I was thinking this morning about the interrelationship between faith and fear. Specifically, delving into the paradigm of their necessity to coexist.

So often, we yield to the energy of fear. We scramble, we dodge, we circumvent – anything, to avoid its all too eager ‘hooks’. Whether by way of past experience, or more simply intuition, there is a deeply ingrained response – a response to the habit of fear.

Though, oddly enough, it’s this very same fear that helps to create our inner balance.

The two must coexist, my loves – with fear, reinforcing faith.. and faith, resolving fear. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh encourages us to look deeply into our fear; to embrace its source with equanimity and kindness. And, with ‘gentle mind’ provides an alternate choice when the habit of fear surges through.

“When we recognize that we have a habit of replaying old events and reacting to new events as if they were the old ones, we can begin to notice when that habit energy comes up. We can then gently remind ourselves that we have another choice. We can look at the moment as it is, a fresh moment, and leave the past for a time when we can look at it compassionately.”

Our lives are such a tangled web of heart and of circumstance. How easily we jump to the end of story that has yet to be written. Taking this pause, offers us the blessing of choice – and the opportunity to look forward with fresher eyes.

What is your fear today, my loves? How is it tied to a previous source, and what’s keeping you from letting it go?

In learning to survive those much stronger emotions, we realize – that it’s not the fear, it’s the willingness that’s holding us here.

In peace…

Namaste <3