Does Fear Hold you Hostage?

“To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.”~Katherine Paterson, Jacob Have I Loved

Fear is a powerful energy which, if allowed to grow, can hold you hostage. It is gripping and debilitating and at times it feels like you are being held in a state a suspended animation until it finally lets loose its grip. When your mind is occupied by fear it not only takes over your thoughts but sends out a vibration of fear which can actually cause what it is you fear to manifest.

Everyone has fears but as the opening quote says; “To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.”

Living in Chicago I have a first hand seat in watching how the energy of fear can take over as we approach the upcoming NATO Summit. I admit that perhaps I have a jaded view of a worldwide event being an exciting time however with the city going on virtual lockdown due to possible terrorist and/or unruly protest activity one can feel the fear in the air. The fear mongering media is not helping nor are those (whom I consider) irresponsible ‘spokespeople’ for the various protest groups descending on the city. One friend called it ‘fear porn’. It is spreading like wildfire and just as a wildfire needs fuel to grow, every person who allows fear to take over feeds the fire and gives it strength. This is not to say don’t be cautious, alert and do what you need to do for your safety when fear comes up but don’t allow your fear to fuel the fire. As you know, a fire which is not fed soon burns out.

Fear is an energy…

The energy of fear can help or hinder you. In terms of the physical body fear is useful and triggers a fight or flight response in times of imminent danger but how many of the fears you now face are based on real danger? How much of that fear is based on fact and what is it that you really fear? Most often fear comes from what you ‘think’ might happen in the future or something that happened in the past.  In terms of what might happen in the future, how many scenes have played out in your mind with a negative outcome therefore fueling your fear? If you are afraid to fly, for example; Are you really afraid to fly or are you afraid you might die or are you afraid because someone else is in control of flying the plane? If your imagination runs rampant and you fuel horrible images the fear is going to grow and it will indeed hold you hostage.

If it comes from a past experience it could be an important lesson like don’t take the hot cookie sheet out of the oven without using a pot-holder but it could also be that you got hurt in a relationship and the fear of getting hurt stops you from loving again. One is based on reality and one is based on energy you hold from the past. Now, if your intuition kicks in listen to it! The fears I’m referring to are those you hold on to resulting in a pattern of negative thoughts which are fueled and grow until they take over; The fears which “grab you by the tail and swing you around.”

It’s important to face your fears head on and decide if the fear is even yours. If you are matching someone else’s picture of fear or take on fears of others you are being held hostage. Don’t feed it, fuel it or obsess about it. Release yourself from the prison of fear by refusing to fuel the fire and letting it go. Find the truth of your fears. Are they fact or fiction? Fuel the fires of passion, love and creativity! Feed the flames that lead to your dreams coming true! Build a bonfire of joy and fuel it until it quickly becomes a wildfire touching every part of your life!~Shine Your Light Debbie

©Debra Taitel  2012 All rights reserved

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