Transform Fear into Wisdom
According to ancient Daoism our challenging emotions can be transformed into wisdom!
It's not as hard as we might think! According to this yogic tradition, each emotion is an expression of an "element" - a type of movement of somatic energy. When this movement of energy shows up as an unpleasant emotion, it can be very uncomfortable, but there's actually nothing wrong with the element.
Our emotions are literally energy in motion. They exist as a way for our body to communicate with our mind, in order to get our essential human needs met. The problem is that we can clamp down on, exaggerate , or just get confused about our emotions, and this can spiral into something very overwhelming that makes it harder to get our needs met.
The yogic secret is that the elemental movements of energy exist on a continuum. On one end are the most unpleasant versions of our emotions, but on the other end are very powerful states they referred to as Virtues. With fear, it's said to be an expression of the Water element, and the other side of that is the virtue of Wisdom.
How are fear and wisdom connected? Via alert stillness. Think of a time perhaps when you were in your home late at night and you thought you heard a noise outside. You may have noticed that all the mental chatter silences for a second while you are listening very intently. Your breath might even get subtle and your body quite still.
While in this example, this state of the mind and body is brought on by being startled or afraid, it very deeply resembles the state of mind and body of someone in deep meditation! There are even stories of Zen and Yogic masters jumping out and scaring their students - then telling them to witness their mind in that heightened state!
We don't have to hire a guru to hide on our path and startle us in order to utilize this wisdom! Research shows that just knowing that this continuum of "Elemental" energy expression exists helps us take advantage of these inner forces, rather than being swamped by them. [Check out McGonigals 'The Upside of Stress' for more on this].
When you're feeling afraid, if possible, you can simply remind yourself: "this is the energy of alert stillness". And recognize that the sensations arising are attempting to prime your body and mind for optimum performance.
Of course, we can't always remember in the moment to recognize this elemental energy and make the shift, that's why the ancients developed yogic exercises to get us used to feeling the textures of these inner forces and transmuting them. The Deer Qigong of the famous Five Animal Frolics is one such practice. In it, you use the ancient shamanic practice of imagining yourself as a resourceful animal, and tapping into their special skill. The deer was observed to be especially alert, and could translate that alertness into great speed and bounding strength when necessary. At rest, the deer signifies a type of peaceful presence that meditative practitioners aspire toward.
As you practice the exercise above, tap into this wisdom of the deer, and feel the Water Element being expressed as alert stillness. Next time you find yourself stressed out or afraid, you'll be more likely to be able to transmute that emotional experience into WISDOM!
If you'd like to learn the complete set of five movements of the deer qigong, make sure to sign up for the Qigong for Deep Winter mini-course. The first session is now live and focuses around the full deer qigong of the Five Animal Frolics.
Happy practicing!
