  Spiritual
This week: Terrified Edited by: Sophy New Year  
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Hi, I'm Sophy New Year ~ your editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter.
The Rev. Scotty McLennan, author of the book Finding Your Religion, compares humanity's innate need for spiritual searching to climbing a mountain. In his view, we are all endeavoring to climb the same figurative mountain in our search for the divine, we just may take different ways to get there. In other words, there is one "God," but many paths. I honor whatever path or paths you have chosen to climb that mountain in your quest for the Sacred.  |
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Terrified
“One day while in solitary retreat [the great Tibetan poet-yogi] Milarepa went to gather firewood, and when he came back there were demons in his cave. He shouted at them to go away. He tried everything he knew to scare them, and some of them left. But one of the demons wouldn’t leave. He threw sticks at it and tried magic spells. Nothing worked. Finally Milarepa said, ‘Okay, make yourself at home! Let’s sit down. We’ll talk about the teachings. Make yourself comfortable, and have some nettle soup!’ And the demon disappeared. Milarepa sang the demon a parting song, which you can write on a piece of paper and use as a slogan for yourself. ‘With compassion, I overcome the demons. All blame I scatter to the winds!’ This is what we learn to do with our fear. ‘Tell me about yourself. I’m genuinely interested. You’ve come a long way to find me. Have some soup!’ (An Excerpt from Awake Mind, Open Heart: The Power of Courage and Dignity in Everyday Life by Cynthia Kneen)
Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones. (Thich Nhat Hanh)
We all have things we are afraid of – both personally and shared as a community or nation. I was afraid most recently during two hospital stays, especially during the first trip to emergency room – terrified of what might be wrong with me, of what the diagnosis might be and how it might be treated, assuming it could be treated. I cried in the ER cubicle, begging poor Mr. Sophy to take me home and not make me stay there after two failed attempts to get an IV started and one painful blood draw. In those moments my fears overwhelmed me so much I just wanted to escape and leave the hospital, even though to do so would have been dangerous for my health. But I was scared, hysterical even – irrational and not in my right mind. Thank goodness for Mr. Sophy’s patient yet firm demeanor, and the kindness of the ER staff. Later, in my nice room with my caring nurses, I calmed down and accepted the treatment with gratitude – and yes, there were still moments when I was alone in my room, in the dark of night, unable to sleep or having been recently awakened for another blood draw or a vitals check, when I let my imagination run away with me about the “what ifs.” Fortunately I was able to chase most of them away, like the demons in Milarepa’s cave.
But some fears are not so easily dispatched, especially if they are pushed into your face every moment of every day. If you turn on any American news channel in recent weeks, you might start to believe that very soon you will catch Ebola from an ISIS terrorist who entered the country illegally as part of an invasion of Central American children entering from Mexico. And I am not just talking about Fox News – CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS – all of them are guilty of extreme fear mongering as they split their reports between Ebola and ISIS, with a break more recently to cover US Mid-term elections, which has created more fears by those who were not on the "winning side" of the election.
So what can we do with these fears – either or own or those embodied in our culture? Certainly fear can serve an important purpose. We sense a threat. Adrenaline rushes through our body, bringing blood to muscles, enabling us to respond physically with speed and strength. Our primitive instincts protect us from potential threats by creating distance or mounting a counterattack. From an evolutionary standpoint, fear is a very healthy, adaptive state of mind, a very successful survival mechanism. People who are appropriately wary are more likely to live longer and pass their genes on to the next generation and leave a contribution for the greater good because of it. A pack of wild animals about to attack a village is scary – so people hide their vulnerable members safely out of their reach, and then light torches and face them, weapons at the ready. Conversely, people who are not afraid or wary when there is a realistic danger are less likely to survive and pass on their genes to the next generation. All of that is to say that wariness is probably a more valuable state of mind than actual fear. Being wary, being on alert – looking both ways before crossing the street, taking seriously a sign to “beware of dog” – being appropriately cautious serves us well. Pulling our kids out of school because their teacher visited a country in Africa not even touched by Ebola does not.
Fear not. God said it to the reluctant Hebrew prophets who were always charged with speaking truth to power. Be not afraid. The angels said it to Mary who was poor, unmarried and informed — by angels — that she was chosen to raise the raise the messiah. Fear not. Jesus said it to his followers, most of whom were rightfully terrified about the looming violence of the Roman Empire. “Fear not” doesn’t mean everything will be alright. Everything may not be alright. There has never been a time when everything is alright. There are always some realistic threats and there will always be people looking to stoke our fears for their own political of financial ends. “Be not afraid” means that living in perpetual unrealistic fear is not a good way to live. “Fear not” doesn’t mean God will swoop down and save us, it means we need to stop wasting time and making things more difficult by trying to protect ourselves from bogeymen who are not there.
Which brings me back to the story with which I started. How did the Tibetan yogi get rid of the demons in his cave? He acknowledged them. He engaged them. He examined them, and they disappeared for having been discovered to have no substance. He sang the demon a parting song, which he invited us to write on a piece of paper and use as a slogan for ourselves. ‘With compassion, I overcome the demons. All blame I scatter to the winds!’ This is what we learn to do with our fear. ‘Tell me about yourself. I’m genuinely interested. You’ve come a long way to find me. Have some soup!’
What are you afraid of? Does your fear increase your chances of survival? Is your fear expensive – costing time or money that might have been spent on opportunities? Are there fears that seem to serve you well, and others that, upon reflection, might prove to be aiding someone else’s agenda? Use these questions as a prompt for writing something new about fear ...
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Now for some comments about my last newsletter "Spiritual Newsletter (October 15, 2014)" about "The Power of Myth:"
From Quick-Quill 
Pssst-You might want to use "Legendary" instead of mythological when referring to any Biblical character. As you can see many of us believe the Bible to be a true work of history, and is corroborated by the Jewish historian Josephus. Legends are based on truth that may be distorted or exaggerated over time. When using this word it gives a nod the believers and passifies the non-believer. I hope this helps.
Spiritual definitely does not denote -CHRISTIAN There are many self-professed "spirituals" that don't fall under anything Chist-like. I love reading your take on things. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the comment and the kind words. I like the word myth and see no negative connotations associated with it, though I know others don't perceive it the way I do.
    
From Katya the Poet 
I'm just now reading the biography of Joseph Campbell, and I have already read Myths to Live By and The Hero with a Thousand Faces. I get you!
JC rocks! 
From Teerich - 2019 
I thoroughly enjoy these newsletters, and find your to be particularly thought provoking. After reading the remarks above, I went back to your previous newsletter to refresh my memory, as I had not thought anything in it was in the least offensive, in view of the wider definition of 'myth'. I commend you on your sensitivity to those people who demurred at the word 'mythological'. You magnanimous response in removing the word is an example to us all.
Awww - thanks so much!
From Lizzibear
I would agree that the word 'myth' is not a bad word. Normally I hear it in reference to ancient societies and their beliefs, or with regard to character building in stories, movies, etc. However, people are trying to use it to incite anger among groups, like Christians for example. They’re using the word on purpose to belittle someone else’s beliefs, and with that they make it a bad word. For someone like me, who is Christian, most times I will cringe when I hear the word ‘myth’ because I expect to be schooled on how my religious beliefs are nothing but foolish, crap, or any other description they use after summoning the wondrous word ‘myth’. I don’t have a problem with the word, just how it’s used in a sentence.
Yes it can be used in ways that are demeaning - that is never how I use it, however.
From: Mia - craving colour
HI Sophy - Always love your column. A great article explaining 'myth'. Love your statement: "It was never a choice between one or the other, but rather a thoughtful blending of both kinds of wisdom." And wisdom it is to hold the two in balance rather than lock ourselves in to one way of perceiving.
When belief become static rather than remaining dynamic, we create prisons for ourselves.
Well said, thank you!
Please keep your comments and suggestions coming! Until next time! Sophy New Year |
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Spiritual: November 12, 2014 Issue [#6652]
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