Getting to the Root
Getting to the Root begins with fear and follows it beneath the immediate outcome you are trying to prevent. By repeatedly asking what would be frightening about that, you eventually reach one or more of four root fears: being unloved, unvalued, unsafe or unseen.
Begin with the immediate fear
Name what you are afraid will happen as specifically as you can: ‘I am afraid they will reject my proposal.’ Then ask, ‘What am I afraid would happen if they did?’
Use the answer to ask the question again. If the answer is, ‘They will think I am incompetent,’ ask, ‘What am I afraid would happen if they thought that?’ Continue following the fear rather than trying to reason it away.
Follow it to one of the four roots
The chain eventually leads to being unloved, unvalued, unsafe or unseen. More than one root may be present. Do not select the one that seems most reasonable; let the answers lead you to the fear that is actually operating.
The root fear belongs to your inner experience. Finding it does not establish that your interpretation of the external event is true, and it does not excuse harmful behaviour by someone else.
Welcome what you notice
Once you reach the root, notice the feeling it brings and allow that feeling to be present. Do not reassure it, correct it or rush to make it go away. The purpose of the Discover spoke is to see what was hidden.
Integrating and accepting what you have discovered comes next. Planning and action come later in the Wheel, when you can return to the present event with greater clarity.
Pause and reflect
- What happened?
- What am I afraid will happen, and what would be frightening about that?
- Which root fear does the chain lead to: unloved, unvalued, unsafe or unseen?
Getting to the Root is an act of discovery. For now, the task is only to become aware of the fear that was hidden beneath the reaction.