Where there is fear there is a lack of personal power.

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"Where there is fear there is a lack of personal power." - Niecia Nelson

I recently heard Niecia say this on a podcast, and it resonated deeply with me.

Of course. Fear arises when it feels like we don’t have agency, like we don’t have choice. When we feel like we’re stuck in a situation we don’t want to be in.

Pretty on par for how things have been feeling recently, is it not? Of course so many folks are feeling fear.

So how do we get a sense of agency back?

How do we feed our sense of personal power in the face of uncertainty and very scary possibilities looming?

I think it’s worth reflecting on these questions. Have these questions guide us, especially when fear arises. Perhaps free-write on these questions and let yourself channel the deep wisdom that lives within you.

I have thoughts about this, of course, but I also want to hear what answers bubble up from your own intuitive bodies (respond to this email if you wanna share!)

One of the biggest things for me to remember in times of fear is that fear physiologically narrows our perception.

That’s its purpose. It brings us into hyper-focus on the threat, and readies us to fight or flee, and if neither option is available, freeze or fawn.

Fear is not bad. Just like other emotions, fear wants acknowledgment. It wants understanding. And it wants to express itself. It can be hard sometimes, but often what fear and other emotions need are for us to be present with them, feel them, and tend to them and ourselves in loving ways.

And also not give them free rein to take over our thoughts.

It’s so helpful to know what your system’s go-to response is, so you can tend to your body in nervous-system-state specific ways.

Three of my go-to ways to tend my fear are movement, breathing, and touch, all with the backdrop of compassion and tenderness.

It’s much more complex than this, but in general, it can be supportive to bring movement into your body (shaking, running, punching, pushing, and faster movements for fight/flight, and more gentle, slow, tender movements to start with for freeze/fawn).

Intentional breathing (elongating the exhales for fight/flight, and bringing in long, robust breaths for freeze/fawn) is something simple and always available to us regardless of the situation.

And being with another human, animal, or the earth (physical touch) can help us remember that we're not alone, and that there's more to the landscape than what feels threatening. It brings you into the present moment and (hopefully) into a sense of safety in your immediate surroundings.

This is a big first step in remembering that you are held by something bigger than yourself. And with this remembrance, you invite in more possibility.

There's the possibility to remember that there’s so much good and love in the world. And there's space for you to remember that you have impact, and discern where and how you use your precious attention and focus.

All of this becomes available when we widen the narrow field of vision that fear instills.

And it is here where we enhance our agency and personal power.

I know it may seem like a luxury to spend time with the Sacred right now, or how your soul intermingles with the spiritual layers of life. And yet, I’d argue this is one of the most important things we can do.

This is a huge part of how we are going to retrieve our personal power, out of the hands of corporate and political greed, and into the ground to tend the seeds of creation, beauty, reciprocity, and justice.

It is a huge part of how we listen to our Deep Selves, who are in constant communication with the forces of earth and life. Our Deep Selves who have the answers for us in how to uniquely show up, where and when to act, how to tend and nurture the more delicate parts of life.

This is so important.

We have to weave the spiritual, the animacy of Earth, the living world, into solutions for our future. We cannot leave this out, or we'll perpetuate the same broken systems we're hoping to fix.

In order to do this we have to practice listening. We have to invite it in. We have to allow Love to work through us. Allow the Sacred to teach us and inform our way forward.

This is why I'm called to offer Infusing the Sacred Into Your Life again this year. Because we need this now, more than ever.

And every day, every month, every year forward, it'll still be true that we need this now, more than ever. Because things aren't going to get easier for a while. This is something we need to infuse into our lives NOW to support us through the rough days ahead.

If you want to practice widening your lens of perception, and listening to the spiritual aspects of life, I invite you to come join me for 4 live calls, and 3 weeks of exploratory practices, meditations, and ceremonies.

We begin on Wednesday, on the Imbolc new moon.

I will hold a container for you to explore what sacred means to you, and how to invite it more deeply into your life.

This is a container to practice opening yourself up to the true magical nature of life, and invite in its wisdom into these uncertain times.