Episode 45
Hi, I’m Joanne Cary.
Welcome to Embodied Soul.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been exploring what it means to live inside uncertainty.
Not rushing to fix it.
Not trying to get back to how things were.
But learning how to stay present —
right here —
as things are changing.
And for many people, when we stay present long enough…
something very specific happens.
Old patterns come back online.
Old survival strategies resurface.
Old questions — doubts — or fears may appear.
Not because we’re regressing.
And not because anything has gone wrong.
But because presence reveals what’s been quietly waiting to be seen.
And that’s where this episode lives.
Today, we’re going to explore what it’s like to meet fear —
not as a problem to solve,
but as something that can arise naturally
when we’re living through change.
This is about learning how to stay embodied, regulated, and self-connected
even when the future isn’t clear —
even when choice is still forming.
So if it feels supportive,
pull up a comfy chair…
invite in your Soul…
and be open to receive exactly what you need today.
Now, before we go further, I want to widen the lens just a little on what many of us are living inside right now.
Because something is happening.
And many of us are feeling it — in our bodies, in our relationships, in our questions… in the way the mind keeps trying to orient.
I’ve been noticing it everywhere — in my community, with friends, with family, with clients, and very much in myself.
People who have already expanded.
People who know something real has shifted.
And yet… the questions that are being asked are changing.
They’re becoming more mental again.
More analytical.
Almost like the system is trying to regain footing.
And I want to name this gently and clearly:
There is nothing wrong with this.
When our frame of reference points change, the mind naturally tries to re-orient through reason and logic. That’s not a failure of consciousness — it’s a nervous system response.
But here’s the subtle shift I’ve been living into — and inviting others into as well:
Moving away from questions that are trying to stabilize or resolve the experience…
and toward questions that help us stay present inside it.
Not:
“What is happening and how do I position myself, or fix this?”
But:
“What is being felt here?”
“What part of me is activated right now?”
“What would help me stay embodied and available in this moment — even without answers?”
This isn’t about bypassing intelligence.
And it’s not about just “trusting the flow” in some abstract way.
It’s about letting awareness lead…
and allowing our understanding of the experience or circumstance to arise more slowly —
without collapsing into meaning or possibility too quickly.
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Now I want to zoom out for a moment — just enough to see the macro context.
Because for many of us, having the bigger frame actually helps the body relax.
We are living inside what I’ll call — with intention — The Shift.
Capital S.
Not a moment.
Not an event.
And not something we can outrun, out-wait, or get around.
This is a multi-decade collective shift in human consciousness.
And only time will tell the full arc of it — but we’re in it now.
And the key thing is this:
We don’t get to bypass it or out-wait it, hoping things will go back to “normal.”
We have to go through it.
And we have to learn how to live within it.
And as I name this…
I want to pause for just a moment.
Some of you listening might be feeling a little tightening right now.
Maybe a subtle bracing in your core.
Maybe a low ache, hum, or vibration in your lower back.
If that’s happening, nothing has gone wrong.
That’s your system tracking the scale of this.
And I want to emphasize this, you’re not being asked to carry this.
And many sensitives, empaths, and healers have a tendency to try to hold things for others.
You’re just noticing what you’re already living.
And if it feels supportive, you might place a hand on your low back or hips…
and quietly remind yourself:
I’m here now.
I’m safe in this moment.
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This is where the phrase “as within, so without” becomes very practical.
The systems changing in the outer world — financial, medical, educational, religious — are not separate from what’s happening internally.
As we change…
as we release and re-pattern…
as we question inherited beliefs and return to our own direct knowing…
The external world begins to reorganize around new frequencies — individually and collectively.
And this doesn’t happen in straight lines.
It happens in spirals.
So we’re not talking about a one-and-done moment here.
We’re talking about repeated cycles of integration.
Micro shifts inside macro change.
Small inner movements that, over time, create very visible external differences.
And yes — this includes the Earth herself, recalibrating and reorganizing.
Nothing is exempt from this movement.
Everything is changing.
It is.
So again — the question isn’t whether this is happening.
It’s how do we meet it.
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This brings me to fear.
Because fear is very present right now — and it’s important that we talk about it clearly, and honestly.
What feels most important to me is this:
We need to give ourselves permission to be scared.
I’m going to repeat that:
We need to give ourselves permission to be scared.
Not because something has gone wrong —
but because uncertainty is real.
And fear doesn’t always show up the way we expect.
It’s not always panic.
It’s not always anxiety.
It’s not always a racing heart or a pit in the stomach.
Sometimes fear shows up as:
• criticizing or judging others
• feeling irritable, sharp, or reactive
• shutting down, wanting to withdraw or hermit
• doubt — “I’m not doing enough,” “I should be further along”
• guilt for having ease or expansion when others are struggling
Fear has infinite facets.
Like a diamond, it reflects in many directions.
And it is everywhere right now.
We’ve been told to push through.
To stay calm.
To be positive.
To not feel scared.
But that’s not going to cut it anymore.
Because our bodies are taking in everything —
even when we try to ignore it.
Fear is in the environment we’re living in.
It’s like the water we’re swimming in.
And as more people consciously or unconsciously experience fear,
it radiates outward — like a tuning fork.
We feel it not only from our own lives,
but from the collective field we’re part of —
whether we think in energetic terms or not.
So becoming aware of why you’re responding the way you are matters.
Why am I saying this?
Why did that interaction landing so hard?
Why does this feel personal right now?
Even asking those questions — gently, without self-interrogation or judgment — can create space.
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When we know what’s coming, the body can prepare… and then relax.
When uncertainty becomes constant, the nervous system doesn’t relax —
it adapts by staying alert.
And here’s the key thing to understand:
The nervous system is designed for short bursts of response — not permanent readiness.
When uncertainty is ongoing, the body stays in a state of hyper-alertness.
And many of us are living inside a constant stream of perceived threat —
not because danger is present in this moment,
but because uncertainty is being fed into the system nonstop.
Over time, that hyper-alertness starts to feel normal.
Even though it isn’t.
And it takes a real toll. It’s exhausting.
I saw this clearly recently in a conversation with someone very close to me.
Beneath the opinions…
beneath the arguments…
beneath the criticism…
There was simply fear.
And when it was named —
not judged,
not fixed —
just seen…
Something softened.
Even if the body wasn’t ready to relax yet.
Because here’s something we don’t say often enough:
The new feels scary — not because it’s bad — but because it’s unknown.
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And I want to be clear here about something.
This isn’t the same for everyone.
For people living in active war zones or violent situations,
fear is a direct and appropriate response to real danger.
But for many people listening,
we’re not in immediate physical threat —
and yet our bodies are living as if we are.
That matters.
Because it tells us where our work actually is.
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We’ve been conditioned — instinctually and socially — to believe that when we don’t know what’s coming, we need to brace.
But bracing isn’t actually what helps us move through change.
In fact, the body tends to incur more harm when it stays rigid than when it’s able to stay responsive.
So the work right now isn’t to brace.
It’s to learn how to stay present and regulated inside uncertainty.
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This is where the fear-and-frequency conversation needs nuance.
Yes — fear is a frequency.
And yes — unconscious fear tends to perpetuate itself.
But here’s the distinction that matters:
It’s not feeling fear that perpetuates it.
It’s living in fear unconsciously.
Fear that is denied continues to broadcast.
Fear that is witnessed begins to neutralize — it loses its power.
You can’t pretend away frequency.
But you can transform it by meeting it consciously, in the moment.
When fear is acknowledged, felt, and met with presence,
it stops running the system from behind the scenes.
Awareness changes the relationship.
And this is where embodiment matters more than philosophy.
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So let’s get practical.
Because we don’t get through this by thinking our way out of it.
We get through it by orienting into the body.
And here are a few ways to meet what’s happening — right now — in real time:
First — orienting.
Gently name where you are.
Look around.
What do you see? …feel? …hear?
Let your senses tell you what is actually happening in this moment.
Second — containment.
You don’t have to process everything.
You don’t have to resolve the future.
You’re just being asked to stay with this moment.
And you will be shown exactly what you need to experience in this moment — no digging, searching, or figuring it out required.
Third — regulation.
Feeling stable.
Feeling relaxed — even if for a few minutes.
That might look like:
• sitting quietly and breathing
• inhaling for a count of four, exhaling for a count of six or eight
• placing a hand on your body and reminding it: You’re safe right now.
It might be:
• getting out into nature
• reading something nourishing
• gently touching your body and saying, “I love you. You’re safe.”
And finally — relational inquiry.
Instead of asking:
“How do I fix this?”
Try:
“What do I need right now to stay grounded?”
“What would help my body soften just a little?”
And the simplest question of all:
What am I feeling — and can I let it be here, without needing an answer yet?
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This is all part of living the shift.
Living the shift when things are uncertain.
When things are unknown.
When things are different than they were —
or different than we’d like them to be.
We were prepared for this.
You came here for this time.
The soul opportunities are incredible.
So you might ask — not from pressure, but from curiosity:
How might I see this through my soul’s eyes?
What is being invited here?
Ask to be shown.
Ask to sense, feel, or know in the way that works for you.
Ask to see through your soul’s eyes — your divine self’s eyes — to see the opportunity in every circumstance.
Even the ones you don’t prefer.
Even the ones we wouldn’t choose personally.
Your soul understands why you’re here. It understands the benefit. Every experience is benefiting you — and this isn’t to bypass what you’re feeling.
It’s simply another layer that becomes available as we embody more of our soul into the physical vessel.
Over time, we don’t have the same reactions we do now.
And again —
you’re not doing anything wrong.
Feeling fear is not a failure.
There is no right or wrong here.
There is only experience.
And what I find amazing, especially when I feel down, or afraid, or impatient —
that’s when connection to my spirit matters most.
Not because I’m doing it perfectly —
but because I’m staying in relationship.
Because whether we believe it or not,
we are supported.
You are supported.
Even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Even when you forget.
It’s not about what you do.
It’s about who you are.
If you allow yourself to be authentic —
to soften the masks and the bracing —
the light that moves through you is enough.
That is the work.
That’s your soul work.
That is what it means to live — inside the shift, inside uncertainty, inside your real life.
You can’t fail at this.
So live it.
And just remember — your body knows how to complete what has begun.
You don’t need to force anything.
I’m really glad you’re here.
And so grateful we’re walking this path together.
If you loved this episode of Embodied Soul, please like, share, and subscribe — it really helps these messages reach the people they’ll support.
I look forward to being with you next week on Embodied Soul.
