Cultivating Courage; Finding Strength to Face Your Fears!
The sanskrit word for courage is known as, SAURYA, which also has the same root as the sanskrit word for SUN. In essences, our Sun Heart represents the center of our being; our own solar system. I like to think of courage being created right here in the center of our being; our heart space. And through this courage we find new ways to cultivate joy.
Finding courage requires understanding the two separate forms of courage; the raw version and the ripe version.
The Raw version of Courage is based on emotions that are fueled by anger, fear, or desires. Raw courage may be related to the type of courage that emerges when a quick decision, or action is needed; such as finding yourself in an argument. Or perhaps this courage comes from asking a friend on a date, jumping off of a cliff into water, or taking your first ride on a bicycle through the mountains. This courage is a necessity to help fuel our bodies in certain situations and to keep us from a slippery slope of emotional turbulence. But does raw courage give us the strength to understand our emotional responses during ALL situations without feeling attached to the outcome? Or is raw courage providing us a way to temporarily mask fears?
Photo by: Bailey Aro
F.E.A.R.
Fear can be read as False Evidence Appearing Real.
To see fear as ‘false evidence appearing real’ we learn to connect to the prana (breath ) to help anchor down the body, to slow down and to keep us steady as we begin to ride the waves of our feelings; finding the courage to experience these emotions for what they are in this moment --to analyze without judgment, without expectations, and without fear.
Photo by: Joella Erin
The Ripe Courage appears when we are able to surrender to both fear of losing and the desire to win. We step into our mind on a deeper level and act for the sake of action, because we listen to our gut feeling, we know it is right. Our mind is quiet, our ego has left, and we have settled inward to a world where there is no fear, no anger, no sadness, no expectations. True courage exist through acknowledging and surrendering to these emotions by learning to trust in the process through inner experience and spiritual maturity.
As it sounds, this process is not easy and requires true discipline, wisdom, and presence to move forward.
Joseph Campbell once said,
“ The cave you most fear to enter holds the treasure that you seek.”
We know fear can be false evidence appearing real. If it’s fear out of failure, or fear of rejection, or fear of any sort, take a moment to step back and rewire the way these thoughts enter your mind through teaching yourself to view life from a different perspective, from a place of courage, strength, and bravery; from your Sun Heart, your entire being, your true self.
xo,
JEM
