When the fear factor surrounds...

Mind what goes in your mind.

This week, I've decided to address the "Fear Factor". I have been having this conversation more than I would like to, so I thought it was a good one to share.

Let me back up and start with a story.

When we move to Tennessee, we quickly realized that guns were a thing of normalcy. They probably were in Colorado, but not like this—not just sitting there on your belt for all the world to see.

I'm a curious human, so I ask. From what I found, the reasons for carrying a gun vary, from personal protection—whether that's from other humans or animals, to family protection, to hunting, to "just because I can" carry openly here.

In fact, once we moved up to the land full time, we realized that there might not be a single neighbor without one. To the south is a former park ranger, as National Park law enforcement, packing heat was part of her job. To the east, a former US Coast Guard chief, female. Heavily armed, including semi-automatics. Up the road, a former Florida police officer. Always armed with 2, a rifle on the side-by-side, and some kind of big-bullet pistol on his belt. Down the road, former Army, I believe. This couple had so many guns. They sold a bunch before they moved here, enough to pay for a brand new truck in cash.

So, now that I've painted the picture, having Shambhala in the middle of all that, an intentional community founded in peace and unconditional love, not carrying guns means we're the odd man out, and to them, downright negligent. And to add to our stance, our guidelines currently say no hunting, so no guns for that either.

But I still won't buy into the fear.

Being this far remote, the black bear and coyotes don't have a taste for human waste, their world is abundant, open and free. I don't see either of them knocking in my door for food.

"What about the meth heads?" I've been asked.

Here's where the fear line gets gray.

I can choose to fear the random attacks (crime or violence), that are so minimal here it's unremarkable, or I can choose to trust that I am protected, Shambhala is protected, and I can sleep soundly at night with the doors locked or unlocked, it shouldn't matter.

What would Ghandi do?

This is a question I often ask myself when I feel the fear creeping in. When someone else's beliefs overpower mine.

If I carry a gun because I'm afraid of being attacked, am I not drawing that attack to me? Am I not sending out fear ripples into the world asking the universe to prove me right?

So, this is the conversation I have been having...

We must stop the fear images when they come in. One of my early teachers taught me "cancel, cancel," meaning, erase the white board of my mind from the negativity that just crept in. That helps to do the swipe with your hand in the air.

For me, this works great for any time that I catch myself speaking a negative thought—whether that's fear, self-defacing, or judgmental.

Instead of thinking, "I'm the only one without a gun so I'm going to be the target," I choose to think "I am protected." When I catch that boundary slipping, I reinforce it with "everyone else around me has guns so 'they' will think I do, too. All those new friends are just a phone call away if I needed, and my car is fast."

But, really, even when I say those last two sentences, it feels unnecessary. I feel protected, I have always felt this way. From walking around in DC at night as a teenager, to walking home from the bar at work—in Eugene OR, Glasgow Scotland, or Steamboat CO—and most recently with a global virus, I choose no fear. I am protected.

I bubble my car, and send positive vibes to troopers (who are "always going the other way"), I hug trees and invoke the elementals. I call upon my ascended masters and ancestors. I have a strong aura and I put out a strong "don't F with me vibe."

Meth heads got nuthin' on me.

So my message is:
 
Choose your reality, my friend, as if your life depends on it, and mind what you allow into your mind. Be the gatekeeper of your own positive outcomes. Only then, will you feel free.