you don't know the nature of fear,
Then you can never be fearless.
So when we get to know it.
It can become a powerful ally.
Imagine that our fear is like an overprotective friend who wants to keep us safe from harm.
Through understanding.
We can meet them with empathy and compassion.
So when we're about to face a challenge,
Enter the unknown.
Or be vulnerable in some way.
And our fearful friend comes knocking at the door.
We can invite them in.
And take them on the journey with us so that they know everything will be okay.
Because it will be.
Remember a scary situation which you didn't think you would be able to get through,
But you did.
Maybe a relationship breakup.
Losing a job.
Getting an injury or receiving bad news.
At some point,
You would have had to make friends with fear.
At least to some degree.
To get to where you are now.
This means meeting fear and allowing it to express itself.
As it is,
With no judgement.
Like you would do a good friend.
This is the intention of our meditation today.
To befriend any fears related to astral travel.
And if you notice any anxiety or resistance right now at the thought of meeting fear.
We can befriend that too.
So get comfortable,
Close your eyes and take a few big belly breaths.
Noticing the movement of the life breath.
Feeling the inflow and the outflow.
Try to feel the movement of the body as you breathe.
The rising sensation as you breathe in,
The falling sensation as you breathe out.
Allowing it to flow with effortless ease.
Breath coming in and going out in its own time.
As you feel the weight of the body,
Press down onto the bed or seat beneath you.
Bring your attention to the contact points.
Perhaps the heels of your feet.
The top of your thighs.
Maybe your elbows and shoulders.
Or the back of your head.
Parts of you.
That touch the physical place of where you are.
Now tune into the spaces around the parts.
The gaps between your body and things near you.
Maybe the back of your knee.
Inside your elbow.
Or behind your neck.
Perhaps the distance between your skin and clothes,
Or the body and furniture.
Notice the spaces,
Big or small.
Now turn your attention inwards,
Towards the space inside the body.
Where can you feel it here?
Within you.
Bring awareness to being in this space,
The space of our body.
From this place of presence,
Take a moment to scan how you feel about the practice of astral projection.
About having out-of-body experiences.
As you bring this to mind,
Sense where you begin to feel any kind of fear.
What gives you anxiety?
What are you afraid is going to happen?
Perhaps it's linked to leaving the body.
Or worried about getting hurt in some way.
Or maybe it's to do with what you might discover.
What you might find out there.
Reflect on what feels scary for a few moments.
I invite you to explore whether there is a deeper fear beneath this one or attached to it.
Could your astral fear be linked to a life fear in some way?
Either symbolically or literally.
Perhaps you don't have any deeper fears at all.
See what arises when you feel into this.
Notice where the trance of fear takes hold.
Where you become contracted.
Where you feel anxious or where the heart closes or you lose confidence.
And just recognize in that particular situation.
What sort of thoughts go on in your mind?
What does the fear feel like?
What feels vulnerable about it.
Allow that attention to drop down into the body.
Where do you feel this in the body?
Invite it to make its presence known.
Notice if there's a clenching in the chest,
Tightness in the tummy.
Lump in the throat or pressure in the head.
Whatever you become aware of.
Allow it to simply be here.
And if these sensations feel strong or intense.
Make some space for them.
Let them sit next to you.
You might like to do this by sending them some breath,
By breathing into the area,
Helping it soften and expand.
Stay in communication with the vulnerability.
Asking yourself what it most needs.
Does it need acceptance?
Forgiveness.
Compassion or love.
Or maybe something else.
Take a moment to offer care to this fearful place.
Perhaps tenderly laying a hand on your heart or the area itself.
And sending affectionate energy inwards,
Towards it.
You might even like to say out loud or in your mind,
I am here.
I care.
And I am with you.
You can also bring someone else into your heart space who cares about you deeply.
Allowing the atmosphere and feeling of their love to flow through your hands and into the vulnerability.
Let this living energy absorb into you.
It encourages you to lean into the vulnerability.
It may help to tune into our higher self.
That part of us we consider more awake,
More wise.
Inviting their presence to place hands through our own physical ones into that place of vulnerability.
Allow them to bring mindful presence here,
Sensing that natural opening out of the scared self into the present self.
Then choosing to fill that presence with love.
All the gratitude for the fear trying to keep us safe.
All the compassion and all the warm fuzzy feelings.
Fill up that space with your love for a few moments.
In your own way now.
Thank the fear for trying to keep you safe.
In life,
We are often told to get rid of fear,
Push it down or put it somewhere else.
But if we take it with us,
Like an anxious friend,
It has the opportunity to learn that often,
There is little to fear.
And from this place,
It's then transformed.
That's why we allow it with us on our astral travels.
So rather being told,
There's nothing to fear.
It can know it.
Through direct experience.
And not only that,
But in life,
Being truly present with fear.
Can show us any genuine threats that might actually be there.
So we can make wise choices.
When you're ready.
Begin to move your body into the spaces around you.
The ones you noticed earlier.
Bringing your attention to the physical sensations that ground your awareness in the physical world.
Take a big stretch,
Open your eyes and write any reflections in your journal.
You just began to make friends with fear.
And that's a fantastic thing.
