BENE GESSERIT LITANY AGAINST FEAR

LITANY AGAINST FEAR
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear - From Frank Herbert's Dune Book Series
© 1965 and 1984 Frank Herbert
Published by Putnam Pub Group
ISBN: 0399128964


The Litany Against Fear was an incantation spoken by by those who faced danger or fear during their everyday lives. It helped to focus their minds in times of peril.

I came across this incantation when I happened to be looking for motivation, inspiration and encouragement for my runs. Although it is not that I am afraid of my surroundings or the actual physical act of running when I am running, what I am afraid of are the thoughts that run through my head as I run ... thoughts such as, "I must look crazy," or "I'm running too slow." "Am I going to finish? How am I going to make it to the end?" Or how about this one, "I must be out of my mind to think that I could take this on!" And so forth and so on. It is my thought process that causes me to falter and slow down. I am my harshest critic, my own worst enemy. In reality, no one is really paying that much, if any attention to me.

Fear pushes what you want/desire away from you. What I found about the litany is that it calmed me. It allows me to refocus and reset my thinking. I believe that I am a strong individual spiritually, mentally, and physically. I believe that I have a mental toughness, a very strong will, and an unfaltering faith that many would envy, but there are times when I feel "weak," and once my negative thinking starts it's all downhill ... =[ It is at this time that I dig deep to find something to reset my brain/thinking. First I smile (even if it's a fake smile) then I start to tell myself positive things until I believe it. For I belive and know that I can do anything ... I just have to let go of the fear ...

Sometimes You Wonder

Sometimes you wonder ...

Who am I?

What am I doing here?

What's my purpose?

WTH?

WTF?

Why?

Why me?

Why not me?

How far?

What do I have to do?

What am I supposed to be doing?

I don't get it ...

You pray. You hope. You dream. You wish. You intend. You create. You try. You work. You work harder. You cry. You scream. You run. You stop. You take a minute to catch your breath. You breathe. You sigh. You keep on going, doing what you need to do, or what it is that you think that you need to be doing. But still ...

Sometimes you wonder ...

Is it enough?

What else do I need to do?

What else can I do?

What are the right words to say?

Who?

What?

Where?

When?

How?

Why?

When is enough, enough?

When do you know that the questions that you have, have been answered?

Is there really a God? If so, where is (s)he, and how do I know if it's truly (her)him? I desire concrete, tangible proof ... how would I even know?

What do I need to be doing at this exact moment in time?

Where am I?

Where do I need to be?

Am I where I am supposed to be?

Am I lying? Or am I being honest? How would you know? How would I know?

Is this the life I'm supposed to be living?

Am I really who I am supposed to be?

Am I really who I think I am? Or am I just a figment of my own imagination?

I know that these are questions that we ask ourselves (or that I ask myself) all the time ... but I want to know because sometimes I wonder ...