LIVING FREE FROM FEAR
by the Imperator

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Life is a battle, say the ancient sages. From the cradle to the grave, we fight a mighty struggle. Often, it is a bloodless war, but it is waged against the greatest opponent of all — your own self... an enemy whose mighty arsenal includes that fearsome weapon called fear.

 

Whichever way we view it, fear is indeed a formidable foe. It is a major obstacle to finding success and happiness in the material world. Look at the lives of the most successful men, and you will find in them the conspicuous absence of fear. Look at the lives of the sorriest, saddest and most insignificant people, and you will find that they are very likely enslaved by fear. Their fear may be obvious or it may be well hidden, but it is so powerful that it prevents them from taking risks and venturing into the unknown and the uncertain. As a result, these people stay in one place all their lives. They hardly ever move forward. Most of them never even take the very FIRST STEP necessary for change or success to come into their lives. Opportunities knock at their door, but they are too timid and too afraid to take advantage of them. Is it any wonder that they are not successful in business, in love, at work, or in general, in the battle that we call life?

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Fear is a great obstacle not only in the material world, but much more so in the realm of spiritual endeavor. A person who is ruled by fear has no hopes of attaining Cosmic Consciousness. As you may know already, the spiritual path is often an uncertain and precarious one. It is hardly the place for the timid and fearful.

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So that we may not stray from our chosen path, we must learn to conquer fear. To do this, we must first understand what it is.

 

Fear manifests in many forms. Perhaps most common is the FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN.  Psychologists say that this kind of fear is only natural and logical. But if this were true, children would have greater fear than adults. They don't. Children would fearlessly rush into a dark room or jump into a swimming pool. It is only when they are told about the dangers of such actions do they become less venturesome. Adults and other so-called educated people have more fear than children do, because they know of a thousand reasons why they should be afraid and why they should not do this or that. It has been said that the higher one's education is, the more fear one has.

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Another kind of fear is FEAR OF CHANGE. Most people are afraid of change because they do not know the conditions characterizing the new or future state. If they change their job, move into a new home, or enter into a new relationship, they MIGHT be getting themselves into something that they cannot handle. Or they MIGHT be choosing something that is worse than their present circumstances. They are haunted by a ghost called MIGHT, something that does not exist but only has the potentiality of being. But their fear gives life to this ghost, until it becomes so powerful that it threatens their chances at happiness and success.

 

And then there too is FEAR OF DEATH. As students of the esoteric arts, we know we live forever, and that our soul is deathless. It is only our physical body that dies. After every so-called "death," we surely will reincarnate in another body and live another life.  Thus, there really is no reason to fear death.

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To help us conquer all forms of fear, we only need to turn to the teachings of our beloved Order. Through them, we acquire a correct understanding of the fundamental principles of life. One of these principles says that everything that happens and will happen is constructive and positive. Hence, whatever lies in our future is not something that we should be afraid of. We can be bold and brave at all times, because there really is nothing that should be feared.

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Our teachings further state that each one of us is a spark of the Divine Being. We have immense powers within us that can surmount any obstacle. When we really set our mind to it, we can accomplish anything. Thus, we must not fear failure. As the Masters say, there really is no such thing as failure... only stepping stones to a certain goal. A so-called failure tells us that something does not work, and so we must try another tactic. Hence, a failure is really a helpful pointer, or a stepping stone as we have said, along the way to success. The correct attitude toward failure is therefore not one of fear, but of determination to learn its lesson and then move on.

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Still according to our teachings, we must not fill our minds with negative thoughts of failure, fear or worry. We have said that we have immense creative powers within us.  These powers can manifest good as well as evil. When we think of evil, we give it the power to manifest. Let us then fill our minds only with good and positive thoughts. Let us refuse to entertain thoughts that are destructive, sad, or inharmonious to our best interests.

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Finally, let us take very seriously the practical exercises and meditation techniques that the Order teaches us. When we sit down to perform these, they become powerful weapons that we can use to conquer any fear and achieve any dream. They stimulate the inner Self, or the Master Within, so that it can come to the fore and direct our actions with its infallible wisdom. When this happens, we truly become the master of our destiny and victor in the battle called life.