Moving Through Fear: Cultivating the 7 Spiritual Instincts for a Fearless Life

According to Golliher, an Episcopal priest and author of A Deeper Faith, "the fear that rules our lives makes us a danger to ourselves." While that sentiment may seem bleak, it is only because the author approaches the nature of fear with uncommon acuity and insight. He's not out to frighten, but instead to show how fearless it's possible to be. Golliher admits the primal flight-or-fight instinct is necessary for survival, but warns that unacknowledged spiritual fears lead to personal and public conflict. To move through fear, Golliher advocates strengthening seven spiritual "instincts": awe, love, intent, rest, community, justice, and faith. He explains them with touching personal stories and provides time-tested spiritual practices to help develop them. The chapter on awe is the most theologically strenuous, as a fear of God is reconciled with being in awe of God. Throughout the awe-filled contemplations, love is presented as the true opposite of fear, and so "love carries us through every fear." With intimate and affecting prose, Golliher brings home a message that is at once comforting, socially conscious, and resounding in its bold spiritual wisdom. (Mar.)