The film “Harmony” inspired me to write this article.
Despite its “unrealistic” plot, this movie contains deep symbolism and parallels for those on a spiritual path of self-discovery and finding their place in this new world, which is changing before our eyes along with us.
We all wonder how to fill our lives with love and… banish fear.
Trying to solve this problem, we put in a lot of effort, learn, read, and apply practices to let in more light, more love… And we so want to hold onto this state of inner harmony, fullness, and beauty.
But this state is hard to hold onto, and even harder to maintain. Why? What is harmony really about, and what is the main function of fear? Let’s search for answers to these questions together.
Why the Balance Between Love and Fear Matters
Before you are scales with two pans: one holds love, and the other holds fear. It turns out that harmony is achieved not by excluding one with the other, but by one complementing the other. The scales must be balanced.
To achieve balance, we need both love and fear in equal measure. The line between these pans of opposites is very thin, and it’s very easy to tip the scales one way or the other.
Often, the pan with fear clearly outweighs the other, and the more we try to throw off the ballast, the denser and heavier it becomes…
Go through the meditation “Beyond Duality,” where you will walk along the steps, dream collectively, replacing what irritates you with its equal opposite.
Ease or the Labor of Sisyphus in Achieving Harmony
We are so afraid of being afraid, of giving in to fear, that we avoid admitting to ourselves that we feel fear, considering it “bad,” and try to brush it aside. After all, everything has to be “good.”
Meanwhile, our fear only intensifies. In this state, we try in every way to “fill” ourselves with love, but the pan with fear is so heavy that at that moment we turn into Sisyphus, rolling a heavy stone uphill.
And as a result, like Sisyphus, we fall out of the state of love time and again, disappointed, defeated, crushed. And we have to start all over again. And there still isn’t enough room for love.
How do we create and multiply love within ourselves? How do we free ourselves from fear? How do we fill our cup of love? Maybe we should change the algorithm? And start with the other pan of the scale?
We need to empty the pan of fear, and then love itself will come and take its place, leveling the balance easily, gracefully, boldly, creating harmony.
Meet Mr. Fear
To start working with fear, let’s look at the definition of this concept from Wikipedia and find out what the main function of fear is. Is it really as scary as each of us paints it to be))).
“The main functions of fear and its accompanying emotional states: signaling, protective, adaptive, exploratory.”
Ordinary fear acts as our ally and helper as we grow up; it is “short-term, reversible, disappears with age, does not deeply affect a person’s value orientations, and does not significantly influence their character, behavior, or relationships with other people.”
So experiencing fear is normal; it is an animal part of our nature wired into us that helps us physically stay alive, and at the same time develop, learn, adapt, change, and be flexible. Wow! Cool!
The “survival” function of fear was especially important in the wild, primitive world.
Nowadays, wild animals don’t attack us, so where did the animal fear go? It didn’t go anywhere; it simply transformed into our inner world.
“Fear, as a basic human emotion signaling a state of danger, depends on many external, internal, innate, or acquired causes: feelings of loneliness, rejection, a sense of impending failure, etc.”
See also Trust or Fear. What Guides You Through Life
8 Compelling Reasons to Trust Life.
Turn and Face Your Fear
Perhaps you recognized your own fears that have been living inside you for a long time, and you’ve grown together with them, pretending they don’t exist, trying not to notice them.
Meanwhile, we develop spiritually, do our practices, but somehow that volume of love doesn’t appear, especially the unconditional love that everyone around talks so much about… And I don’t feel it for some reason. How can I achieve it?
First, get to know your fear, and acknowledge that you are experiencing it. This is the first very important step. It’s where the inner ascent begins, and the Sisyphus stone gradually loses weight, and you start rolling it more and more easily.
Freeing the scale pan of fear, each time it returns, you meet it with an open gaze, without hiding your eyes, without running away or hiding from it.
With each time, its pressure grows weaker because you are always ready to meet it. It starts to get tired; it has no strength because you no longer feed it.
And then, you don’t even notice how you’ve reached the summit, and the stone has dissolved. You are free, you are breathing deeply, and a special new state fills you.
What is this? Grace? Freedom? Lightness? Why is the heart joyful? Why does the soul sing? The answer is simple – love has come to take the place of fear. It simply came without struggle or effort, to take its place and bring you into balance – harmony, when the scales are balanced.
What did I do to deserve this? Why is this happiness mine? You were just honest with yourself! You were just real! You just took action and took small steps! Long live harmony!
See also Practice for Working with Fears and Anxiety. Drawing Your Monsters