How to drop the fear & welcome more magic

Red hawk appeared to me again.

This time, he came to teach me about fear.

Instead of spotting him in Tahoe after a card reading (click here to read this previous post), I was sitting with my puppy Mac amongst grass and oak trees in Carmel Valley, CA.

I heard his distinctive call first, kee-ah kee-ah, and then he landed 30 feet from me in the branches of an oak tree.

He stared into my eyes and fluffed his beautiful red-brown feathers.

I felt a pulse of fear—Mac may be 11lbs, but she looks like a snack to most predators. She pressed herself into my side, sensing the danger.

Red hawk continued to look me in the eye, as if to say, can you recognize your awe, stillness, and presence amidst the fear?

Later, I referenced one of my favorite spiritual texts, Animal Speak, by Ted Andrews.

In his description of the symbolism of red-shouldered hawks, he shares a line that stands out to me: "there are likely to be attacks by people who won’t understand you or the varied and different uses of your creative energy. They may attack your ability to soar." 

He goes on to talk about how red-shouldered hawks often also symbolize psychic vision and connecting with spiritual gifts.

I can't help but see a connection here...

For years, I had this fear that people couldn't and wouldn't understand my spiritual gifts and interests. 

I was afraid that I'd be judged. Attacked––just like the red-shouldered hawk implies. And so I kept my practices private, behind specific paywalls, and only in safe conversations. 

But since I have come out of the woodwork and openly shared them with you and the rest of my community, I've received nothing but awe and loving support. 

My friend Haley Hoover, an intuitive artist and success coach, even commented on it––"It's like you've gone from the friendly tech-girl-next-door to full magical mystic."

And what's more, I feel this deep sense of relief that now––now I can show up and serve more meaningfully all the while embodying my full self.

I now host my powerful ceremony, Metamorphosis, every month. And wow––I feel so potent and magical while guiding folks through 3 of my favorite spiritual practices. From the feedback I received, I know they feel the same. 

I know I'm not alone in having hid away my exploration of the intuitive arts. Many of my clients are closeted spiritualists who stash away Oracle decks when friends come over and change the podcast when they carpool. Maybe that's you, too. 

But here's the thing: if someone doesn't understand your gifts or your interests, it isn't a reflection of you. It's a reflection of their own fears and beliefs that they're projecting onto you. 

And when you own your gifts, believe in them with your whole heart, and embody that energy, most of the time those projections melt away.

Instead, you more often get interested approvals and "wait, me toos" rather than rolling eyes or harsh words.

It's amazing what happens when we create enough personal and energetic safety in our nervous system to allow us to drop the fear and doubt. 

A few seconds after I realized that of course the red hawk wasn't about to eat my dog, I surrendered to the majesty of that moment––to the awe within the fear––because I realized that the lack of safety was my own projection. 

I recognize though––from personal experience and from working with clients facing similar fears as well as fears about work, relationships, and burnout––that it takes tangible strategies, unconscious reprogramming, and a lot of integrating to actually let go of them for good. 

Want more support with that? 

Join us at the next live Metamorphosis virtual experience right here >>

with love,

Emily