image: Shinjan Patra
If you want to know what really does the word `Fear` mean? I would tell you that fear is nothing, rather an elusive image of a deceptive giant who quite inconspicuously makes a dig into your unconscious, enabling it to work according to his whims and tricks not only to manipulate your mind, but to make you feel that you`re in a labyrinthine dark dungeon from where escape is only a myth. His real purpose is to make you believe that you`re here on this planet only to face his manipulative, magical tricks. And within a few days, quite automatically you may start to feel that your existence has no purpose at all, rather you`re here only to be a puppet at his hand and cannot take any refuge from that dark dungeon unless and until that monster gives you that permission to do so. And quite automatically these thoughts start to expand themselves into the unconscious region of your mind. The more you feed those negative thoughts into your mind, the more that giant will be able to expand his fearful tentacles. Though, at first, you cannot recognize him in a proper way but can feel his malicious presence every now and then.
So, fear is much like that monster whom we all know more or less, since our childhood. Hope, you remember those stories that most of us used to read during those days when we just started to believe in imaginations. And with the wings of those imaginations, we also used to feel the presence of a powerful, gigantic monster who always wished to keep himself invisible from others and loved to play tricks on his prey. And here once again, I would like to remind you that fear is nothing but much like that monster who loves to hide itself, yet all the time keeps you busy in thinking of it, making you feel nervous and confused, while in reality it has no existence at all, unless and until you indulge yourself to feel its presence into your world of imagination. Here, in this blog I would like to invite you into a world of different realization where you need not to be bothered about all the tricks and turns of that monster, rather you can recognize who you truly are and may start to feel a strength, within in order to overcome all those fears in a spontaneous way where faith will come as your only savoir and allow your soul to be connected to the divine, helping you to move forward and reminding you, once again that on this planet, you`ve a different identity and a special purpose.
“A complete darkness it was,
There were no stars, shining on the sky.
I was trapped in a cobweb, shrieked in fear!
Finding no one to receive my call
Only darkness ahead, I felt —-
But someone answers, within I guessed.
An eternal mate perhaps, I sensed!
And in a state of reflection —-
There came the one, I felt,
Declaring her name,
As Faith!”
Fear is only a cobweb, structured by your own shadow self:
Fear is nothing but an illusion. But sometimes it also acts as a cobweb where you may get stuck, quite unknowingly of yourself. And there your unconscious keeps itself busy to attract such negative thoughts and channelizes your power of imagination, completely towards an opposite direction, towards that direction where your soul can not have that fresh air to grow herself. And as a result of that, quite eventually you may start to feel yourself as only a helpless creature, wandering here and there but finding no strength, within that may guide you forever.
But do you ever know what makes you to worry all the time? Here, in this section I would like to give you an example of that. Few years back when I was in Pondicherry, I met a lady over there who always preferred to shut herself into a room of her own. She used to say; “this is the room of my own.” She was always in fear that something might happen if she stepped her feet outside of that room. Even she never liked to spend her time along with her childhood friends or some of her relatives who still were close to her. Time passed away and she continued to live her life in that same way. Neither she was interested to go outside, nor did she allow anyone to come and spend time with her. And it was clearly visible on her face that she had been scared of something, something that happened in her past. The only words she used to utter those days were like; “Life was not kind me. In fact, it`s still an irony to perceive…”
You may be surprised, may want to know what exactly happened to her that was compelling her to think that way. For the first time when I heard of that lady, I was surprised too. But as I got informed from her surroundings, I realized what exactly had happened to her and why she had been acting like that. Actually few years ago, she was caught in an accident that made her completely bed ridden for several years. Though, she had been recovered from that by that time, but not been able to come out of that trauma completely. And it was all that trauma, that pain ( after that accident) that actually made her to shut herself into the room of her own. She always had that fear in her mind that something fatal is going to happen, if she steps outside, while actually there was no reason of that.
Here, I`m only giving you this example in order to make you realize how fear can hinder the natural flow of one`s life, while actually there is no basis of getting scared at all. And such was the exact case of that lady. She always preferred to confine herself into the dark room of her negative imagination where the rays of confidence and belief were not allowed to show their light of truth and reality. But the most unfortunate thing was that she never allowed her imagination to flow in a positive way. And this was the actual cause of her confinement that made her a long term prisoner by her own thoughts. Hope, now you got the point that the confinement was not because of her physical illness, but because of her shadow self that itself created that cobweb and prevented her soul to flow in her natural rhythm, resulting hopelessness and that related existential crisis. Whenever she wished to step out of her room, fear (fear of facing something unfortunate) came into her mind at once. And quite unknowingly of herself, once again, she got trapped into that labyrinthine dark dungeon from where escape was only a myth to handle.
Let`s allow your imagination to fly towards the direction where faith resides:
If you consider your life as a fruitless existence only to survive on this planet, you may not perceive the actual meaning of faithful imagination and where in lies its effectiveness in your life. But if you probe deeper within, you can have a proper understanding of what it is and from where does it come to make you feel that your life is not a barren existence, but something very much precious to perceive.
You may pause for a while, may think how it is possible to make your life as happy and blissful as ever by the help of this faithful imagination. Is it going to change everything? At this juncture, I would remind you that being faithful at your heart may not change your circumstances but may help and guide you how to lead your life in a constructive way, remaining true to your purpose. And believe me, a faithful heart never falters at any moment. Rather it can create a wonder in your life, as faith has that miraculous potential to channelize your consciousness to a higher consciousness from where you will be able to eradicate all of your doubts and can prepare yourself for a newer growth, for a newer experience, for a newer expansion where your soul can talk to you and can guide you to seek yourself, to find your strength, within. To put it right, it may also lead you towards that path of self- recognition where you can feel that you`re not a single entity but an entity connected to the ultimate source of divine intelligence.
In this connection, I would like to tell you one simple thing that sometimes some fears and worries are relevant. I`m not advising you to be fearless at all the time. Suppose, you`re crossing a bridge. So it`s not advisable for you to be fearless and jump from that bridge only to see how it works. As this doesn`t have any real sense, you`ll surely fail into this experiment. So being fearless doesn`t mean to negate all the realistic circumstances and involve yourself into some irrelevant, nonsensical activities that doesn`t match with any realistic scenarios. As here, once again you may fall under the trap of a false imagination from where you can get nothing but only frustration.
In order to make your life blissful and joyful as ever, you need to recognize yourself in a self- reflective way and by the help of this self- recognition, you may get that perspective of how to be faithful, rather than being scared of something that doesn`t exist in the real stream of existence. In this connection, I would like to remind you about a mystery of our soul. Actually our soul has an enormous potential to see beyond this realm of tangible reality. And by the help of this, she can also reach into the depths of your being, even into that deeper region where an artist resides; the artist of a newer creation who always inspires you to believe in yourself and to grow, within in order to emerge yourself before the world, true to your being. And with the help of this realization, you may start to feel that your life is not a frightful existence at all, rather something that enables you to perceive the power, the bliss, within that you already have, since eternity.
Whenever you`re getting scared of anything, remember that you`re not only sabotaging yourself, but also ignoring that highest potential of your being that is connected to the ultimate source of intelligence, surrounding the entire universe and your existence as well. And the more you`re getting frustrated and fearful, the more you`re detaching yourself from that divine intelligence and welcoming grief and restlessness in your life, questioning your existence, once again in fright! Always remember, we all have a special purpose on this planet. We all have a special call that we need to attend. But whenever we`re getting scared of anything, we`re doing nothing, but simply blocking the spontaneous flow of our soul and hindering the path of truth that will lead us towards the recognition of our true spiritual purpose. So, whenever the darker sides of reality makes you worry, just pray to the divine and allow your heart and soul to receive that divine blessing in order to rejuvenate your inner grace, that stream of infinite potentials that you`ve within, since eternity.
Release your negative thoughts in a divine order:
Time passes by in its silent steps, sometimes letting us to wait in a dark place! Sometimes, we may get frustrated. We start to complain those circumstances. Sometimes, we start to blame others who we think, are responsible for that. More often we complain our fate for holding us back. But have you ever questioned yourself; what are you looking for? I think, you may get all the answers if you probe deeper, within.
In this connection, I would like to remind you that a true believer never loses his/ her balance, rather with the help of that faith, within leads their consciousness towards a state of contemplation and from there, they can recognize the truth of their existence; the reality that we all have, within in a transcendental way. And quite automatically, they start to perceive their eternal strength that we tend to ignore in the daily course of our life. And in that course of realizing their truth, they make themselves quite akin to their soul who continually beckons them to respond to that higher call for which they`re here. And gradually they start to feel that they surely have a higher purpose, a different story to share.
Negating fear from all around and starting to believe on yourself, once again is not an easy task, a process to undergo, rather it`s quite like a discovery, an exploration, within in order to build a strong commitment with your own. And here at this point of time, you can realize that your consciousness is getting aligned to that supreme power of intelligence from where we all get that infinite potentials to flourish, within. And here in lies the power of your faith; the infinite power that is helping you to transcend your consciousness beyond this world of tangible, linear implications in order to feel the silent whispers of your soul, the managing anchor of your life. And gradually you`ll be able to realize that you`re solely in contact with the divine and that`s why you`re totally free from any kind of fear or insecurity. Actually fear is nothing, but a state of our mind that makes us insecure of something unknown, indulges us to ignore the truth of our existence (our soul`s heritage). That sweet home where we never have to feel insecure, rather can feel the bliss, the eternity, the power of our being. And in that way, quite automatically, we start to feel ourselves as more grounded and centered as never before and once again start to enjoy that journey of realigning ourselves to that eternal source of intelligence( to enjoy the beauty and wonder of the unknown), remaining truthful and faithful at our heart and soul.
Feeling divinity, within is the ideal way of healing yourself from all the fears:
In this section, once again I would like to remind you that faith is nothing but that powerful energy that can lift you up from all the obstacles and insecurities that you`re facing every now and then in your life. And feeling the divinity within is the ideal way of knowing yourself, your own worth and leading your consciousness to that ultimate truth of reality where doubts and fears would find no room to harm you any longer. And therein lies the magic of being faithful in your heart that will never leave you astray, rather always guide your soul to choose her destiny in a spontaneous way, in a way to be enlightened with a newer grace of eternity, with a newer grace of life itself;
“Beyond the darkest of the darks/ when there will be no one to answer your call/ She may come with her gentle steps/ to help you out/ to make you free/ from all those painful mazes/ that time/ you may not know Her name/ but trust me, dear/ She is/ within yourself/ She`ll light up the candle/ once again/ but that time/ it may make you to stumble/ but trust me dear/ you need not to be scared/ this is the Light itself/ the Light to meet up your Higher self/ to lift you up, this time/ may be, to that eternal grace/ there you need not to be trapped/ into that game of maze/ but only can find a window pane/ calling you once again/ to have a vision/ that vision of a crystal lake/ flowing within you/ since the time when eternity explored/ your Existence!”
Few years back when I was in Dehradun, fortunately I got an opportunity to meet a bakery shop owner. Though we shared our thoughts only for a couple of weeks, but from those conversations, I had been able to learn something, some deeper truth of our life that most of the time we ignore, whenever we get frustrated and eventually indulge ourselves to fall under the trap of fear, anxiety and depression. But there was something extraordinary in her speech that inspired me a lot. Actually during that time I was also going through some tough experiences, unexplained but difficult to ignore that at all. And that day, her words came to me as an inspiration, as something like the setting sun that always reminds us of a newer dawn;
“I still remember those days, especially those sleepless nights that used to hark me back, to where…I didn`t know. But every time, I could feel a sense of insecurity. I was worried a lot, tried to keep me busy in different works only to discover myself as a failure, once again. I was completely unable to overcome that situation all together. And somehow I started to feel, fate was really playing a trick with me. I had a very meager amount of savings in my bank after the demise of my husband. And it was utterly impossible for me to build up the business completely by my own, once again. All the time I was haunted by the fear of losing everything. All the time I felt empty, within. And gradually I started to realize that it was actually that insecurity, compelling me to feel that way.
Whenever I used to look upon the sky during the nightly hours, it seemed to me like a full void, until I got realized that one truth. You may be surprised a bit, may feel what would be that truth that the stars of those nights helped me to perceive! Actually that was not only a truth, but more like a revelation to feel the eternity, within. It`s true that I was going through a crisis. But I didn`t know why the stars of those nights used to hark me back, again and again. I felt serene, within. It was quite like a home. Every night, I used to stand beneath the starry sky and tried to feel that calmness, she bears, since eternity. It was really like a magic. And gradually the emptiness that I had been experiencing due to insecurities, quite surprisingly started to fade away. I started to feel that sky more like a shelter. And something happened on that very night when fear didn`t come into my eyes, but tears came. May be for guiding me up, to feel my entity once again!
That night, something really happened. I stood still over the terrace… how long? I didn`t know… may be to witness those fluffy clouds wandering over the sky, without any fear. Yes! It was morning and all on a sudden, I came to my senses. I stood over the terrace all through the last night! The sun was just rising above, may be to put some newer colors or may be to introduce the truth and reality of our existence! That sunrise was not like that usual one that we see at every dawn, but it made me to feel some grace, within and once again I started to believe that beyond those realistic, painful experiences, there always awaits a newer sunrise on a newer horizon for each one of us. During those days I was not sure enough. But somehow felt, within that the sunrise was inspiring me to feel something. But what exactly was that, I didn`t know at that very moment. Years passed and I perceived that it was nothing but only a reminder for me to pray to the divine, to ask for help to that ultimate source of intelligence in order to wave off all those worries and tensions, I had been dwelling on those days. And trust me, feeling that grace, that divinity within not only helped me to eradicate all those negativities, to build up this bakery shop entirely by my own, but also guided me to believe on my strength once again. Moreover helped me to believe on the divine intelligence who continually watches over us and protects our soul with such an eternal grace.”
Some tips to wave off that Fear monster forever and to feel divinity, within:
I know most of the time, you try to get rid of any fear, try to forget about all the painful experiences that once came into your life, all on a sudden. But do you know, what is the secret of removing all those fears and anxieties from your mind forever? Actually this fearful thoughts are nothing but only the unconscious projection of our own negative imaginations that don`t have any real existence at all.
In this section, I would like to give you some tips that may help you to feel that you need not to be scared of anything as you`re not a single entity in this universe, rather eternally connected to the supreme power of divine intelligence:
- First of all you need to have in your mind, whenever you`re worrying about something, you`re not only channelizing your unconscious towards an opposite direction, but also you`re blocking the path of truth to come towards you and at the same time, detaching yourself from the ground of your being, your existence as well. Though, sometimes a little worry is permissible in order to take any caution. But when it becomes as a habit, then it`s as harmful as a spider web that gradually may pull you down and trap you under its hypnotic spell.
- So what you need to do is not to feed your unconscious with any negative thoughts. Rather, if possible try to feed it with the thoughts of faith, harmony and truth; with the thoughts of that eternal truth by the help of which, you can feel the reality of your life not as a painful experience, but as something to perceive with a thankful heart, with that happiness, within.
- On a very first place, while you`re actually going through any painful experience, this faithful imagination may seem to you as somewhat, unrealistic or irrelevant. But here, I must tell you if you`re thankful in your heart and allow yourself to contemplate more, you may feel a different energy within and can lead your consciousness towards that realization that here on this earth you`re not alone, but completely aligned to the supreme intelligence. Hence, you need not to worry about anything. What you need to do is only to lift your mind above all those worries and replace those negative thoughts with the thoughts of harmony, belief and truth. As the more you`re getting attached to these negative thoughts, the more you`re creating a spiritual deficiency within your being. The more you`re doubting yourself, the more you`re creating a discord, within and inviting doubt to triumph over faith only to experience an existential crisis, within completely forgetting the fact that you also have that infinite power to create your life, once again in a blissful accord.
- But do you know where in lies the secret of being faithful at your heart and remaining true to your destined purpose, keeping yourself strong enough? Actually this is a magic itself. And this magic is of nothing, but the magic of allowing your unconscious to believe in the power of the divine and leading your consciousness towards that level of realization that imagining something positive and praying for that with a strong belief is nothing, but rejuvenating your soul once again, in order to get herself aligned to her ideal purpose, true to her destiny.
- I feel, a faithful prayer has a greater effect in order to bring balance into our life, to grow our maturity, to know ourselves and to grow within, both psychologically and spiritually. And prayer has its different forms. Sometimes different ways to connect yourself to that divine power of intelligence.
- A true prayer always acts as a bridge between our conscious and subconscious mind, between our psychological and spiritual self in order to gain a different wisdom, a different insight. [See my Blog: Prayer; A Secret Code of an INNOCENT but POWERFUL Soul, published on May 6, 2022] But one thing, you must have in your mind that a doubter can never attend to communicate to the universal intelligence. As this prayer is more a dialogue than a monologue. So if you`re indulging into doubts, you`re not only blocking that ideal path of gaining wisdom, at the same time you yourself are negating the eternal truth of your life and welcoming that fear monster to come forward and grab your attention at once.
- Some of you may think prayer is a systematic process that you should have to maintain whenever you`re praying for something. But here at this stage, I would like to remind you that prayer is more like a contemplation, perceiving your greater truth in order to have a higher form of revelation. And it can be done in multiple ways, in multiple places whenever and wherever, you feel free. But one thing you need to have in your mind that at that very moment you should have to be with yourself, with a peaceful mind and with a faithful heart. May be, at that very moment you`re writing something or may be painting or singing. If you`ve that faith, within you always can connect yourself to your spiritual center. In order to pray, you need not to sit in a meditative poise. If you can, it`s always advisable to do so. But if you cannot, you need not to be anxious of that. Rather, allow your consciousness to feel the fresh vibes of positive thoughts. And trust me, in the process of doing so, you automatically will be able to understand what your soul is searching for and where your destiny is guiding you to look for.
- So, I think instead of being fearful, you need to be very clear to yourself of what you`re wishing for. If you know yourself, whatever you`re wishing for are the right ones, you need not to be worried at all. Rather, you just to have that belief in your heart that God is by your side, once and for all.
- Try to be thankful and if possible, try to keep in your mind that being faithful at heart is the only gateway to be connected to the divine and to feel that grace, within. It not only strengthens your heart, but also enlivens your soul once again to visit that wonder world where truth always speaks with harmony and wisdom knows the truth of eternity.
Always remember, faith is nothing to be incorporated into your being once again, as our soul is always connected to that divine energy. And you always can feel that strength, within. Rather, what you need to do is to calm your mind, eradicating all forms of negative emotions that most of the time prefer to bother you like some unwelcomed intruders. Then only you can realize what message was there, in the sky of that night; what actually she was trying to whisper into the ears of that bakery owner. You can also perceive that meaning; what she felt on that newer dawn, while the clouds were floating all over the sky and the sun was just rising above! There was really a special meaning. And that meaning was of nothing, but the meaning of removing all the darkness of that black night and preparing ourselves for a newer dawn with a thankful heart where faith resides. I still remember her last words, when tears came into her eyes. But those tears were not of sorrow or of fear, but of a happy and joyful heart. And her words were quite like a revelation, somehow I felt. We were talking together, sitting at a corner table in her own bakery shop. She paused for a while. Then uttered these words with a calmness in her heart;
“The sky of that night was more like a mirror to me; a mirror to see myself, my inner strength. And the sunrise on the next morning was nothing, but the eternal glory to feel that strength…”
