what is fear?

[Bosphorus1982]

Fear is the opposite of Love. It is the very emotion that denies you are One with everybody else. Fear is actually an illusion; since Love is All There Is.

[RitaJC]

[Diana]

I think fear may be a lack of trust, or faith, because of the veil. We are separated from the knowledge of unity due to the veil, and even adepts are unlikely to pierce the veil completely in this density at this time according to Ra, which is reflected in the archetypes. 

80.10 ▶ Questioner: Now, the fifteenth archetype, which is the Matrix of the Spirit, has been called the Devil. Can you tell me why that is so?

Ra: I am Ra. We do not wish to be facile in such a central query, but we may note that the nature of the spirit is so infinitely subtle that the fructifying influence of light upon the great darkness of the spirit is very often not as apparent as the darkness itself. The progress chosen by many adepts becomes a confused path as each adept attempts to use the Catalyst of the Spirit. Few there are which are successful in grasping the light of the sun. By far, the majority of adepts remain groping in the moonlight and, as we have said, this light can deceive as well as uncover hidden mystery. Therefore, the melody, shall we say, of this matrix often seems to be of a negative and evil, as you would call it, nature.

But there is also the derivative from our animal nature, of which we still have physically in the body and brain—instinct for survival, our fight-or-flight hormonal response, etc. So I think it is imperative, and Ra mentions this in regard to becoming an adept, that the lower 3 energy centers be strong and balanced. If, especially, the root energy center is compromised, it is very difficult not to feel fear of survival.

So, following this supposition, the first thing must be to strengthen and balance the lower 3 energy centers, seriatum as Ra puts it. If that is done, one can really open and utilize the heart energy center properly, in balance, with a solid foundation that isn't distracting you with fear of physical survival. This idea is also reflected in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. With the heart energy center working, without the imbalance and pull from the lower 3 energy centers, a new way of perceiving opens up, based more on unity and connection.

[Diana]

I like this quote about fear:

Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free. — Jim Morrison

[Minyatur]

I think fear is a state of tension at the red ray level. When it is elevated at other rays, we name the same principle in other ways that reflect more how consciousness is active at those rays.

Fear is not necessarily a bad thing, it is a tool and can be very helpful. If you are in a dangerous situation, fear is what enables a red ray rush of adrenaline so that you become more invested and focused than you are normally able to, which in turn enables you to survive situations that you would not be able to survive otherwise. I assume that everyone has probably experienced this and it comes really to a variety of situations. Things are simple as waking in the middle of the night completely awake and focused because you remembered you forgot to do an homework and are able to fully  invest yourself in completing the task, or realizing you have an exam and are unprepared which triggers a state where you are much more focused and process things much faster than if you had prepared yourself and were more relaxed. There's also more life endangering things, like losing control of your vehicle and doing a perfect maneuver you would be unable to achieve intentionally. In certain situations you are even able to surpass your physical limits and achieve things you normally would be unable to. This drive is not even limited just to ourselves and can be triggered by someone other being in danger.

Beyond that, fear I think is actually something that the spirit finds thrilling. This can be seen in how many children of a certain age seek fear, love horror stories and so on. It makes you live something intense that is short lived and leaves you with a feeling of being alive.

Fear moves beyond being useful when it stops being momentary and brings you to deplete yourself without achieving anything. An example of this to me is stress versus anxiety, stress is a useful energy that serves the purpose of being invested into changing a situation, while anxiety is depleting your energy without it being invested into changing the situation. Taking back the example of an exam, stress will help you perform better and be more focused, while anxiety will disable you from focusing and instead do worse than your normal state. The difference is maybe a lack of faith in one's ability to remedy to a situation, which in turns disallows the energy to be focused into something useful. Also, when fear stops being momentary, it acts as a gravity well that will manifest the focus on your fear, because at some point the manifestation of your fear is to the Universe a deliverance from your state of tension while to remain stuck within this state of tension is the actual hell.  

Spiritually, moving away from fear is somewhat elevating ourselves beyond our natural instincts into a state of faith. Being always driven by fear then can hinder spiritual growth, as you try to control your catalysts rather than accept them and grow through them. Fear is still meant to be embraced and not denied upon the STO path, kind of the difference between transcending something and attempting to overcome it. Our fears are rooted in love and should be distilled and accepted as such.

[unity100]

I wasnt here in 2015, so belated answer from me:

Fear is a legitimate emotion/mental state/energy model like any other feeling, thought or state which exists within infinity.

In the simplest sense we have on this planet, it is something that prevents people from doing things they shouldnt do. Like how people have an in-built fear of falling from heights to prevent them from jumping from high places.

Or fear of a hot stove. Things like that.

And bravery is not absence of fear but doing what needs to be done despite fear.

[MrWho]

From a psychological standpoint fear and anger are a reaction to hurt or pain.

When one can consciously recognize this they can identify the source and determine if fear or anger are appropriate.

[sillypumpkins]

When one can consciously recognize this they can identify the source and determine if fear or anger are appropriate.

yes but is it not more important to identify the anger/fear and accept it as is rather than deeming it to be "appropriate" or "inappropriate"?

[MrWho]

I would refer to the quote about anger and acceptance.

Anger and fear are two sides to the same coin.

https://www.lawofone.info/s/46#9

Questioner: Certainly.

Ra: The entity polarizing positively perceives the anger. This entity, if using this catalyst mentally, blesses and loves this anger in itself. It then intensifies this anger consciously in mind alone until the folly of this red-ray energy is perceived not as folly in itself but as energy subject to spiritual entropy due to the randomness of energy being used.

Positive orientation then provides the will and faith to continue this mentally intense experience of letting the anger be understood, accepted, and integrated with the mind/body/spirit complex. The other-self which is the object of anger is thus transformed into an object of acceptance, understanding, and accommodation, all being reintegrated using the great energy which anger began.

The negatively oriented mind/body/spirit complex will use this anger in a similarly conscious fashion, refusing to accept the undirected or random energy of anger and instead, through will and faith, funneling this energy into a practical means of venting the negative aspect of this emotion so as to obtain control over other-self, or otherwise control the situation causing anger.

Control is the key to negatively polarized use of catalyst. Acceptance is the key to positively polarized use of catalyst. Between these polarities lies the potential for this random and undirected energy creating a bodily complex analog of what you call the cancerous growth of tissue.

[Ohr Ein Sof]

Fear is ignorance.

All fear boils down to is death. Death is the unknown and that which we are not knowledgeable about is our ignorance.

An simple example might be an unpaid bill comes through the door and this creates a sense of fear of the fear. A fear of what? Losing your home, losing food and water, being homeless and risking illness, death.

However if we are the Microcosmic hologram of the one original macrocosmic thought we then have all the knowledge of the creator. Which would suggest that we are simply not conscious of the knowledge of which is currently unknown, yet through trance and meditation, hypnosis etc such as done in journey of souls, one can bring back memories of the cycle process.

If all fear is death and death is the unknown, and the unknown is ignorance then i would say fear is nothing more than our own unwillingness to discover what we truly are. This unwillingness is unworthiness, the rejection of the infinite love of the creator, which is our true identity.

However all of that being said fear is a useful emotion to experience and work with. In the sense of survival and as a means of spiritual growth. However being in the fear state of fight or flee is in itself an ignorant state of consciousness but one that is foundational to the more blissful states of being.

Unprocessed fear creates a perpetuated state of ignorance. But of itself, if processed is likem what has been mentioned; a great teacher.