Conquering Fear - A Story

My mother had a Moon in Aries and she was quite fearless. Her sister, however, was not. Many years ago, a group of mice took up residence in our home before a visit from my aunt was scheduled. My mother did not react, although she was aware that trouble loomed.

My aunt arrived and the two settled down on the warm floor having an animated intimate conversation, chattering away gaily and enjoying themselves. Out darted a mouse. My aunt screamed hysterically and took off like lightning to the far side of the house. My mother in her sibling cruelty peed her pants laughing. Of course, no one but Cancer, Moon-Jupiter me came to the rescue.

I found her in my brother's room huddled against the wall, whimpering and shivering. I gently soothed her, touched her, talked to her, and finally peeled her off the wall. She left without hesitation with her husband for a motel where they stayed for the remainder of the visit.

So where is the source of fear? It's obviously not the mouse, since no one else was afraid of it. I think the source is within each brain and there have been some interesting studies of a part called the amygdala, where two circuits of fear have been discovered. One is primitive and arouses immediate unschooled response. The other is a slower route to reaction which includes thought. Could we be evolving away from panic and violent reaction? I think maybe we're stuck between the worlds now, and the crises of this election and transition are a good place to study the fright response. Some are sensing immediate danger imagining all kinds of horrors and staying in a state of terror. But there is nothing specific to do since the trigger is vague. Others are studying and assessing the situation, hesitating before moving into action. It's interesting to see the blend working together since the group is trying to make a collective decision based on all the evidence. All the while, a chance to work with fear has presented itself.

First of all, there's nothing people can do about the larger events so the primitive fast response probably is useless. That leaves the slower path open as the logical choice, it would seem. Given time the consciousness sees back and looks ahead realizing that circumstances like these have been encountered and mastered many times before. There is no reason to assume that the adjustments won't be made again and survival will continue.

The interesting thing going on celestially is the mutual reception between Uranus in Pisces and Neptune in Aquarius, where the collective mind is being rewired, where irrational and imaginary images as well as real ones are being received, and where messages are being transmitted, as they were the last time Neptune was in Aquarius when the telegraph was invented. It can encourage one to see things from an alternate reality.

The War on Terror always struck me as a literal one, shock and awe, shocking indoctrination, and everything else, accompanied by a fear of running off cliffs that might have ground just one foot down. You never know until you jump. Right now there are so many confused reports about current reality, I can't figure out what to be afraid of. Anyway, a modicum of fear is useful, even stimulating. I wonder about my amygdala and the circuitry going on there. Rational thinking does appeal to me at times, especially when deciphering threat. Maybe it can be consciously developed by slowing down just a tad when I can, perhaps helping evolution just a little bit. It's the least I can do.