The unknown is a scary place.
The Indian mystic, Osho, said “Courage is a love affair with the unknown.” Thinking about his words, I think back to my own experiences of facing uncertainty in my life. Most recently, when my husband died suddenly, his absence left me with so many scary questions about my future. Most of them boiled down to the same basic thought: “Will I be OK?” I knew I had to find the courage, somehow, to grieve my loss and adapt to my new normal but I first had to discover what my new normal even was.
Trying to effectively deal with the unknown with the mind is impossible. Sure, you can make plans, weigh your options, and evaluate the pros and cons of decisions. However, no matter how smart you are, your mind cannot penetrate the mystery of that which is unknown (and perhaps unknowable) to you at any given time.
Ancient wisdom teachings speak of different kinds of intelligence – the head, the heart, and the body – and each works in different ways. The head is the seat of thinking, the heart of knowing, and the body is where you feel.
Ancient wisdom
The intelligence of the head is best at analyzing and organizing information. This is where you like to process input, strategize, and plan. It’s always scanning the past to learn from your mistakes and leaping into the future to imagine all the possible things that might happen (most of them being bad!).
Emotions, sensations, and intuitions you feel in the body, most often the gut, it’s that feeling in the pit of your stomach that hits you immediately with information. It lives in the “now.”
Your heart intelligence is where you have access to the greater Truth and your inner wisdom. The heart can synthesize information from the head and the body and gather even more information from the quantum field. Its wisdom is timeless and exists outside of space and time.
The heart is also regarded as the center of Love. It’s where you access the intelligence of Love. Your heart can meet the unknown, and the uncertainty and fear that comes along with it, with Love.
The word “courage” comes from the Latin word “cor” which means heart. Bringing the heart intelligence online when faced with the unknown is your path towards meeting the challenges that may be coming with compassion and courage.
Geert Hofstede’s research in the 1960s on cultural differences led him to create a model of cultural dimensions that is still utilized to this day. He says, “The fundamental issue here is how a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: Should we try to control it or just let it happen?” He studied how some cultures are better able to deal with the unknown and the anxiety it creates than others. However, fear of the unknown is something that all humans face at some point in their lives.
Are you struggling with a situation that has thrust you into the unknown, uncertainty, and fear? My sense is that your mind has been working overtime trying to “figure out” what is the best course of action. You watch your thoughts jump from one scenario to the next, from one point of view to its opposite, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and confused. When you notice this, it’s a signal to get into your heart and let the wisdom of your heart speak. It speaks to you of Love. Let Love lead.
Maybe you’ll never have a love affair with the unknown. I get it. And you can love yourself lavishly while you are navigating the unknown.
Reach out to me if you would like to have a conversation about how to fall in love with the unknown and embrace it as a vehicle for positive change.
Connect with Carrie on The Wellness Universe.
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Carrie Doubts is a Transformational Coach specializing in supporting people through life transitions. Her 9-step Program, Rebuilding Your Life After Loss, helps people to reconnect with their heart, reclaim their power, and re-align with their purpose to create their life’s next chapter.