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19     Fear     H

"There are times when fear is good. It must keep its watchful place at the heart's controls."  Aeschylus

KEY WORDS

Uneasiness
Phobia
Overwhelmed

Precaution
Careful
Avoidance

VIDEO

MEANING

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Fear warns us to avoid situations that might hurt us or involve rejection, failure or loss. It is common when dealing with the unknown or unfamiliar. It is a sign we have great love for something we believe is at risk. It is essential to check those assumptions, because we may be hesitating to embark on our true calling "It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." Marcus Aurelius

Fearing the consequences of acting, whilst ignoring the consequences of inaction is dangerous. Freezing, hiding or fleeing might be less beneficial than facing our fear. Safety is our first priority, but after that, it will be necessary to confront some demons on the path to love, self esteem and self-actualisation. Will it be productive to act based on fear? "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it." Nelson Mandela

OBJECTS

Clock (Fire) timelines and milestones are ladders that can be used to climb out of fearful places. 

Candle (Light) Fear of the unknown is overcome by learning - carrying a light into dark corners.

Bee (Air) Don't let fear paralyse you. Work steadily to dismantle barriers and overcome challenges.

Spider (Dark) If feeling trapped, creativity is the way out. find new ways around obstacles.

Fan (Air) Keep cool. Stay calm and collected. Engage your rational mind and act wisely.

Match (Fire) Start something. Take your first step. Light the fuse and observe from a safe distance.

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THE MAGIC SEAL

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THE ART

“Are there monsters under the bed?” ...well no, because the monster IS the bed! What is more frightening than a haunted house in the dead of the night? In this card I wanted to go back to my childhood, when at night, my room would come alive, every shadow or little glint of light would become creatures, monsters, and fairies... The magic of night, scary but fascinating indeed! ..and if the bed is the monster we are trapped between its cruel fangs and doomed! The room is watching the scene with millions of eye staring at us from the tapestry. ..if only we could light the candle! It is there, nearby, on the side table, if we light it, we banish our fears but we would loose forever the mystery of the night with its creatures and its magic....

AUGMENTED REALITY

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In the animation I wanted to stress the moment we give in to our fears: the monster bed is devouring us (our rationality), ghosts are floating in the room ghoulishly. The silence of the night is broken by a scream of terror! Fears are to guide us, to make us more attentive, wiser; but if give in to them, if we let them control us, we would be lost in a night of desperation we have created ourselves, a night devoid of the light of Reason!

THE MUSE

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In order to create this Fearful scene, we knew we wanted to collaborate with the legendary clown and cabaret boylesque comedian Kiki Lovechild. When we see a character responding to something they've never encountered before, it reveals such a lot about their beliefs, their fears, their priorities, and their personality.

Kiki Lovechild relishes opportunities for audiences to go on adventure into the unknown. What are we willing to risk? What would failure cost? Is it always wise to look before we leap? Or should we avoid looking down? When we look back, do we wonder what it was we were so afraid of?

THE MUSIC

Horror and dread. A corruption of what we are familiar with. A lullaby has been inverted and reversed. A single cello note gently nags like a suspicion we can't shake. The forces of the universe are circling around us. Just out of earshot are voices trying to reach us, but our fears are stopping us from hearing them. The most threatening of our fears aren't the obvious terrors and frights and phobias, no. The most threatening of our fears are the ones just below the surface that we barely notice, but which gently steer us off-course and away from our destiny. It takes careful gentle work to coax them out and deconstruct them.

LINKS TO GO DEEPER

Have you considered the power that you can gain from the simple act of defining your fears? Taking control of them? For inspiration and ways to approach this, why not watch Tim Ferriss TED Talk on Fear Setting

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