The Universe Has Your Back: Transform Fear to Faith

by Gabrielle Bernstein

I was taken aback by what I had written. Could all of this serious physical pain really be my resistance to love? For years I thought that once I worked through my past wounds, I’d be happy and free. Once I established a sense of security, I’d be happy and free. And once I had deepened my spiritual connection, I’d be happy and free. Through my commitment to my personal growth and my spiritual path, happiness and freedom did set in. My outside world began to reflect my positive internal condition, and life began to flow beautifully. And then, like clockwork, the presence of fear within me did everything it could to resist the love and light I had grown to rely on.

Even when we make a commitment to love and happiness, we often find it hard to give up the fear we’ve grown to depend on. We give purpose to our pain, believing struggle and strife are necessary to success or lasting joy or a meaningful life, and we feel safe in a state of conflict and control. We carry an unconscious belief that in order to stay alive, we must hold on to our protection mechanisms, no matter how great love may feel.

You may be doing all you can to create freedom, connect to flow, and release your fear-based habits, but it’s likely that the moment you feel some sense of relief, you’re blindsided by the shadow of fear that dwells below the surface. You may not have recognized this pattern before, but when you do, you can begin the journey toward freedom. That’s because the primary reason for our unhappiness is startlingly simple: we are resistant to being happy.

However, the presence of fear within you will do whatever it takes to keep you stuck in pain and darkness. This fear is the root cause of all our problems and feelings of disconnect. To truly say yes to the love of the Universe means you have to look at your resistance and give up a thought system that you mistakenly identified as safety, security, and the foundation of your life.

We must recognize that while we have a loving miracle mind-set within us that wants to be at peace, we also have a wrong mind that says, “I don’t want to be free. I don’t want to give up judgment. I don’t want to release control.”

The most profound way to practice releasing resistance is to see clearly how we don’t want to let it go. When we accept that we are addicted to fear, we can let ourselves off the hook for anything that occurred in the past and for the detours into fear

what you long for most: freedom from fear so you can return to peace.

In some way or another, we deny the love of the Universe and choose the fear of the world. We choose to hook into the fears on the news, the fears in our classrooms, the fears in our households. We separate from the love of the Universe by giving purpose to pain and thinking power comes from outside sources. We deny the power of love, and we save our faith for fear. We forget love altogether.

“The presence of fear is a sure sign you are trusting in your own strength.” This is a profound message, and I remember gasping out loud when I first read it. Separating from love means that you deny the presence of a higher power (the presence of the Universe) and learn to rely on your own power to feel safe. The moment you choose to disconnect from the loving presence of the Universe, you lose sight of the safety, security, and clear guidance that is otherwise available to you. The moment you realign with love and stop relying on your own strength, clear direction will be presented. The presence of love will always cast out fear.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace! That where there is hatred, I may bring love. That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness. That where there is discord, I may bring harmony. That where there is error, I may bring truth. That where there is doubt, I may bring faith. That where there is despair, I may bring hope. That where there are shadows, I may bring light. That where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort, than to be comforted. To understand, than to be understood. To love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.

The good news is that the way out of our fear projections is simple. Gary, the Course teacher with the spot-on movie-theater metaphor, suggests that we consider what would happen if we just walked back into the projection room and changed the reel. What would happen if we changed our projection? What would we perceive?

UNIVERSAL LESSON: YOU SEE THE WORLD THAT YOU HAVE MADE, BUT YOU DO NOT SEE YOURSELF AS THE IMAGE-MAKER.

Step 1: What is the fearful movie you’ve been playing? Using Gary’s metaphor, take a moment to contemplate the idea that you are the director of the movie that is your life. Think about the movie you’ve been projecting onto your own life and contemplate the following: What fear-based stories from the past or projections about the future are you playing on your internal movie screen? How are these stories blocking you from feeling supported and happy?

Step 2: What’s the positive movie you’ve been playing? The same way the fearful stories block you from the flow of the Universe, your positive stories empower your life. Let’s look closely at the powerful stories you’re replaying on your internal projector. (Note: You may be stuck in a lot of fear right now and may have trouble finding an empowering story. Just keep it simple. An empowering story can be, I feel happy and connected when I’m cooking. Or I’m in the flow with the Universe when I’m on a long run.) What are the love-based empowering stories that you replay in your head? How do these stories make you feel supported and happy?

Step 3: Reconnect to your power. When you focus on the positive stories, you raise your energy, elevate your presence, and even boost your immune system to keep you feeling physically strong.

“I witness that I’m out of alignment with my power. I choose to see peace instead of this.” This prayer will reconnect you to your desire to be in union with your creative power. Your desire is enough to help you begin to reconnect. Make the conscious commitment to realign with your power, and you will begin to feel the shift set in.

Meditation and prayer open you up to the power of the Universe. The presence of fear shows up when you’re not relying on the Universe. Your projection is your perception. Become aware of the fear-based stories you’ve been projecting on your internal movie screen. Your presence is your power. Be mindful of how your thoughts, words, and energy disconnect you from the Universe. And know the difference between what it feels like to be connected to the presence of your power versus what it feels like when you’re not. When you notice yourself disconnect from the presence of love, say this prayer to come back to peace: “I witness that I’m out of alignment with my power. I choose to see peace instead of this.”

we can interpret a fight with our spouse as another reason to consider a divorce, or we can choose to see it as a powerful opportunity to learn and grow stronger as a couple. We can perceive a negative health diagnosis with complete terror or a chance to slow down and truly start embracing each moment with gratitude. No matter how dire the circumstances, we can choose to perceive with love or with fear. Our own interpretation determines our perception of the reality we experience.

Consider Elie Wiesel, who turned his experience of the Holocaust into an existential journey that made him one of the greatest writers and healers of our time. Or Mahatma Gandhi, who chose peaceful protest in the midst of leading the Indian independence movement. Or Leymah Gbowee, who bore witness to the worst of humanity and helped bring Liberia out of a horrific civil war through women’s leadership. What all these heroes share is a willingness to perceive their circumstances with love. Fear would have led them to violence and death. Love led them to rise above the perceptions of darkness and into the light.

UNIVERSAL LESSON: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT OUR EYES ARE SEEING. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR HOW WE PERCEIVE WHAT WE ARE SEEING.

In my own life, for years I perceived my body as weak because of how easily I got sick. I spoke of myself as having a poor constitution, and I set up a story that I was fragile. This perception of my body led me to be even more susceptible to illness.

Choosing the loving guidance of the Universe doesn’t come naturally to us. We live in a fear-based world, and our default setting is to lean toward fear. The same way that we manifest love by aligning with the Universe, we manifest chaos when we align with fear. We’re always manifesting either love or fear. It’s up to us to decide how we want to create our reality.

Step 1: Ask for guidance. The moment you pray for guidance, you reconnect with your inner wisdom, the voice of love.

Pick any area of your life that feels blocked. Now ask for guidance: “Thank you, Universe, for guiding me to perceive this fear through the teacher of love.”

Step 3: Fast comeback.

The miracle isn’t how well we avoid fear; the miracle is how quickly we return to love.

Step 4: Put out what you want to receive.

Take a moment to reflect on where you focus your energy. Are you projecting an attitude of apathy, stress, jealousy, or fear? Look closely at how what you focus on reflects back to you what you receive.

Step 5: Create a purpose statement.

We’ve been guided to believe that without pain we have not accomplished or achieved. I’m here to bust that myth now. Pain does not equal purpose. Your purpose is to be joyful. Your purpose is to live with ease. Your purpose is to surrender to the love of the Universe so you can live a happy life. Accept the purpose of love, and your life will radically change this instant.

Step 6: You are the dreamer of your dream.

We must learn to train our minds to create with love rather than with fear. This exercise is a great practice for you to begin awakening to the power of your own creations.

Close your eyes and turn your focus inward. Allow your inner spirit (your inspiration) to come forth and surrender to the images that you want to see. Let the wisdom within you create images in your mind’s eye. Surrender to this wisdom now. Breathe deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth. With each inhale and exhale, surrender more fully to the visions that you want to see. Consciously focus your attention on them. Allow visions of what you want to guide you on a journey of new perceptions. Sit as long as you wish. When you’re ready, gently come out of your meditation and take a moment to jot down any images that may have come through. Maybe what you want to see is a newborn baby, and in your meditation you saw the eyes of a child. Or maybe you long for a romantic partner, and in the stillness you saw yourself in a warm embrace with a lover. It’s even possible that you saw images that were far less literal and in time you’ll come to understand the message behind them.

Step 1: Recognize the assignment and call it by its name. The first step is to witness that what may seem to be a terribly uncomfortable situation is actually a Universal assignment. In other words, witness your craziness and call it by its name: fear. Then accept that the fear has shown up in this way as a divine assignment for healing and growth. Take a deep, honest look at the situation that’s causing you pain, and identify all the ways that the person or circumstance is triggering your fear-based beliefs. Honor yourself for having the strength to witness this instead of running from it. Be proud of yourself for seeing it as an assignment. Trust that if you weren’t ready to accept this assignment, you wouldn’t have even opened this book! By choosing to read a book like this, you unconsciously signed a sacred contract that said you’re ready to go big, you’re ready to heal, and you’re ready to be free. Step 2: Accept that you cannot avoid the assignment. The second step is all about accepting that you can’t avoid the assignment—you can only postpone it. If you don’t choose to accept the assignment today, it will continue to present itself in new relationships and experiences. If you don’t show up for it, it will continue to show up for you. You have two choices in this situation: The first choice is that you can follow FEAR—F Everything and Run. Sometimes that may feel like the safest option. Trust me—it’s not. Running from fear is like running around a track. You’ll inev...

True healing occurs when you give yourself permission to feel whatever feelings live below the triggers. Rather than ending the relationship, leaving the job, or otherwise avoiding the assignments, show up for them fully and completely by allowing yourself to feel all the pain and rage.

Sit in a safe and comfortable space with no distractions. Breathe in and identify where the pain, anger, resentment, and fear live in your body. Then place your hands onto this area of your body, bringing energy and attention to it. Breathe slowly and deeply into this area of your body, allowing yourself to feel the physical and emotional pain that dwells in that place. Continue to breathe deeply into the pain and discomfort. Be loving and gentle with yourself as you explore the depths of these feelings. On every exhale release the pain. As you breathe deeper into the discomfort, you’ll begin to feel it dissipate. The tension in your body will release, and you’ll start to relax. Continue this practice as long as it takes to feel a sense of relief. As soon as you feel the tension subside, breathe in deeply and exhale a sigh of relief. Continue this breath for one minute. Then take a deep breath into the place in your body where you were feeling pain. Hold your breath for a moment while you gently press your hands onto that place. Envision a ball of golden light pouring into this space in your body. On the exhale, release. Take one last deep breath in and release.

Take a moment to write down some ways that you could speak to yourself compassionately. For instance, when I notice myself stuck in a Universal lesson, I allow myself to feel the feelings of rage and anger, and then I notice that those feelings come from a sense of not being lovable. The fear comes from a belief that I’m not good enough. Upon realizing these feelings, I compassionately guide myself back to self-love. I say things to myself like, “Gabs, you’re back in that old belief system again. These stories are so painful, and I honor you for how you feel. I understand how tough it must be to go through this. I have so much compassion for where you are in this moment. It’s safe to feel these feelings. I love you.”

UNIVERSAL LESSON: THE PATHWAY TO HEALING OCCURS WHEN YOU LOVE YOURSELF SO MUCH THAT THE DARKNESS FROM THE PAST CAN NO LONGER CO-EXIST WITH YOUR FAITH IN THE LIGHT OF THE PRESENT MOMENT. Once you’ve undergone the practice of compassionately loving yourself back to your right mind, you’re ready to ask the Universe for help. Step 5: Place your faith in the Universe. Step 5 is designed to help you learn to rely on the Universe for support and guidance. Remember, the Universe will never give you anything that you cannot handle. No matter how difficult your universal assignment may seem, you can find comfort in the fact that the Universe is always supporting what is of the highest good. By embracing the Universe as your support system, you’re no longer relying solely on your own power to solve your problems.

Let’s recap the steps to healing your universal assignments: Recognize the assignment and call it by its name: fear. Accept that you cannot avoid the assignment and be willing to show up. Your readiness will clear the path. Feel the feelings that live underneath the old pain. Call on compassion to clear the path. Ask the Universe for help, and rely on a power greater than you. Take care of your side of the street, and own your part in the situation. Welcome healing and expect miracles.

So what do I do when I’m caught up in my crazy? I recognize the chaotic thoughts as my resistance to love. I witness the thoughts and remember that they are blocking me from my true connection to the Universe. Then I get out of the way. Through prayer, I allow the loving energy of the Universe to guide my thoughts from littleness and doubt back to love. I use this prayer: “I step back and let the Universe lead the way.”

Sat Nam, which means truth identified, or truth is your name. The mudras, or finger positions, are important in this kriya (see illustration below). Here’s how you practice the Kirtan Kriya: Sit comfortably in a chair or cross-legged on the floor. Roll your shoulders back and straighten your neck. Get your body into a straight alignment to become a vessel to receive the love of the Universe. Repeat the mantra Saa Taa Naa Maa as you tap your thumb on your pointer, middle, ring, and little fingers (as seen in the image). While you chant the mantra, imagine the sound flowing in through the top of your head and out the middle of your forehead (your third eye point). For two minutes, sing in your normal voice. For the next two minutes, sing in a whisper. For the next four minutes, say the sound silently to yourself. Then reverse the order, whispering for two minutes, and then out loud for two minutes, for a total of 12 minutes. To end the meditation, inhale very deeply, stretch your hands above your head, and then bring them down slowly, sweeping out to the side.

“When we commit to joy we increase our chances for success.” I love that statement. But many people have chosen, consciously or not, to lean toward fear. In some way, we get lost in the story that pain has purpose, or we buy into the belief that a meaningful life requires struggle. These limiting beliefs can have devastating consequences. In reality, the more joyful we are, the more light we shine on the world, the more power we have to express our presence, and the more positive energy we put out.

Whenever I’d notice myself getting stuck in a negative story, I’d challenge myself to try to see it with a joyful perspective. I’d say to myself, “What if I just chose for this to be fun?” Asking myself that question in any given moment immediately catapulted me back into a place of joy.

Instead of flipping out, you say a prayer: “Universe, thank you for helping me find joy in this situation.” In an instant you begin to lean toward joy.

Let’s recap the lessons from this chapter: Get out of the way of the loving flow of the Universe. Use this prayer to realign yourself with the energy of the Universe and set the process in motion: “I step back and let the Universe lead the way.” Calibrate your energy through meditation. Your meditation practice recalibrates your energy back to the frequency of love. Set the intention to connect to your presence. Energy flows where your intention goes. Each day you can set new and powerful intentions. Be unapologetic about what you desire, and trust that what you focus on will grow. Understand the power of joy. Remember that joy is the catalyst for all that is good in the world. Lean toward joy, and you will be led. Stay committed to joy no matter what. Celebrate the support of the Universe and enjoy the synchronicity, guidance, and gentle reminders that you’re on the right path.

Take a moment to reread your low-vibe story and how it makes you feel. Then immediately say out loud, “I am determined to see this with love. I surrender this story and let the Universe do her thing.” Make this your mantra. Whenever you notice yourself stuck in your low-vibe story, witness it and say,

What would happen if you chose to be more playful and have more fun? This concept may bring up resistance because we’re taught to live in the opposite way. We’re taught that we must struggle to achieve and that success comes from “making things happen.” We learn that good things don’t happen without a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. I challenge you to move beyond these beliefs of limitation and suffering. I challenge you to accept that you’re here to have fun. Let’s recap the steps from this chapter: Witness your low-vibe story and how it makes you feel. Honor what you want and how you want to feel. Choose your sign that will be the gentle reminder from the Universe that you’re on track with the energy and flow of love. Turn over your desires to the care of the Universe and be patient. Patience is the key to receiving guidance. Become open to receive creative possibilities.

As I wrap up this chapter, I’m taking a moment to reflect on where I am and how I let fun lead the way. Fun led me to this very moment. I’m sitting at my desk, looking out at the most epic view from my new office in my Mountain House. I smile knowing that the Universe had a plan for me, and I am grateful that I followed the guidance I received.

Kris knows that freedom from fear is the true healing—and the story she is here to share. She loves her body for all that it is, and she embraces her life obstacle as her greatest opportunity to serve and grow spiritually. Kris is my hero.

Step 2: Pray to surrender your shoulds, and see your obstacle with love instead of fear. The next time you get hung up in a victim mentality over why something isn’t working out the way you planned, simply say this prayer and realign with love: “Thank you, Universe, for helping me see this obstacle as an opportunity. I will step back and let you lead the way.”