Why do we fear the unknown?

 Why do we fear the unknown? Do you ever notice how horror movies and paranormal programs base their focus on the idea of the mystery of the unknown? What you can’t see or touch instantly becomes the subject of fear. It’s an ancient idea and has kept societies safe and also on the other spectrum lacking. 

Explorers gain the title of brave innovators because they were able to face the unknown, the thought of venturing out where no one has before in pursuit of well-whatever but facing their own challenges along the way. When it comes to the supernatural, is it really supernatural because we haven’t yet fully understood the science behind it? I could go on and on about how ancient civilizations used the supernatural to describe things we can explain easily today. Some were considered evil or the work of the devil and some were considered holy and the work of gods. How will the future look back at how we viewed the supernatural? 

It makes me smile that one day we’ll have a better understanding of a basic skill that we all have to peek through the veil, that’s its not so much a skill but a sense that can be honed over time. Animals seem to already have mastered it and yet we can acknowledge that they can sense more than we can but we throw doubt when actual people can do the same thing. *sigh*

Which brings me back to the topic, fearing what we don’t understand. I’m going to use an example, my husband, I trust him with everything in me. He fears what he can’t see when it comes to spirit, on many occasions we’ve had activity in our home or messages from loved ones that have passed but he’s hesitant at the thought. Ive tried calming those fears by explaining that there is nothing with harmful intent around us but I think the thought that there are factors that are out of our control that spooks him the most. Over the years he has been more accepting of these events but I don’t think the fear will ever fully diminish.

Ive met people in my line of work that believe that communicating with spirit is evil or is the devils work and it just frustrates me to no end with what I call medieval thinking. My line of work has nothing to do with spirit communication but the subject sometimes comes up and against my better judgement, I find myself getting into debates of where the cause of this belief comes from. It’s mostly passed down from relatives and instead of challenging those beliefs, some just accept it. I don’t mean to put a dark spin on it, its just an observation and the reality of tightly held belief systems.

Our past experiences shape us and define our reality and how we deal with things that scare us or excite us, regardless of being supernatural or everyday occurrences. A wooden spoon might bring up memories and emotions of getting a spanking when you were younger or making cakes with your grandma when you were 8. You ever notice how ghost hunting shows or horror are typically filmed in the dark? It’s meant to evoke your fear response, gives you a heightened sense of everything, that base emotion you had when you were little and didn’t want to turn out the light at bedtime. 

Ill tell you one thing, I don’t know many mediums that communicate with spirit in a dark, spooky looking room at night. It’s not meant to scare you, readings are typically anytime of day-depending on the person and it usually accompanies a light feeling, not one of dread, fear and adrenaline.

I think I’ll step down from my soapbox now. My point is this, once you release yourself from the fear, it opens up so much more in understanding that the fear is manifesting simply from lack of knowledge, not the boogeyman. Educate yourself and don’t feed into the hype that’s meant to breed fear of the unknown.