Dissolving the Conditions of Fear

The most incredible joy you will ever experience is in relationship with others.

But you doubt that this is true.

The ‘self’ can invent all manner of experiences for which to extract an exclusive, individual sense of satisfaction and pleasure for itself. But let’s make no mistake, any solitary satisfactions are ephemeral and based in fear.

The ‘self’ was constructed through interaction and engagement with others, although you think of it exclusively as ‘you’ and, therefore, have found it easy to deny this cooperative exchange.

"I don't really fear other people," you say, "I just don't trust them very much."

Ah... and so begins your self-reliance, as if you conceived your 'self' out of thin air and thus, need not rely on anyone but yourself to transcend that which "you" made. Unfortunately, this is delusional. "They" made "you" as you made them, and neither faction will give up so easily.

Nobody leaves alone.

The ‘self-concept’ is a creature of the world and cannot exist without that correspondence. Your belief system has been constructed in direct correlation with those who share in constructing the experiences of a 'world.' Quite simply, the self looks to others as reference for its own 'self-construct,' because we share in everything (by the way, who taught you that you could "transcend" the 'self'?).

Yet, the ego-self must deny this in fear for its very 'existence.'

So get ahead, hunker down on your cushion for a long meditation in seeking self-transcendence. Is that your goal? Maybe "we" will let you transcend your 'self' (but I doubt it). Ha!

Do you really think "you" can leave without "us"?

One of the chief ingredients of every self-concept, and that which we all share equally, is fear. Relationships conditioned by fear eventually wither and die (and thus, we're constantly seeking the means of 'resurrecting' our "love" from the dead). Fear stunts growth and impedes evolving consciousness, because it demands conditions, or limits, be imposed.

An enlightened perspective is absent all fear and naturally extends from unconditioned consciousness. Fear demands conditions be fortified against fear and those conditions are what we superimpose upon our relationships (and then wonder why our relationships suck).

Deep Spirit engagement is stifled by conditions, but rarely do we engage the world, others and ourselves without conditions. Failure to engage others from Deep Spirit, causes our experiences to become desensitized, blunted and apathetic. This is why so many become numb, and immune to joy in the "declining years", as the ego’s conditions have walled off Deep Spirit engagement almost entirely, allowing only the fear of death to predominate.

Nevertheless, even engaging with others from Deep Spirit will automatically predispose one to egoic fear.

There have been times in your life when you have engaged with others from this deep well of unconditioned awareness. However, most likely the engagement was brief, as the ego quickly clamped down on the mind, imposing conditions, thereby, squelching the intense freedom within the experience. This is called 'being in the moment' and, contrary to your guru, you cannot avail it alone.

The authentic guru can facilitate an end to conditions, but if he/she cannot unconditionally reciprocate in the exchange, neither will touch the joy of unlimited freedom.

The ego-self fears Deep Spirit engagement, simply because such engagement requires absolutely nothing from an ego-self. It comes from a natural space of consciousness that identifies with no concepts and is intricately unified with others and the world.

There are very few moments in your life in which identification with your ego-self is nonexistent. However, in corresponding with Deep Spirit, dissociation from the ego is experienced and the experience is utterly intoxicating. Nevertheless, in order to engage with Deep Spirit, another 'self' is required because it cannot be accessed alone (sorry...).

Although brief, such an experience is rarely forgotten, although it can remain dormant for many years and, for some, may never again see the light of day. The brevity of the experience is associated with a fear of self-annihilation or the loss of self. Becoming unified with your experience of another, directly threatens your egoic identity and the ego-self will forcefully resist by quickly inserting conditions upon the exchange. Conditions are always the result of fear. Conditions assert an autonomous ‘self’ in opposition to other selves, all competing for control and dominance.

Very simply, two or more can agree to engage without condition and, thus, relate without fear. Such a mutual goal demands peace be the underlying foundation. The conditions of fear must always create conflict and, whether between nations or loved ones, conflict will eventually result in war.

You can come from a different place in all your relationships if you so choose. However, you must choose, otherwise the ego will always choose for you, because the ego always comes from the past.

To relate without condition is not a difficult as it would seem. Recognize that all conflict is born from conditions determined by your individual egoic fear. Simply admit this to each other and allow Deep Spirit to rise up and gradually dissolve egoic conditions.

Deep Spirit engagement is known for its excruciating honesty, since all reasons for hiding, or concealment, is dissolved, along with the fear that commands concealment. Deep Spirit, when fully realized, has no conditions whatsoever and is an experience of "perfect peace."

Between two or more 'individuals' no other experience comes close to the freedom of letting go of your conditions, or "perfect peace," in mutual engagement. It is the most natural joy one could ever encounter and many have described this ineffable feeling with the label of “enlightenment,” while others believe it a correspondence with God.