{"id":28,"date":"2010-12-22T14:32:37","date_gmt":"2010-12-22T14:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/practicalspirituality\/2010\/12\/go-beyond-fear.html"},"modified":"2010-12-22T14:32:37","modified_gmt":"2010-12-22T14:32:37","slug":"go-beyond-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/practicalspirituality\/2010\/12\/go-beyond-fear.html","title":{"rendered":"Go Beyond Fear"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n


\n
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Approach the world of spiritual practice<\/span>
\nwith trust and an open heart. Don’t be afraid of spiritual experiences. Strange
\nsensations of energy, a feeling of deep love, vulnerability, connectedness, and
\na loss of ego and control are all aspects of spiritual experience that test and
\ntry people’s limits. Such profound and healing encounters can trigger fear and
\nresistance. People doubt what they don’t know, resist what they don’t
\nunderstand, and cling to what’s familiar. It’s a longing for safety that
\nsacrifices freedom and growth. Some even fear for their mental and physical
\nhealth when they begin to have pronounced spiritual experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

These concerns are not
\nhollow. We’ve all seen examples of people who seem very committed to a religion
\nor spiritual practice; and the outcome is only distraction, a new source of
\ncontrol, or worse, a rational for the judgment of others. These, however, are
\nnot examples of effective applications of spiritual practices nor are they
\naccurate expressions of what spiritual experience teaches.<\/span><\/p>\n

A healthy spiritual
\npractice is both the mechanics and a certain mind-set about the practice. These
\nelements–combined with guidance, grace, and dedication–are necessary to
\nliberate the human spirit. Without an open mind and heart, without a sincere
\ndesire to learn, grow, and discover, any spiritual practice can become a barrier<\/i>
\nto growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Much of what scares
\npeople about spirituality is its demand to move beyond absolute trust in
\nscience and the five ordinary senses. The Spiritual World largely remains
\nbeyond the scope of material science, but that isn’t a “problem”–it is simply
\nits nature. In his magnificent book The Little
\nPrince<\/span><\/i><\/a>, Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry wrote: “It is only with the
\nheart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Joseph Campbell, the
\ngreat historian of mythology and religion, affirmed this by pointing out that
\nnearly every culture in the world holds foundational stories of sacred heroes
\nwhose only salvation comes from facing their deepest fears and risking the life
\nthat is familiar in favor of a willingness to explore the unknown. Often, we
\nmust sever the ties to what we know and believe in order to be reborn and
\nrevived.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is this dimension
\nof the spiritual journey that remains the greatest barrier: fear. Anywhere that
\nfear lives, the Spirit withdraws–including in groups, in families, or in
\nourselves. Where fear grows, love is diminished and the qualities of The Sacred
\nare forgotten. People become paralyzed by the fear of the unknown, of being
\nrejected, of not being in control, and of the discomfort they might face as
\nthey surrender who they’ve come to believe they are.<\/span><\/p>\n

A healthy spiritual practice will cause you to
\nbecome aware of your limits and<\/i> your opportunities to heal and grow.
\nThis ensures that it won’t always be easy, but it will always be worthwhile. My
\nown journey has also come with many difficult crossroads, including loneliness,
\nsurprises, the recognition of old wounds, hard choices, and the need to make
\nmany sacrifices. But it has also blessed me with the most rewarding gifts and
\nan abundant sense of personal power, happiness, and freedom.<\/span><\/p>\n

Excerpt from <\/font><\/font><\/i>Return to the Sacred<\/font><\/font><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n


\n<\/font><\/p>\n

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Approach the world of spiritual practice with trust and an open heart. Don’t be afraid of spiritual experiences. Strange sensations of energy, a feeling of deep love, vulnerability, connectedness, and a loss of ego and control are all aspects of spiritual experience that test and try people’s limits. 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