Inner · Mysteries...Sacred · Fires

The next portion of the path deals with right Effort:

Samma-Vayama — Complete or Full Effort, Energy or Vitality. Also called right effort or diligence. Consciously directing our life energy to the transformative path of creative and healing action that fosters wholeness. Conscious evolution

How does this apply to slavery? Often the temptation is to equate submission with being passive and lacking in vitality. Nothing could be further from the truth!

consider the following excerpt:

"Without effort, which is in itself an act of will, nothing can be achieved, whereas misguided effort distracts the mind from its task, and confusion will be the consequence. Mental energy is the force behind right effort; it can occur in either wholesome or unwholesome states. The same type of energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and violence can on the other side fuel self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness."**

Within the oncept of Right Effort or Full Effort there are 4 areas where i can apply effort to increase and further my service and state of enslavement in regard to my Owner. In short there are things that i can do to help me obtain the state of congruence wherein i am not struggling in my slavery but have internalized it. Often all of the work and responsiblity for this state is put at the Masters feet - And yes the role of the Master is imperative and huge- however i would submit that we slaves have a role to play in this as well, after all it is a consensual state.

what can i do?
1. i can prevent perspectives that are not conducive to my enslavement from arising within in. This becomes imperative esp. when online. One can read all sorts of things but remember everything we read is not to be applied to our Master's House.
2. i can abandon ideas i already have which are not conducive to my enslavement. This is a hard one, often we have bought into ideas and perspectives so deeply that we do not recognize them as being seperate from us, in short we have made the idea ours. In order to abandon it we must change how we feel and view it. Does it add anything to me? Does it further my growth? Does it have merit?
3. i can arouse (or cause to take root) ideas conducive to slavery that i had not before. This is active learning. There are many resources out there but one of the best will be the slaves own Master. Being yielded and open to learning what the next step is will help a lot in this area
4. i can maintain and perfect the positive states of enslavement i've already grasped. Those concepts, ideas and perspectives we already know can always be refined and shined up a bit. Also if we cease to use them they will tarnish and eventually we'll forget them. Keep using the ideas, keep flexing those slave muscles!

After pondering this i believe that no matter how long one has served ...be it a week or 30 years there is always someplace where we can apply more effort to yield results. There seems to be no real room for stagnation as there is one or more types of effort we can put towards our slavery.

**[taken from http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html]

Current Temperature:

contemplative

~Kissing His boot~ Thank You Master.

What's been bought to my awareness of late is something less than joyful to speak about. It is something that i have noticed with more and more frequency and something i find frankly disturbing. It is the stealing that takes place in our local communities. i'm not speaking of the stealing of a beloved flogger, or a custom whip. Nor is it the pilfering of a handmade paddle or tawse. No the stealing i am speaking of takes something much more precious... the stealing of intellectual property.

Master recently presented on Mastery and Authenticity, it was a very good and informative presentation (yes i'm biased but it's still true!) on what it is to be Authentic as a Master. How authenticity looks and can be achieved by those who hold that role. One of the facets of authenticity His spoke of was truth in origins. Along this same vein He also spoke about the neccessity of attribution. How important it is to attribute things to the person or persons who taught you. He mentioned Master Bob as being someone who gave Him a fabulous lesson on using a whip. He gave credit to Orpheus for teaching Him the style of fireplay we currently use. As i listened to Master speak i felt an internal "Ashe!" at the truth of His words.

It is necessary to "give honor to whom honor is due" to acknowledge the people who teach us, not because they demand it but simply because it is the right thing to do. Anytime a person is inspired or impressed with a new idea, a new perspective or something that touches another person...everytime someone learns a new discipline or skill set...for each of these Jewels that other person did the digging, the mining, contributed thier blood sweat and tears to that cause. How pressumptuous would it be to appropriate it as my origial idea without so much as a nod in the direction of the person who toiled for that Gem of Wisdom, Inspiration or Skill?

i have heard some people who have amazing depth of knowledge and wisdom in a certain area limit their speaking to one format or another because they are concerned about someone "lifting" thier work and calling it thier own. This work, this baby they birthed through labor and pain...how dare someone else claim it? i have seen cases of information on one website duplicated on another without permission. A FemDom i know had her whole site design stolen by Another. All one has to do is sign up on any email list to see ideas stolen and used with no credit to the author in an attempt to "help others". i' all for the open sharing of information, but honor the author by giving them credit. Respect them by asking permission.

No man is an island, we don't get to where we are on our journey by ourselves. When we acknowledge those who we have learned from we open our hands and hearts to receiving MORE by virture of our authenticity, by virtue of our humility. The next time you're repeating someone elses words be sure to say "yes and i got that from X". The next time someone is praising your wonderful technique mention the person or organization who taught you. It will add a few more point to the plus side of your karmic account.

Current Temperature:

thoughtful

i apparently got the dates wrong for the conference. It's tonight!! Below is the annoucement:

Fellow Lifestylers, tonight I welcome Master Obsidian to the forum with his presentation of Mastery & Authenticity, which is of importance to Master/Dominants as well as submissive/slaves in the lifestyle. I have examined the material and it is very impressive. Come join us tonight and let us all welcome Obsidian to our lifestyle forum. I would like to thank char for her presentation last night on HIV/AIDS, which was very well presented. Please try to be on time.

==============================

BZ Conference Workshop

Thursday March 20, 2008

[ Mastery & Authenticity ]

Moderator: [Obsidian]

Times: 6pm pst, 8pm cst, 9pm est

Come Join Us

Password "gifts"

=========================

Download the Conference Room

http://www.blackzeus.net/Downloaddirections/index.html

Please follow the directions given and the software is very safe

as far as security.

If you have problems with the download send note to:

Blackzeus61@cox.net

Master will be presenting in a online conference room on Mastery Authenticity on Wednesday night at 8pm cst

The link: http://www.blackzeus.net/Downloaddirections/index.html

See you there!

As i was pondering this i thought of gardening. Those who garden may understand that there are certain plants that one should not plant together. Certain plants release sustances that are harmful for thier neighbors. While lettuce by itself grows easily it struggles and even has stunted growth when planted with sunflowers. Is lettuce bad? Are sunflowers horrid? Is one right and one wrong? No, but they do not do well together, they simply shouldn't be grown next to each other.

On the other side of the equation you have plants that are amazingly beneficial to each other. Leeks keep flies away from carrots, Spinach does wonderfully with strawberries. Plants that are "companions" typically aid each other by enriching the soil, providing nutrients that are needed, repelling pests or perhaps just providing needful shade. In short that make it easier for thier neighbors to grow and aid in their flourishing.

i believe that we can view our interpersonal relationships and social spheres similarly. There are people who are toxic *for us*, people whose personalities and life paths are just so oppositional to our own that having thier continuous presence in our life is harmful to our Spirit and Self. That harm may be small or large depending but it is there none the less. That does not make the person bad, evil, or lacking in value. There are likewise people whose very presence in our lives seems to nourish us. People who possess traits that make us better, and bring out the best in us. These are the people the Universe brings to be our companions on this journey, to help us yield the best results from our existances.

We may also want to consider that we may be incompatible with others and have traits that do not bring out the best in them. We may feel the need to remove ourselves from thier lives so as not to stifle or stunt thier growth. Patience while a virtue for instance, can eventually turn into enabling under the guise of love. Honesty can mutate into cruel judgement as well. We may also see that there are some whom we can see the positive results of our presence in thier lives. In those relationships we are companions.

As always i apply this to slavery, in that it is important when seeking a Master (or a slave) that we find the One who is a companion. Whose Mastery style and Ownership style promotes and fertilizes the slave being his/her BEST self. Of course this doesn't only apply to slavery it applies to friendship, and even to biological families. As you look around you you may find the need to do some transplanting.

Exquisite Enslavement - Group for TPE/AP/IE 24/7 slaves only - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/exquisite_enslavement

fly baby subs - Group for subs/slaves utilizing the fly lady system of home organization http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flybabysubs

*Domestic Servitude - Group for females interested in domestic servitude. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/domesticservitude

Tx Ladies in Kink - Group for ladies in the lifestyle in the Central TX area only! - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TxLiK

*Black Beat TX - Group for people of color in the lifestyle in TX - This is Owned by my Master, but He has honored me by making me the co moderator - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BlackBeatTX

He has posted the first part of His writing and it can be found  in His journal here : http://users.livejournal.com/__obsidian__/7381.html 

i will post the first portion of the path shortly....

Bon appetite!!

~Master Obsidian's slave namaste 

Current Temperature:

happy

i drank a scant 1/2 cup of it because He said to allow it to mellow at least over night. Now you must understand this eggnog has so much alcohol in it that it can keep for a year in the fridge without issue. Powerful stuff and the very potent for merri-making...

Christmas morning arose with much fanfare. Munchkins bounding out of bed at 6:30am tearing into gifts. A sleepy Master Bear and mama bear came out into the living room to watch thier little faces light up with joy. Master gave the children tubs of white cotton candy as part of Christmas. They were all gone before dinner time. 4 blitzed out munchkins lay on the living room floor watching videos they'd received for Christmas, i guess having TOO much sugar has the opposite effect...lol 

 After they opened gifts i thought it might be nice to have some eggnog...

WOW...1 cup and before long i was back in bed snoozing away. VERY good eggnog! i think i drank 3 more cups throughout the day... namaste+ eggnog = bliss. LOL

In the early afternoon we went to visit some friends of ours who had invited us over for Xmas brunch. We had a delightful time, the food was delicious the ambiance and company sublime. These friends are fabulously intelligent and witty. They are also part of our community and we enjoy the times when we can get together with them. The conversation ranged from education, to the Law of Attraction to spirituality to sex. i always come away from our visits refreshed and invigorated. It was difficult to tear ourselves away but we had a Christmas dinner awaiting us...

For Christmas dinner i made a pork roast with pomegranate sauce. Next time i'll make extra sauce to drizzle over the plated slices of meat as well as using bottled pomegrante juice instead of working with the fresh pomegranate and the laborious job of juicing the seeds. Master appreciated the dedication and effort i put into doing it by hand though, and His pleasure made it well worth it :)

Over all Christmas was a success, not stressful at all and i am glad about that. Master enjoyed it  as did i. i now turn my face towards the future, i empty myself of that which is past and look forward in serene anticipation to That Which is To Come.

1- Thou shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.

2- Thou shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.

3- Thou shall not cross bridges before you come to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this.

4- Thou shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at a time anyway.

5- Thou shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.

6- Thou shall not borrow other people's problems. They can better care for them than you can.

7- Thou shall not try to relive yesterday for good or ill, it is forever gone. Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now!

8- Thou shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own. It is hard to learn something new when you are talking, and some people do know more about certain things than you do.

9- Thou shall not become "bogged down" by frustration, for 90% of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action.

10- Thou shall count thy blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to big ones.

Current Temperature:

jubilant

This is my note from the Universe for today....

Current Temperature:

peaceful

Today Master shared with me something He was once taught about networking. He said that the goal was to leave people feeling better about themselves than they felt before speaking to you. ask yourself what you can do for the person you are speaking with...not what they can do for you. 

How apropos to life and esp. to service!  In my interactions i desire to leave others feeling better about themselves. Not to stroke my ego, or my sense of selves but to honor the divine in others. In that vein the question for a slave...is always "How can i serve You". 

Thank You Master for giving this girl this to meditate on. It is surely meat for her.  Ashe.

Current Temperature:

jubilant

i ponder how often what we are perceiving is whats really in front of us, and how often what we "see" is truly an echo of past expereinces. Often our Owners pay the cost for those past expereinces in the form of our distrust, fear, insecurity and doubts.  Many time slaves speak of heartache and heart break...of abuses and neglect, of abdonment and rejection by past Authority figures, Owners and lovers.  These expereinces color how we view ourselves, our Owners/Masters and life in general. Recently i ran head on into this. Master and i were having a discussion...He pointed out to me that i had an inappropriately intense response to a certain statement. The response was totally illogical as it had little to do with the statement itself but everything to do with what i perceived the statement meant. We discussed this at length in part because i found myself having a very difficult time accepting that it did not mean what i thought it did. my difficulty was not due to lack of desire to see it any other way, much like in the optical illusion i could not seem to force myself to see it other than the way my previous life experiences had told me. i had to choose to believe what Master told me was true above and beyond what my life expereince told me to "see".

Much of overcoming this dichotomy depends on trust. Trust is an issue we can not go around or above and below...but must go through. Do i trust Master? Do i trust myself in begging His collar? Or do i allow my present day to be dictated by a past expereince? Sometimes being a slave requires faith (interesting that it's the evidence of things NOT seen).  A faith that puts one in a very vulnerable position, yet, vulnerability is the position of honor for the slave.

Another tool in overcoming this is being teachable. A woman in the slaves group i moderate mentioned docility as a necessary trait for her (By her Masters will). Docile meaning teachable. It is a lot easier to accept what Master says is true if i remain docile, teachable, easily molded and of gentle spirit. In my life "PS" (Pre-slavery) the trait of being stubborn and "sticking to my guns" may have been a needful trait. In the vanilla business world it may still be a good trait.  When Master is directing me in a different direction, to a different thought pattern, when He is doing a vision check and realigning my eyes it is time to be docile and easily lead and taught. Instead of leaning on what i think i "see" i may want to lean on what i internally know. As in the optical illusion i "know" that the backside of the mask in not pointing out. I "know" it is concave. When my eyes tell me "look its convex" i must choose my inner knowledge and understand what is real inspite of what i see. When Master is teaching a lesson that flies in the face of all of my conditioning...i must likewise go with the inner knowing.  In my pre slave life, in my vanilla job being determined, and unbending may be good traits...in slavery they are not if i am using those traits in my Owners direction.  We sometimes resist being docile because we believe we will loose ourselves "Even if my sight is wrong, it's mine and i've a right to it!" of course this thinking is not concious and is not conducive to strengthening the slave within.

Some thoughts to ponder: What i am seeing? Is it real or an illusion based on previous expereince? Am i willing to be docile so Master can retrain my sight, clarify my vision?

Current Temperature:

thoughtful

"Damn, it feels good to be back at Beyond Vanilla. Before I do anything
else,
I promised my spouse that I would send her regrets to all of you. Jill
loves Dallas and Oklahoma as much, if not more, than I do. She truly
regrets that she could not be with me this weekend. Next, let me say thank
you to all of the Beyond Vanilla committee for inviting me, and the
van full
of stuff I brought with me, back to this great state. It's been a little
too long since I've fellowshipped with the NLA Dallas Family. As a matter
of fact, the last time I was an attendee at Beyond Vanilla, I spent a
little
time standing on this stage talking to ya'll.

It's almost as if the committee members knew that I needed to come home. I
don't know if it's fate, fortune or coincidence, but it seems that when
things trouble me or I feel this tribe is threatened, I talk about it in
Dallas. When new ideas are created and need a incubator, Dallas seems
to be
the place where those ideas are nurtured. Damn near every time Jill or
I got
a wild hair up our .ahem, we have talked about it here in Dallas.
Sometimes
you all talk us out of mischief, sometimes ya don't. Last time you didn't,
she ran for International Ms Leather.

Dallas has a hell of a track record. And it's that Texas influence (not
leather history) that I want to talk to you about now.

A few years ago I was asked to do the keynote for the Master / slave
conference in D.C. Talking about the lifestyle that I love was an easy
thing to do. The speech just about wrote itself. Then . I got an email
from
past NLA-I president Spencer Bergstedt, talking about pending
legislation in
Texas that potentially threatened the lifestyle that we are all a part of.
Spence was asking that our community come together to fight Texas, House
Joint Resolutions #6 and 19. Now for those of you who don't know about
House Joint Resolutions #6 and 19, they were basically anti gay
legislation
which could have allowed the state of Texas to nullify partnership
agreements, civil unions, and contracts between legal strangers. (Remember
that term. I'm coming back to it.) Spence was worried that these contracts
could conceivably include wills, powers of attorney and health care
proxies.

I read both bills, got mad as hell and then rewrote the entire speech.
Resolution 6, died in committee. However . House Joint Resolution 19, also
called the Marriage Protection Amendment, penned by Warren Chisum and
74 of
his colleagues, actually passed the 79th session of the legislature.

Chisum defended his love and marriage bill, "calling it a biblical issue".
Now, forgive me while I take a little detour here, but I've got a
question.
Aren't we a nation founded on the *separation* of church and state?
Personally, I don't have a problem with "marriage" being a "biblical
issue"
as Mr. Chisum put it. All he has to do is get the "state" out of the
marriage. That Mr. Chisum means no more tax deductions, social security
benefits, insurance, or government protections of any kind. If on the
other
hand, marriage is a legal partnership between two people who love each
other, then get the church out of the partnership. Pick one Mr.
Chisum, you
can't have it both ways. Sorry about that little detour, I needed to vent.

Getting back to House Joint Resolution 19: Yes the bill was aimed
specifically at the gay community. But the spatter thrown up by that bill
could have affected not just me as a gay woman, but me as a leather woman.
Spence told me that "legal strangers" (I told you we would come back
to that
term.) is defined by law as any two or more people not bound by blood ties
or the ties of marriage. And folks, that's most of us in *this* room.
Legal strangers is anyone who does not fall into the "One man, one
woman for
the purpose of procreation" , category. In other words folks: *anyone* who
chooses to love differently. Our sexual orientation or gender
identification has little if anything to do with it.

The speech that I telling you all about, was given before the referrundum
came to a vote. So a few months later, I did a little follow up research
because I was curious about the outcome of House Joint Resolution 19. In
November of 2005, that bill lead to a referendum to amend the Texas state
constitution to define marriage aasss a union between one man and one
woman.
And that amendment was *passed* into law by 76% of the voting
population of
this great state. Notice I didn't say all of the eligible voting
population.
*Now*, let me give you the *rest* of the facts according to the Houston
Chronicle. In the 2005 election, 17% of the eligible population of the
state
of Texas voted. I want to make sure you heard me, I said 17%. That's
right,
less than 17% of the population changed the constitution of the state of
Texas. To put it another way, 83% of the people of this state didn't think
their right to love as they choose was important enough to get their asses
to a voting booth and express their opinion. Texans . what the hell
were you
all thinking?

Your neighbor to the north, the other state Jill and I love with all our
hearts, Oklahoma, not only will NOT protect the rights of two same sex
people who love each other, but had the nerve to pass an Adoption
Invalidation Law. This brilliant piece of legislation basically made any
child in, or passing through, the state of Oklahoma parented by a same sex
couple, an orphan for as long as they remain in the state. Now we are
criminals if we love each other AND our children become orphans if we love
them and they us. The good news is: the law was eventually struck
down. The
bad news is: many of the idiots who voted this into law are still in
office.
Who elected these yahoos anyway?

In 1996, the United States Congress enacted the Communications Decency
Act.
This is the piece of law that Barbara Nitke and the NCSF fought all
the way
to the Supreme Court. They argued that basically, because of the internet,
community is impossible to define in order to apply the standards of
decency
that the law mandates. While I understand the arguments posed by Barbara
Nitke and the NCSF, I want to take a step back here. I have a problem with
the implications of the word decency. Who decides what is decent and what
is not. Not just for the greater community but for me as an individual? I
would think that *I* am the best judge of what I consider decent. And I
have the right to enforce that decision by turning off the channel, not
going to a website, bypassing a piece of art *I* deem obscene. Note the
word I here. The decision is MINE as is the responsibility for that
decision.

Obviously, I'm wrong in my thinking. Who decides what is obscene for
me and
the community of which I am a part? The same "ijiots" who declared
that the
breasts of Lady Justice were indecent . my elected officials.

I could stand here for a lot longer than this citing case, after case,
after
case, of infringements to our "pursuit of happiness. The Defense of
Marriage Act, The Clean Airwaves Act, The Broadcast Decency Act, hell, the
Patriot Act. I could talk to you all until you all were as tired of
listening to me as I would be of talking. So let's get to the common
denominator in all of this. All these laws are written, and then voted
onto
the books, by the people WE choose to represent US. These men and
women are
elected into office to represent their constituents, not discriminate
against them: to represent the group who elected them, not their
individual
conscience. We all have a conscience, it helps us to live with honor, and
love with truth and dignity. But, if you want to follow your
conscience and
not the will of the majority, be a priest, not a politician.

And that brings me to the next point, the majority. Webster defines
majority as, "the greater share." That is a lot more than just the vocal
few. I remind you Texans, your constitution was changed by 76% of the 17%
who voted. George Bush was elected to the office of the presidency by just
38% of the people of this country. Are we to allow ourselves to be
legislated out of history because of our own complacency, because we
believe
our one voice, our one vote doesn't count? That's exactly what that 17%
wants you to believe. WE are the majority and WE had better remember that.

In 1936, Winston Churchill said that "The era of procrastination, of
half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays is
coming to a
close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences. " That
was 71
years ago. Yes it's about living the lifestyle but it's also about
protecting the lifestyle we live. If we don't, raise our voices, be heard
by our ballots, we just may not like the consequence of our inaction.

In these last few minutes I hope that I've caught your attention. Hell, I
hope I've pissed you off. The right to the artistic expression of our
lifestyle, the right to privacy within the groups that we form to support
each other, the basic right to love who and how we choose, is being
attacked
all over the country, either directly or indirectly. What are ya gonna do
folks?

It's 2007 and we've got one year. One year to stop being ruled
motivated and
manipulated by a small but *very* vocal minority. One year to undo a whole
lot of wrongs. One year to straighten a whole lot of mess. One year before
we have a new deal or old bullshit. The choice is ours. Nitke vs. Ashcroft
proved that one voice can make a difference. Barbara and the NCSF may have
lost the battle, but they won the war, they got our attention.

One voice may cry alone in the wilderness. "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not
going to take it anymore." I'm adding my one voice to that cry. My one
voice makes that cry just a little louder. If we all add our voices, it's
not a cry any more, it's a battle chant. Let's scream loud enough to shake
the walls of government, tell them that they had better listen of be voted
OUT of office. I'm a voice WITH a vote: a leather woman with a voter's
registration card. and I'm going to use it.

How many people in here are registered to vote and exercised that right in
past elections? How many NLA-I members in here can say that all their
leather brothers and sisters are voting? How many people in here can say
that Texas Council of Clubs is registered to vote? How many Mistresses and
Masters in here are registered to vote? How many Masters know if their
slaves are registered to vote? First we make sure we can vote. Then we DO!

Can you see the bumper sticker I'm holding up? It says "Kinky Voter." And
it's going on the back of my car. But just in case someone misses
that, it's
also on the back of my t-shirt. Matter of fact, we need a whole pile
of tee
shirts to say "lesbian voter," "gay voter," "D/s voter," "M/s voter". Make
a bumper sticker. Put it on the back of your car. Make a sign, embroider a
jacket, put it on a tee shirt. It's time -- as a matter of fact, it's past
time -- we stop cowering in fear of exposure and unite with one voice, one
ballot to say "I have had enough of this."

I am a dangerous person in politics. I'm a bitch with a ballot, and I plan
to use it!" ~Vi Johnson

**permission granted to post and repost. **

Current Temperature:

determined

FEAR. 

my own fear...fear is the largest obstacle to slavery. It is the monster in the Closet or under the bed. It is the Kryptonite that halts us dead in our tracks. It sneaks in and before we know it we think we're in control...when really we're being controlled by our fear. 

Let me think about that some more, because i think that's something i need to allow to mentally marinate... When i am attempting to control my Owner, i am being controlled by  Fear. 

i can recall once hearing that F.E.A.R is "False Evidence Appearing Real" i can think of many times when it is JUSt that. "i'm worried i'll loose myself", "i'm scared He'll become selfish", "what if i give Him my all and He just uses me", "What if He abandons me"  and so on and so on. The thing about Fear is that like most organic beings when you feed it, it gets bigger. You feed fear anytime you operate from that place. 

Understand that fear is often the byproduct of previous experience (this is why children often have very little fear). What we fear is often not based in our present reality, but based on the memory of some previous hurt or disappointment and our attempts to not experience that hurt again.

There are 3 ways of dealing with fear:
1. Ignore it and hope it will go away (it won't)
2. Try to live with it  (incongruency)
3. Look for the gift within it and benefit from it. 

If we dig a bit everytime we notice we're attempting to control our Master or Owners then we can over come the fear by *choosing* to respond to it a different way.We can use fear as a tool in our dig, or it can be something we get stuck at, a huge boulder in the way of our uncovering what is beneath it. We can recognize it when it comes up...ask some questions and find ourselves making huge strides in deepening our slavery in the process. 

Some questions for dealing with fear:

1. what do i resent or regret? (what do i fear resenting or regretting)
2. What have i been unwilling to change (what change is being required of me?)
3.Where am i in denial or in resistance?
4. What am i unwilling to risk? why? 

you are *not* your fear. you do not have to allow fear to control you or your dynamic. As i said a few sentences back you can choose to respond to fear a different way. Yes, this may be a choice in spite of what you feel initially. If you wait until you no longer feel afraid you may never over come it...for no amount of reading, study and mental processing can take the place of actually *doing* it. you can not go around fear, or over it...the only way out if through. 
The good news? Fear is but a veil, appearing to be a stone wall. (Remember? "appearing real") Once we go through to the other side we are often amazed at how  freeing it is. And we often wonder...why didn't i do this earlier?

Current Temperature:

full