So a few weeks ago I outlined my plan for my 90-day Havingness Expansion project, which includes daily Orgasmic Meditation, gratitude practice, Fear Inventory, and metabolizing exercise.
For those of you interested in doing the project along with me, here’s how to do Fear Inventory:
You will need:
Paper and pen
A person you can confide in
Faith in some force greater than yourself (Love, the Universe, God, Goddess, Connection, etc.)
1. Step One: Write at the top of a sheet of paper, “Dear [insert name of Higher Power here], I am resentful at [insert name of what you’re resentful at] because I have fear that I.
example: Dear Universe, I am resentful at capitalism because I have fear that I….
2. Step Two: Beneath the resentment statement at the top of the paper, write a list of at least 20 fears that you can find associated with the resentment. Each item in the list should start with “because I have fear that I….”
example:
Dear Universe, I am resentful at capitalism because I have fear that I…
because I have fear that I can’t be valued within it
because I have fear that I judge it to be evil and hurtful
because I have fear that I will get swept up in it and lose focus on my spiritual growth
3. Step Three: After writing a list of at least 20 fears associated with your resentment, write at the bottom of your sheet of paper “Dear [insert name of Higher Power here], I ask that you remove these fears. I pray only for knowledge of your will for us and the power to carry it out for me and for [insert the name of the thing you’re resentful at].”
4. Step Four: Call up your friend who you know you can confide in. Ask if you can read her an inventory of your fears and resentments and if she can listen just as an observer, without commentary, but just saying “Thank you for your honesty” at the end after you’ve said the little prayer / spell. Hopefully she agrees – and then you go ahead and read your inventory. At the end, after she says “Thank you for your honesty,” you rip the sheet with your fears on it into little tiny bits.
and then… you’re done! You’ve done Fear Inventory! Yay!
Some notes about doing Fear Inventory
Anyone who’s ever spent time in any 12-step recovery group will immediately notice that the Fear Inventory process has a lot in common with the 4th Step and the 10th step inventories.
This is because in a sense, we do Fear Inventory to recover our true power from the pain of being taught to see ourselves as separate little egos who are helpless and non-magical. We do it uncover and release the subconscious fears that keep us from enjoying fulfillment and turned-on magic.
PRO-TIPS
YES, it is very important to read your Fear Inventory aloud to another human being that you trust and then rip it up into little bits. This is because Fear Inventory is a psychomagical act in which you’re basically dredging up the muck of your psyche and clearing it out through the immense power of attention and conscious release.
YES, it is a very good idea to approach Fear Inventory with the attitude that you are an extremely powerful being who plays a large role in creating the circumstances around you, including the things you don’t like in your career situation and relationships.
NO, Fear Inventory does not feel awesome the first bunch of times you do it. It can be painful. Thing is, in my experience, when I do it consistently over a period of weeks I usually notice a dramatic expansion in my freedom and my ability to have awesome things in my life.