Welcome to the current series of Posts from Your Archives… and I will be picking two posts from the blogs of those participating from the first six months of 2020. If you don’t mind me rifling through your archives… just let me know in the comments or you can find out the full scope: Posts from Your Archives – Pot Luck – 2020
This is the first post from author Sue Vincent and is from The Silent Eye website, on the subject of an instinctive reaction in the body to the unknown or perceived danger.
Fear – The predator within by Sue Vincent
“Don’t worry…” “It’s probably nothing…” “I’m probably just being daft but…” How often do we hear words like these, keeping a bright smile firmly glued to immobile faces as fear strides in and starts clawing at our entrails? We recognise fear at those moments, we know its name. It is uncompromising, blatant, uncaring of our fragile mask of polite pretence. We want to act, do something… yet nine times out of ten we are shackled by circumstance, powerless to do anything at all except sit and wait, hoping, praying that the fear is groundless.
There are the fears we call worry that stalk us, like feline predators, silent and sure footed, circling ever closer while we are frozen, eyes locked on those of the beast, waiting for attrition to render us helpless, prey to our own imaginings and anticipation.
Sometimes it feels like we are being slowly gnawed, nibbled away from the ground up while we are chained in a dungeon of other fears… all our attention on the teeth that bite, not seeing that the chains we believe hold us are illusions, wisps of smoke born of unnamed terrors we refuse to look at.
Fear, in all its guises, is a dreadful thing to feel.
Of course, it has its uses. Fear was a very early part of our evolution and served to keep us alive in a hostile world. It still does… though we may not be running from a sabre-toothed tiger, we are beset by physical dangers we barely even notice, being so conditioned to care by our fears at an early age. We don’t consciously fear crossing a quiet, village road… but we still check for the truck that could squash us.
We are very conscious of the ‘big’ fears… and are acutely aware of those which are ‘lesser’, though they may not feel that way when they have you in their grip. They do not have to be reasonable to be painful and punishing. Anyone who saw Jaws when it first came out will probably have thought twice about sea bathing regardless of the fact that the chances of being a victim of a shark attack are one in 11.5 million, whereas one in ten thousand will die of flu, which we regard as a misery rather than a danger.
Fear can be useful in keeping us alive. It is, after all, what evolution designed it to do…protect us from danger. With our complicated lives, however, those primal fears have mutated and gone underground, taking us by stealth like an assassin in the darkness of our minds and emotions; silent, deadly and with little warning or chance of escape. We are conditioned by our own inner ninja.
These fears are more insidious, very difficult to pin down and understand; elusive shape-shifters that are so good at changing their outward appearance that they can be as difficult to see as the wind… we see them only by their effects, when they ruffle our branches or slam our doors. They clothe themselves in other guises, pretending to be things they are not… a fear of flying that is more likely the fear of crashing, a fear of dentists that may be the dread of pain, helpless at the hands of another… and they are just the simple ones.
What of the fear of death? Do we fear death itself… or what might come after? Is it the fear of hellfire, or the loss of our own identity… the ‘who will I be if I am not I’? The fear of commitment that may be the fear of losing control… or of being left alone again. The loss of status, things acquired that show who and what we are… yet mask the true fear that we are not. The layers of fear are so intertwined with our individual experience that they may be impossible for another to unravel completely, triggered as they are by unique combinations of events and experiences. Rather like making a cake. The same basic ingredients, varied infinitely by proportion, skill and the inclusion of flavourings.
It is said there are only five basic fears: extinction, loss of autonomy, separation, mutilation and ego-death… and that all can be attributed to one or the other, or a combination of these. When you think about it, in spite of our seeming multitude of fears, they all fit within these frames. The thing is, we seldom do really think about our fears, we react to them, allowing them to lead us blindly, often preferring to accept the apparent fear than to look beyond to the true root cause. In their purely physical terms they are easily understood, justifiable in the evolutionary attempt to secure survival. Yet they are far more insidious at the emotional levels.
Extinction… worse than just dying; ceasing to be. It is, from the level of our consciousness, unthinkable. Autonomy… powerlessness… to be restricted, subject to the will of a force beyond our control. Separation… utter aloneness, abandonment, exclusion… no longer a person. Mutilation… the loss of self-image through physical, emotional or social damage. Ego death… shame, dissolution of the image we build for and of ourselves… leaving us unfit, unworthy, unloved. These fears, unrecognised, unseen, affect almost every corner of our lives, shaping our actions and interactions.
When you look at them from this angle, all the emotional fears lead back to one thing… the way we see ourselves. Yet, just as the fear that makes us run from a predator can save our lives, or pain alert us to a potential problem that needs to be addressed, so can these quiet, insidious fears be used to show a way forward. Our fears may stop us falling off a cliff top, but they may also hold us back when adventure beckons. Every good sword has two edges.
Our fears give us something to learn from. They are signposts that we can read, following their trail and finding their lair. As with many things the fear itself may be far more intimidating than the cause, bigger in appearance than in actuality. A mouse wearing giant boots and leaving a false trail. Finding the mouse can be the beginning of an adventure, a voyage of discovery. Unravelling the tangled web we may face our fears, one by one, measuring ourselves against mouse or monster, and finally learning to see who we really are… and who we might become.
©Sue Vincent 2020
Sue Vincent is a Yorkshire born writer, esoteric teacher and Director of The Silent Eye. She has been immersed in the Mysteries all her life. Sue maintains a popular blog and is co-author of The Mystical Hexagram with Dr G.M.Vasey. Sue lives in Buckinghamshire, having been stranded there some years ago due to an accident with a blindfold, a pin and a map. She has a lasting love-affair with the landscape of Albion, the hidden country of the heart. She is currently owned by a small dog who also writes at scvincent.com.
The Silent Eye School of Consciousness is a modern Mystery School that seeks to allow its students to find the inherent magic in living and being. With students around the world the School offers a fully supervised and practical correspondence course that explores the self through guided inner journeys and daily exercises. It also offers workshops that combine sacred drama, lectures and informal gatherings to bring the teachings to life in a vivid and exciting format. The Silent Eye operates on a not-for-profit basis. Full details of the School may be found on the official website, The Silent Eye
Please visit Amazon to view all Sue’s books and those written with Stuart France.
A recent review for Mr. Fox The Legend
I purchased the hard copy of this graphic novel and I was very pleased that I did. The artwork is very visually appealing and really adds to the enjoyment of this intriguing and mysterious story.
I was not familiar with the legend of Mister Fox or the dance which tells his story until I read this book. I was intrigued by the story of the crow that hatched a devious plan to steal the sun from old man fox who cared for it. The way in which the crow tricks old man fox and his vixen daughter reminded me of other myths and legends I have read, in particular, Brer Rabbit, which was a great favourite of mine when I was a girl.
Of course, as with all good tales, the crow gets caught and punished and is doomed to spend his life trapped in time, where he is cast by old man fox and his fox troupe, and surrounded by “seven leaping tongues of flame.”
The next part of the book tells the tale of how the story of Mr Fox came to in Yorkshire and associated with certain sports and revelries which have survived over the years.
According to this book, the fox dance is still performed on the night of the Hunter’s Moon in a secretive and mysterious way. The identities of the dancers are also a secret and only known within the dance troupe.
An informative, entertaining and beautifully illustrated graphic novel.
Fear as predator. That couldn’t be more true. Excellent, Sue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree Jacqui.. xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Jacqui.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the mental image!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Those five fears are well identified, Sue. It is true that fear underlies most negative human behaviour.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very true Robbie.. unfortunately..xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
But fear can also be the spur that turns uus towards positive behaviour too.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Perhaps, Sue, so long as it is genuine positive behaviour.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely, Robbie. And we can be very good at fooling ourselves on that score.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much for sharing this post, Sally. Fear seems all to prevalent at the moment. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought it was something that most of us could relate to. A great deal of our current fear is down to receiving so many mixed messages from those who we hope know what they are doing…xx
LikeLike
I agree, Sally. Even the worst situations are easier to face when you have accurate information. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really enjoyed reading Sue Vincent’s article on fear. It is something we all face during the course of our lives. But we don’t usually think about it, only experience it and hope and wait for it to pass. We are too busy wondering what to cook for dinner. I remember reading about monks who had to spend time contemplating death as part of their training . I suppose the only time we think about death is when we are ill ourselves, or when someone close to us dies.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do think it is useful to actively acknowledge our own mortality… for every birth will, eventually, lead to a death. It makes each day a gift…even the days that seem none too good 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Elizabeth. There are different kind of fears and external influencers who like to use it as a form of control. It can be tough to be brave in the face of some perceived threats. But you are right.. life requires our attention too and that does help. x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fear seems to be the daily dose meted out by those who should know better. Great discussion Sue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, John. Fear is a perfect weapon for those seeking to divide and control.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree, Sue.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Very much so John..hugsx
LikeLiked by 1 person
What is wrong with those idiots anyway?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Totally lacking in empathy and only focused on their own well being and ambition. x
LikeLike
Excellent post from Sue. So true how fear directs us to do sometimes some regrettable things. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
It gets us all sometimes. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
True dat! xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree Debby ♥♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
A very timely post as we all become swept up by current fears, fed my misinformation. And I have to face up to my fear of the dentist as a piece of tooth has broken off – and it’s at the front. My fear is that the dentist can do nothing, as they are not allowed to drill, but pull it out. Is it the thought of having a very noticeable gap and so the fear is nothing more than vanity?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m in a similar situation with a tooth, Mary… so you have my sympathies.
LikeLiked by 2 people
So sorry Mary.. however I would imagine that if they cannot build the tooth up they have other options rather than extraction. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
It seems not under the current Covid rules, Sally. My niece also had a problem with a filling coming out. When she called the dentist she was told unless she had toothache she couldn’t have an appointment – if she did have toothache they would see her and extract the tooth. The toothache started the next day. She ended up, after trying all the usual remedies, taking Tramadol which had been prescribed for her dog after surgery!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I really don’t understand Mary since dentists should be masked and gowned when dealing with patients and by extracting the tooth they are still being invasive. Also frontline nurses and doctors have been dealing with a great deal more bodily fluids. Some of our Irish dentists are still offering full service so perhaps a quick trip across to Dublin and spend 14 days relaxing in a hotel! xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
A fantastic article, Sue and Sally – and leaving fear behind can be the beginning of a wonderful adventure. Toni x
LikeLiked by 1 person
With you there Toni..some of my leaps of faith have been based on that belief..xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed it can, though we never seem to come to the end of that particular list 😉
Thank you, Toni.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I remember having to take a speech class in high school. The instructor told us that public speaking was Americans’ number one fear.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anything public…apart from dancing… was always top of my list, Pete. Odd how life steers you to where you have to face these things 😉
LikeLiked by 2 people
It can be daunting.,.I think it might have been overtaken by a couple of other fears currently..x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well written, Sue! As one who suffers from PTSD, I know about fear and your article is a well articulated and logical explanation. Thank you for sharing, Sally.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Mark and Sue created a thoughtful post that many have related to. x
LikeLiked by 1 person
I still have problems with PTSD, Mark, so I havesome idea of how it can feel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was an excellent and insightful discussion, Sue. Fear can move us in many directions. Thanks for posting, Sally.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Jennie.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You’re welcome, Sue.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks John..xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives -#NewSeries August 2020- Pot Luck – #Fear – The predator within by Sue Vincent | Sue Vincent's Daily Echo
Reblogged this on Campbells World.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Patty 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for sharing Patty..
LikeLike
Pingback: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round Up – 26th July – August 1st 2020 – Positive news, #Author Spotlight, Music, Short stories, Guest Bloggers, Health, Humour and Book Reviews | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine
I’m not sure if I’m participating, but if I am, you’re welcome to use anything from my archives.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Abbie for the invite…I have put you on the list and it will be September. I will send you a link when I schedule.. take care Sally.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Sally. I’m looking forward to seeing which post you pick. Have a great day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great Abbie..enjoy your week.
LikeLiked by 1 person