Fear of friends
QUESTION: Masters, I have always had an irrational fear of being seen or spoken to by people I know (especially friendly ones!). I am okay with strangers. This is very strange and annoying, and has been one of the hardest issues to resolve in this life. Can you give me any clues as to the cause of this fear, and how I can possibly release it? ~Angela, Australia
ANSWER: In this life and past ones you have been taken advantage of and betrayed by those who seem to be your friends and family. This has left a fear deep inside you that someone you know, particularly someone who seems to be trying to get close to you with friendship, is just doing this so they can get the better of you. When you meet someone you don’t know, it does not trigger this hidden fear because you never expect to see the person again.
You are by nature very open, which sets you up to be used by others. What starts out as a simple request to help a “friend” turns into a big expedition and a drain on your time and resources. You find it almost impossible to say no to people, and you know strangers aren’t going to ask you to do favors for them, so they are no threat to daily life.
It is time to remember that all souls are alike. No one owes anything to anyone else. You are only responsible for yourself. Take back your power to exercise your freedom of choice. Do not do anything that you don’t want to do or that doesn’t feel right to you. Regardless of who asks you to do something, say no unless you really feel you want to do it.
You will find it no problem to be near friendly people you know if you understand you are the same as they. You will be able to joke with them and nicely sidestep any requests for your time. It will be a slow process, but knowing the cause of your fear, you can easily deal with it. You will also discover that not everyone is out to take advantage of you.