Labeling Myself vs. Experiencing What Is.

I recently read a set of 6 interviews done by Karl Staib on his website,
http://KarlStaib.com/2007/05/14/Kara-leah-from-klmasinaconz-interview/ .

Karl interviewed Kara-Leah Masina who has her own website,
http://www.klmasina.co.nz/ .

This was the first time that I had checked out Karl Staib's site. I will go back and read more. I found Karl by looking at the sites that Kara-Leah Masina recommended on her website.

I have been reading Kara-Leah's articles since I first set up my own blog. She was listed on the blogroll of another friend. I have read quite a few of Kara-Leah's articles because I feel so connected to her brand of wisdom. I deeply get what she says in her writings. When I saw that Karl had interviewed Kara-Leah on his site, well, I just had to read them. I left a comment for one of the interviews and that is where the idea for this article came from. Thank you Karl and Kara-Leah. Reading all 6 of the interviews is well worth your time.

In Kara-Leah's Interview Part #5 of 6---"Dive into the Fear", Kara-Leah says, "the fear is a pointer - it is a light that tells us where we need to go. It is not us that experiences fear, but the ego, for the ego knows that to go further along the path in that direction is to let the ego GO, and more than anything the ego wants to build itself up. Hence fear is ultimately the ego's fear of DEATH."

Kara-Leah goes on to say, "dive into the fear".

I have spent a large part of my life doing the opposite - running from the fear. I now know that any time that I am binge eating; any time that I am being controlling; any time that I am trying to fix someone else; then I am running from my own fears. It is always easier to stuff the fear with food or ignore it by trying to fix others rather than fixing myself.

My ego is terrified that I might turn and face my fears. When I have the courage to face my fears, than ego becomes smaller along with the fears. When I face my fears, out of its own terror, ego throws more fear at me to test my resolve in facing my fears.

Just try worrying for awhile if you want to see if my statements are true. How many old fears can your ego drag out of its closet to add to what you initially started worrying about? Then, how many new fears will come and form into line with the old fears? Once you make the decision to not worry, some of your fears will simply disappear because you aren't feeding them any more by worrying.

Worry is food to fear.

I like the saying, "If you have faith, why worry?" If you still worry, you are expressing doubt. If you have doubts, the Universe will give you more reasons to doubt. More reasons to doubt just means more fears.

Ego loves Doubt, which feeds Worry, which in turn feeds Fear. Fear makes the Ego feel strong.

Kara-Leah says that you have to go into the fear, the pain, the grief, the hurt, and the loss. I have learned that if I want to heal, I must do as she suggests. My recent article "Being Honest With Myself" was written because I caught myself running from my feelings. Kara-Leah gave me a new tool for "diving into the fear" when she said rather than saying "I am afraid" say "I am experiencing fear." Kara-Leah, thank you for this new tool.

At this point, I am going to share the comment that I left on Karl's site because my comment sums up what I learned from the Interview. "I will definitely begin using the phrase, 'I am experiencing'. Such a simply yet profound way of looking at one's life. I have never heard the story about searching for God's home and being afraid when you do. (Check out the interview on Karl's site for the details of this wonderful tale.) I can so relate to this message. Once I was an incest victim. Then I was in recovery and became an incest survivor. I lived in this survivor stage for about 15 years. Then I gave up that title because I realized how it was limiting who I was, even though it was far superior to being a victim. I was diagnosed and became a diabetic about 5 years ago. I called myself a diabetic and wore a medical bracelet saying that I was a diabetic. I took that bracelet off 2 weeks ago when I realized what a friend has been telling me for awhile. I don't need to accept that title as being me. I am experiencing a blood sugar disorder. I am not that disorder. Thank you both for clarifying those thoughts for me."

Giving up the title of diabetic and taking off the bracelet happened at church one Sunday just before I wrote the above comment. Rev. Joe Rowe had done a sermon about not claiming an illness as who we are. When he said that, I got it. Any illnesses that my body may have are not who I am. The illness is what my body is experiencing. The illness is not who I am. Thanks, Karl, Kara-Leah and Rev. Joe.

To read the articles that inspired me to write this article go to:
http://KarlStaib.com/2007/05/14/Kara-leah-from-klmasinaconz-interview/ .

For more articles by Kara-Leah Masina go to:
http://www.klmasina.co.nz/ .