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As we begin to look at our lives and sense this fear body
these habits of fight/flight, we realize they take us away from home
they take us away from what we love.
And the blessing of this path is that we have
this capacity to deepen our attention;
we have this capacity to pause and choose to attend and choose to befriend.
And in those moments, we actually wake up from that identity of a separate self
a 'them', a person that's one 'I'm here, you're out there' and there is a sense
of the belonging for which we long; we open to that belonging.
When we're caught in the fear body, we're cut off;
this practice, this path, is about reconnecting.
So just taking these moments, if you will
connect with whatever experience is right here
and if there's any place of vulnerability that's
in your body or your heart, anything going on in your life right now, you can
allow yourself to bring that into awareness
anything that's bringing up stress, fear, reaction
so letting these moments be ones where you just identify or notice
'okay, so this is where I get caught, this is where, in some way, the fear body
begins to get more solid, more active
this is where I shrink, in a way, and pull away from life
get busy, get judgmental
in some way lose contact
and for now, simply notice that; sense your intention
to pause, to attend and befriend
your intention to intend and befriend
and for now, you might just feel where that stress lives in your body, if you're able
you might acknowledge the kind of thoughts that go on when you're caught in it
when you're caught in fear thinking, just sense
'okay, so what's it really like in my body right now?'
and if you'd like to put your hand on your heart,
as we did earlier, even put one hand on your belly,
just to feel what is going on in your body
when there's some stress, so you breathe in and you just feel it there
and you breathe out and just sense softening, caring, space,
breathing in and touching where the rawness is
breathing out and sensing the space of care that can hold it
this is an honest, kind presence.
Now as you breathe and as you feel the fear body
with presence you can begin to sense that
that presence is more who you truly are
just this place of awareness, of tenderness
than any of the stories of self.
Hafiz writes, the poet Hafiz writes,
'How did the rose ever open its heart
and give to this world all its beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light against its being.
Otherwise we all remain too frightened.'
So, in a very simple way, we're learning to offer
the light and warmth of our own awareness
to the fear body.
Sensing in your mind the possibility that whenever fear arises
that there's a little more of you that can notice 'oh, okay,
this is the possibility to pause
to attend to befriend.'
So we close with a metta,
loving-kindness practice, just this simple wish,
this prayer for our own being
that we may come home to who we really are
to live in that place of belonging, of awareness, of love,
that the fear, like a wave in the ocean,
can be there, but not define us.
This recognition that, when you know you're the ocean,
you're not afraid of the waves.
And we can hold that same wish for all beings everywhere
that all beings may face fear with presence
may discover that loving awareness
that can hold this living, dying world.
May we live from love,
may our lives be an expression of love,
may all beings awaken and be free.
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