{"id":241,"date":"2009-10-23T00:58:31","date_gmt":"2009-10-23T00:58:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/angelsonyourshoulder\/2009\/10\/fearless-fridays-halloween-and-fear.html"},"modified":"2009-10-23T00:58:31","modified_gmt":"2009-10-23T00:58:31","slug":"fearless-fridays-halloween-and-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/angelsonyourshoulder\/2009\/10\/fearless-fridays-halloween-and-fear.html","title":{"rendered":"Fearless Fridays: Halloween and fear"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aloha,<\/p>\n

When I was doing research yesterday about the history of Halloween, I found it interesting when I noticed how people seemed compelled to add fear to the mythology<\/a>.  A time that was meant to celebrate the harvest and give thanks for the coming year became a time to protect yourself and your property from the dark forces. I even found a site that quoted the Bible about the need to kill witches in their attempt to generate fear and make Halloween a ‘bad’ thing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fear is a very powerful emotion and a wonderful indication that we have disconnected from our spirit. Recently I have received several  emails from readers asking me for concrete ways to overcome fear once it has taken hold of their thinking. I find this Native American story a wonderful way to deal with fear. It is a Cherokee story<\/a> of the two wolves.<\/p>\n


\nI have modified the story a bit, but it is wonderful way to allow fear or anger to become an non-issue.<\/p>\n

\n

A young boy was talking to his grandfather about having fear. <\/p>\n

He said, “I know I am meant to be brave and trust in the Great Spirit. I fight and fight with the fear. What should I do grandfather?”<\/p>\n

The grandfather looked at the young boy and said, “It is like a terrible fight, and it goes inside most people. It is like a battle between two wolves.”<\/p>\n

“Which one will win?” asked the boy.<\/p>\n

The grandfather smiled and replied, “The one you feed.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When you begin to feel fear, acknowledge it but don’t feed it. By that I mean feel the fear, realize it isn’t real, take a few deep breaths, and then focus on something you really love. It can be a totally unrelated thought. I was once told I couldn’t think about a beautiful rose and be afraid at the same time. You can’t really focus your attention on two things at once.<\/p>\n

Of course I find focusing on the image a beautiful angel embracing me extremely useful, especially if, in that moment, I am also asking that angel for help in letting go of my fear.So, don’t feed the fear; each time it arises, look away and see the love of an angel instead. You may have to do that every second for a while, but eventually your mind gets the idea and lets go of the fear.<\/p>\n

Training our mind is much like training a puppy–it takes time, repetitio,n and perseverance. I also find it helps to practice shifting my attention when I am not really terrified so when fear does arise, I know I can focus on something else instead.<\/p>\n

With love and aloha,
Susan<\/p>\n

Angels are all about love, so let them love you and allow them to erase your fears.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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She has written eight books including the award-winning \"Mastering the Toltec Way\" and \"The Encyclopedia of Angels, Spirit Guides and Ascended Masters.\" Susan completed an apprenticeship with Don Miguel Ruiz, author of \"The Four Agreements,\" and she has been exploring spirituality, human potential, and the nature of physical and metaphysical reality since the early 1970s. Her greatest passion is showing others how they can be happy, no matter what is going on in their lives or in the world around them. This passion has resulted in her creating a podcast, \"Food for the Soul,\" and numerous video meditations. Susan's spiritual journeys have also taken her around the world with students she teaches. Currently, she lives on the beautiful island of Hawaii where she is an avid gardener, hiker, and writer. She often spends time playing with the numerous four-legged friends she's rescued or swimming with the turtles and wild dolphins. 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