regularly checking in to assess its role in our decision-making , it becomes easier to integrate fear work into our spiritual development process .
Fear is closely tied to ego , because fear is often one of the ways ego speaks . Caving in to either of these forces has remarkable power to block our psychic development , while working with both has an even greater power to propel us forward . Our human experience with both ego and fear dictates the level of spiritual connection we can attain . It ’ s up to each of us , therefore , to figure out our own way to work with fear .
Why Work with Fear ?
Some years ago , at a time when I was feeling a lot of fear , a vision appeared during my meditation .
I was working with the Temple meditation , which has been so helpful along my journey . In my visualization , I prepared to enter my temple . One of my guides , however , had other plans . He took me to a long corridor filled with doors . Then he opened one of them to show me what was on the other side .
As the door swung open , I saw two big black rats . I am afraid of rats to begin with , but these two were particularly horrifying and carried a dark energy . They were fighting each other , scratching and biting as they squealed , a mess of tails and claws and teeth . They paid no attention to me , and I watched them , transfixed and disgusted , until my guide closed the door .
At the end of the corridor there was a council room . I went in there and began speaking with my guides , asking them to explain . They showed me my own memory of the rats and told me that because I am afraid of rats , the rats had a lesson to teach me about fear . Then my guides asked me to imagine putting a piece of food on my hand and offering it to the rats as they fought . I imagined myself doing this and saw that if I fed them , they would stop fighting each other . They would move closer and closer to me to eat and become stronger with each bite . But if I left them alone , they would just continue to fight without me .
My guides explained that in most circumstances , fear is best left to fight itself . It would rather hang out with other fear . Everything changes if we offer to feed our fear , though . It ’ s up to us to refuse to give our fear-rats food .
I ’ ve thought of this vision often . I love that my guides thought to show me my own accountability in working with fear , and I feel compelled to share it with you , too . Fear is an opportunity — an opportunity to go deeper on the path and be accountable for what ’ s ours — or an excuse to run away and hide . I know what I choose . In seeing it as an opportunity , especially with this vision of the rats guiding me , I can be accountable for what ’ s mine without falling prey to the ego voice that says I should be accountable for all of it . In other words , the rats have nothing to do with me . I didn ’ t create them or make them fight — they were doing that behind the door before I ever showed up . The food , though , and the decision to offer it , is completely within my realm of influence .
This vision didn ’ t come to me by accident . As I mentioned , it was a particularly fearful time in my life . I was up against fear of failure