Avoid Fear for a Healthy Halloween

Boo!Is Halloween one of your favorite holidays?I’m a huge fan of it, myself. Candy, cool Halloween costumes, gathering with friends for Halloween parties… I love it all, except when people scare others.A few years ago, I purchased this mask of a cool ghoul as part of my Halloween costume. But the mask wasn’t as frightening as it was for me to sit on the porch of my friend’s house handing out candy. Why was that scary?Women came by and handed me their babies to take a picture. My costume didn’t scare the infants and toddlers, who were too young to know any better, but I couldn’t see a thing! I had a real fear I would drop someone’s baby.The Emotional Effects of FrightThe emotion we feel when our friends jump out from behind the bushes at us on Halloween yelling, “Boo!” is characterized as “fright.” It’s the same chills we get when we watch a scary movie and view the scene where the evil killer jumps out at the girl entering the basement.Fright is distinguished from fear by its sudden, unexpected nature. Fright shocks the system, alarms the spirit, and causes your chi or life energy to scatter. Since the heart houses the spirit, fright, particularly in its initial stage, primarily injures the heart.That’s why the “good” scares we give our friends on Halloween could actually cause a heart attack in someone with a weak heart. It’s why pregnant women and people with heart conditions are warned not to ride roller coasters.Some people seek out frights to stimulate the rush of adrenaline, but the long-term effects are not healthy.The Dangers of FearIf fright persists and becomes chronic fear, it moves to the kidneys and injures these important organs, as well. Persistent fear carries with it a host of additional medical problems.The kidneys control the growth and development of bones and nourish the marrow, which is the body’s source of red and white blood cells. According to The Complete Book of Chinese Health & Healing, by Daniel Reid, “Weak kidney energy is… a prime cause of anemia and immune deficiency… The Chinese view the spinal cord and the brains as forms of marrow, and therefore poor memory, inability to think clearly and backache are all regarded as indicators of impaired kidney function and deficient kidney energy.”Treats, Not Tricks this HalloweenBefore you seek to give your friends a fright this Halloween, think about the damage it could cause – especially if you’re not the first person that evening to scare them.Reid also explains that excess fear damages a person’s kidney energy and causes that energy to descend, sometimes causing loss of bladder control. Chronic fear and paranoia can cause renal failure and permanent kidney damage.These excessive emotional energies upset the delicate balance of yin and yang within the organ-energy systems.This Halloween, take measures to counteract the adverse environmental energies so prevalent during the holiday. Emphasize the treats, rather than the tricks, to minimize injurious emotions to others. And cultivate your pure energy to maintain a strong defense against whatever may jump out at you on Halloween night.