I notice a sense that the world is a scary place.
How do you know that the world is a scary place? I feel it – in my forehead, throat, chest.
Feel those sensations. Allow them. Take your time. Are the sensations a threat? No. But I have a picture of the world as a scary place. It’s a panoramic picture of darkness over the horizon from one side to the other.
Look at that picture. Even shrink it. Make it bigger. Is that picture a threat? Not the picture, but there is a contraction in my solar plexus.
Feel that contraction. Feel the sensations. Is those sensations a threat? No.
Where is the threat? How do you know the world is a scary place? I see a picture of a dark lumpy cloud in and around my brain and head.
Look at that picture. Look at the textures. Colors. Lines. Is that picture a threat? No.
Where do you find the threat now? Sensations in the forehead, face, throat, front of upper body, arms. Feel the sensations. Notice the space inside of the sensations, and the space around the sensations. Take your time. Do you seen any images? Any textures? Colors? Yes, an image of a dark cloud in those parts of the body.
Look at that image. Is that image a threat? Yes, it feels like it.
Where do you feel it? In the forehead and face. Feel those sensations. Take your time. Are those sensations a threat? Can they hurt you? They can’t hurt me, but they feel like a threat. What tells you they are a threat? A dark 3D picture of my body.
Look at that picture. See it up in front of you. What does it mean? That something is wrong.
Look at those words, “something is wrong”. Are those words a threat? Yes, there is a contraction inside my mouth.
Feel that contraction, those sensations. Are they a threat? No.
Look at the words again, “something is wrong”. Look at the letters. The shapes. The spaces between and around the letters. Are they a threat? Yes, there is a contraction in my stomach.
Feel that contraction. Is it a threat? No.
Look at the words again, “something is wrong”. Are those letters a threat? No.
Look at the dark 3D picture again. Is it a threat? No.
Rest with what’s here. Notice. Allow.
How do you know that the world is a scary place? I see a picture of 2-3 people with distorted faces, as if suffering.
Look at that picture. Is it a threat? Yes, there is a reaction in my chest and breath.
Feel that reaction. Feel the sensations. Are those sensations a threat? No.
Look at the picture again, with the distorted faces. Is that picture a threat? No. Although there is a sensation on my right temple that seems connected to it.
Feel that sensation. As if it’s feeling itself. Is it a threat? Yes, there is a reaction in my solar plexus.
Feel that reaction. Is it a threat? No.
Feel the sensation at the right temple again. Is it still there? Yes. Is it a threat? Yes, I see a picture of that part of my head.
Look at that picture. Look at the lines. Colors. Textures. See it out in front of you. Is it a threat? No.
Feel the sensations at the right temple again. Is it a threat? No.
How do you know the world is a scary place? What tells you? Sensations? Images? Words?
And so on.
Note: This is based on the Living Inquiries, although it doesn’t always follow the usual sequence or set of questions.