Fear and Optimism

I am generally an optimist — I look for the positive in people and events around me and tend to stay away from making dire predictions. Its part and parcel of being a witch, I know how my thoughts can influence outcomes.

But at times I can’t keep the optimism going, and there are some things going on right now that make me worry whether things will be as they are in my life this time next year. I’m doing what I can, I’m sending out the energy, but the key element is (as always) that the Deity sees further and more clearly than I — and so my life may be dreadfully shaken up and radically altered in support of that vision, rather than my own.

This is what I woke up thinking this morning. And today’s ‘daily meditation’ for the class was “Letting Go of Fear” by Melody Beattie:

Picture yourself swimming floating – peacefully down a gentle stream. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow.

Suddenly, you become conscious of your situation. Frightened, overwhelmed with “what ifs”? your body tenses. You begin to thrash around, frantically looking for something to grab on to.

You panic so hard you start to go under. Then you remember – you?re working too hard at this. You dont need to panic. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow. You won?t drown.

Panic is our great enemy.

We dont need to become desperate. If overwhelming problems appear in our life, we need to stop struggling. We can tread water for a bit, until our equilibrium returns. Then we can go back to floating peacefully down the gentle stream. It is our stream. It is a safe stream. Our course has been charted. All is well.

Today, I will relax, breathe, and go with the flow.

From “The Language of Letting Go” by Melody Beattie
1990, Hazelden Foundation.

Having written this out I realize that the answer is contained in my very words: the Deity sees further and more clearly. Anything that happens to me, anything outside of my direct control, is for the best. Ultimately, and in the end, but it is for the best. I have faith in that, I have proof of it (based on past events).

So, I may still worry a bit, but now it is just ‘how is it going to turn out?’ not ‘what is going to happen?’

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