Tag Archives: CSL

17 Practices to Transcend Fear

by Gregory Toole

Fear remains a prevalent part of the human experience, inhibiting or derailing the fulfillment of many heart-felt dreams and intentions. What can we do to transcend fear? Here are some practices that may support you in transcending fear.

  1. Recognize that the feeling of fear is natural when you’re trying something new or on the edge of your comfort zone.
  2. Be aware that fear is primarily a feeling or sensation in the body and that you still have choice about your actions.
  3. Journal about what specifically you are afraid of and ask yourself, objectively, whether there’s anything to actually fear? (If the answer is yes, take steps to address those concerns.)
  4. Put your attention and energy on what you want to happen rather than what you fear will happen. (What we put our
    attention on expands).
  5. Take steps every day (no matter how small) that move you toward your desired outcome. With every step you take,
    the feeling of fear will subside, even if only little by little. Fear breeds in the imagination; bringing reality to it diminishes
    it.
  6. Let go of any idea that you are doing it all yourself. You are the vehicle for an infinite intelligence, power, and creativity.
  7. Let go of responsibility for outcomes. Your role is to take the divinely guided actions and you ultimately have little control over how others receive or respond to them.
  8. Let go of the idea that you need to get it right the first time. Allow yourself to enjoy the creative process.
  9. Spend time in meditation daily, listening for divine inspiration, and follow it in faith and trust.
  10. Stay centered in love and gratitude. It is impossible for fear to live there.
  11. Let everything you do be guided by love. If it’s not from an intention of love and offering love to the world, don’t do it.
  12. Let go of the need to personally accomplish anything. Let your only goal and intention be to fulfill the vision of your higher self, your divine destiny, or your soul’s highest calling.
  13. When fear comes up, don’t push it down. Keep breathing, fully feel it, and let it be your teacher. What is it telling you
    about how you look at life?
  14. Be on divine timing, not your own human timing. When divine inspiration or perfect opportunities show up, know that
    it’s the right time for them, even if it’s inconvenient personally.
  15. Treat each day as a new day. What you couldn’t do yesterday you may be able to do today. What was confusing
    yesterday may be clear today.
  16. When feeling overwhelmed, take baby steps. Any step that moves you in the direction of your vision is progress.
    Every time you do something you were previously afraid to do you dissipate the illusions of fear.
  17. Be in it for the long haul. Don’t give up at the first setback.

Do Mytics Age?

by Gregory Toole

As I am now unquestionably a part of what the world refers to as “middle-aged,” I come to the place where changes in my physical body meet the principles of New Thought metaphysical teachings. In my 20s and 30s, one of my mantras had been “mind over matter.” Later, that mantra changed to reflect a more holistic view of spirit, mind, and body as an integral wholeness reflecting the degree to which I aligned with a vibration of well-being.

All of my favorite professional athletes, in every sport I follow, eventually retire, realizing they are no longer able to perform at the highest levels in comparison to younger athletes. Most of the top athletes in all major sports are now young enough for me to be their parent. In fact, now I am older than a good many of the coaches. All of this does lead me to reflect on my personal status as an athlete, or even as one whose body is still optimally healthy.

A couple years ago, I played basketball with some teenagers and one of them said to his teammate, referring to me, “You cover the old guy.” Of course, given the age difference, I couldn’t really be offended, yet it was a reminder that my status as an athlete had changed over the years.

In 2007, I went to a book launch in San Francisco for the great yoga master, BKS Iyengar, one of my spiritual teachers (by way of his writings). At 89 years old, the benefits of his yoga practice were evident in how well he looked physically, and yet, as we might expect, he did look different than he did in photos of him in yoga poses at a much younger age.

It is true that the body does change with age, and it is also true that the principles of metaphysics still apply at every age. Alignment of spirit, mind and body has tremendous healing power. My alignment of body, mind, and spirit is still serving me quite well. The state of each of these aspects of our being really do affect each other. This is not a sequential proposition. It is in taking care of each of these aspects of our being that we take care of all three of these aspects of our being. Neglecting any one of them is neglecting the others.

We take care of our spirit by living our lives in the vibration of love, wholeness, and harmony. We take care of our mind by keeping it engaged and active. We take care of our bodies through movement, stretching, eating well, and getting proper rest. Through mindful (aware/awake/conscious) engagement, we may find ways to take care of all three at the same time, such as through the practice of yoga or through otherwise mindfully engaging our spirit, mind, and body simultaneously.

Even for mystics and practitioners of metaphysical spiritual principles, the body still changes. However, the difference is that when we align spirit, mind, and body, through regular practice, we are attentive to what each aspect – spirit, mind, and body – needs at each stage of life so that we may continue to be healthy and vibrant, while not necessarily the same as we were at previous ages.

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