“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” Winston Churchill
Right now, we see leaders on both sides lacking courage, not listening deeply to the hearts of the people they lead. In it’s place is the counterfeit bravado and posturing, which is hurting millions. But courage does not lose hope in the face of fear, and can have the effect of creating more determination, focus and orientation toward the values of the soul.
Courage is defined as “the ability to do something that frightens one,” or “strength in the face of pain or grief.” Its origin is in the Anglo-French word curage,from coer, which means heart.To have courage means to have heart.
Courage is by no means the absence of fear, but the willingness to step beyond fear and have heart, often in the face of great risk. When we see courage like that of the young woman, Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head when she defied the Talban as a young girl in Pakistan and demanded that girls be allowed to receive an education, we are in awe. Malala went on to receive the Nobel Peace Price and continues her outspoken activisim. Says Malala, “the terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born.” Yes, adversity is a breeding ground for courage, as we are asked to have heart in situations where the mind instinctually wants to protect or shut down.
It most often isn’t recognized the way Malala’s was, yet makes a difference so profound in the lives of others. I see it in my office when I sit with couples, and a man courageously drops his conditioning to deeply listen to his partner, and opens his heart in empathy for the pain his actions have caused. I see it when a woman who has been so hurt by her partner, is willing to see with the eyes of love, and recognize the brokenness that led to the hurtful behavior.
Maya Angelou says, “One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.” Courage is like the pilot light that can ignite the other qualities and gifts in a person to become a fire of great goodness. 
We keep that pilot light lit by going into the quiet and listening to the language of the soul, that often comes in whispers—to drop a destructive habit, to go back and apologize, to undertake a big task like going to school for a higher degree, to leave a toxic job or relationship. Our souls are constantly giving us guidance, but unless you have the courage to withdraw your focus on the cacophony of the outer life and turn inward to listen, you will miss the message all together. And then it requires courage to take that next step, and the next, and the next. Courage is required for true change of any kind.
There is a special kind of courage that some people must cultivate, if they are to step into the role of light workers or healers or shamans, or working in any kind of multidimensional healing modality. You must have the courage of the Sacred Heart-—which is the true heart of courage. There will be countless attempts to dampen your fire, silence your voice, and sow the seeds of hopelessness and despair. If you work directly with other human beings to help alleviate their physical, emotional, mental or spiritual suffering, you must have the courage of a billion shooting stars to keep moving through the universe of pain that humanity is attempting to shed.
Courage is needed now!!!!
May I have the courage to listen deeply to the guidance of my soul, and the courage to take the actions that align with the power of love.
My our leaders learn to listen to the people they serve, and have the courage to take actions that align with the highest good.
Thank you for that article on courage. Se needed right now. Also thank you for writing Loveseed. I am enjoying reading it.