Fear (abscence of motion)
fear.
Fear stops all forward motion. while some silence is sacred, the silence of fear is lethal. It is not silence at all.
Many years ago I was going through a painful and dangerous time in my life. My heart was torn to pieces and I had at that moment no idea which way was forward. I sought retreat in the home of an old woman, a sacred and holy woman who lived in the mountains. She granted me peace and a refuge from the rushing demands of the world. She offered me a gathering moment. On my first night there I sat in my room with my heart pounding and my head spinning. She lived in a gigantic house and was far away at the other end. Soon I heard a soft knock at the door and she wanted to know if I had any weapons. I had a small japanese sword which I gave to her. I told her I was trying to be quiet, that I did not want to disturb anyone with my problems. She told me that my silence was very loud. Later this observation became for me an important revelation. I have learned to watch the silence of others very carefully. I understand now very well what she meant that night.
If you think about what you have, you will always be able to move forward.
If you think only about what you do not have, about what is missing. you will never know which way to go.
Real safety is a light, a feeling that you can grow inside your being. If it is there, inside yourself, that is where you are safe. It is a choice you have the power to make at any moment.
The purpose of these ceremonies and meditations of the Four Directions Unity Bundles to help people. The method we use is to take you to a place where you may know and believe in yourself.
Sometimes in the sweat lodge people have strong images, visualizations. Sometimes they seem very elaborate to me. I hear about these visions when we talk after the ceremony. However, I always tell people that the one person you should hope to see clearly for a moment inside the sweat lodge is yourself.
Inside a long struggle is the fear of happiness. Fear Of Happiness. Sometimes this revelation surprises people. I have seen it acted out a thousand times, including within myself.
Fear. Not of the evil doers, of the terrorists, of those who are different, of those who have less. Fear begins in the heart inside your body and from there travels in its darkness out into the waiting world. Like a mirror you see coming towards you what you show yourself inside your dreams, inside your silence. If you believe in yourself, it is this positive force which comes back to you.
