Fear Less, Listen More: Breaking the Spell of Division

What happens when we dare to look beyond our inherited fears and see the humanity in those we've been taught to distrust? The answer might just transform how we navigate our increasingly divided world.

Fear runs deep in human society—it's woven into our political systems, religious traditions, and cultural narratives. Ruby shares her powerful journey of questioning the fear-based beliefs she inherited growing up in a conservative environment, discovering that many of her anxieties weren't even her own but handed down "like old clothes that never really fit." Eric recounts a transformative dialogue circle where people from opposing viewpoints found common ground in their shared desire for safety, meaning, and connection.

At the heart of the Ravenbrook tradition lies a radical proposition: we can transcend artificial boundaries without ignoring our differences. This isn't about pretending the past didn't happen but recognizing we aren't bound by those mistakes. Through practices like active listening, non-violent communication, and mindfulness, we can notice when fear arises and question whether it reflects reality or simply perpetuates divisive stories we've internalized.

True unity requires leadership rooted in moral integrity and shared purpose—not by imposing a single perspective but by creating space for diverse voices to be heard. As Richard Ravenbrook demonstrated, this leadership begins with asking difficult questions and listening deeply to the answers. The journey isn't about perfection; it's about persistence. Each time we choose compassion over fear, we create ripples that extend far beyond ourselves, gradually shifting entire communities toward greater understanding.

Ready to break the spell of division? Listen now and discover how awakening beyond fear can transform not just your perspective, but our collective future. Share your own experiences with overcoming inherited fears and building bridges across differences—your story might be exactly what someone else needs to hear.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the House of Ravenbrook.
I'm Eric Marquette and, asalways, I'm joined by the
ever-spirited Ruby Sturt.
Today we're diving intosomething that's at the very
heart of the Ravenbrooktradition awakening beyond fear
and what it really means to movetoward unity in a world that,
let's be honest, often feelspretty divided.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
G'day everyone.
I'm Ruby.
And yeah, eric, you're spot on.
It's wild how much division isjust baked into our history,
right Like you, look back andit's all us versus them tribes,
empires, religions, you name it.
And it's not just ancienthistory either.
We're still living with thefallout of all that every day.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Absolutely.
I mean, if you look at theroots of human conflict, so much
of it comes down to fear Fearof the unknown, fear of
difference, fear of losing whatwe have.
And those fears have been wellcultivated, haven't they, by
political systems, by religiousdogma, by the stories we're told
about who we are and who we'renot.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah, and it's not just about big wars or politics,
it's in the little things too,like the way we're taught to see
people as other if they don'tfit into our group.
I remember reading about howeven ancient societies used
rituals and myths to make senseof stuff they couldn't control.
But it also set up this ideathat our way is the only way.

(01:20):
That's a recipe for division,if I've ever seen one.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Exactly, and the Ravenbrook tradition at its core
is about transcending thoseartificial boundaries.
It's about recognising thedivinity in every person, not
just the people who look orthink like us.
I actually had this experiencea few years ago.
I was invited to a dialoguecircle and it was one of those
rare moments where people fromall sorts of backgrounds came

(01:44):
together.
There were folks from differentfaiths, different political
views, even people who'd been onopposite sides of local
conflicts and you know, after acouple of hours we realised we
all wanted the same thingsSafety meaning connection.
It was honestly transformative.
It made me realise how muchcommon ground there is if we're
willing to look for it.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
That's so good and it's funny because when you
actually sit down and listen tosomeone's story, it's hard to
keep seeing them as the enemy.
I mean, as we talked about inour Love Over Fear episode, hate
and prejudice are learned.
They're not our natural state.
But unlearning them, that takessome guts and a lot of
curiosity.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
Right, and it's not about pretending the past didn't
happen.
But, as the Unity Manifestoputs it, we're not bound by
those mistakes.
We can choose a different path,a path that leads to unity,
understanding and peace.
It's a journey that starts withself-reflection and a
willingness to see beyond ourdifferences.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
And that's the call, isn't it?
To wake up, to see the worldwith new eyes and to embrace the
inherent divinity in ourselvesand each other.
And to embrace the inherentdivinity in ourselves and each
other.
It's not easy, but it's theonly way forward if we want a
world that's actually worthliving in.
So let's talk about fear,because, honestly, it's
everywhere and it's not just apersonal thing, it's systemic,

(03:06):
like fear's been used byreligious and political systems
forever to keep people in line.
Do this or else believe this,or you're out.
It's exhausting and it's soeasy to get sucked into it,
especially when you're raised init.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Yeah, and it's not just about control, is it?
It's about division.
If you can get people afraid ofeach other, you can keep them
from working together.
That's been the playbook forcenturies.
But the thing is, fear isn'talways rational.
It's often learned and it canbe unlearned.
That's where spiritualtraditions can either make
things worse or help us heal.

(03:41):
Some traditions double down onfear, but others, like
Ravenbrook, are about breakingthat spell.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Totally, and you know , I grew up in a pretty
conservative environment.
There were a lot of rules, alot of don'ts and a lot of fear
about what would happen if youstepped out of line.
For ages I just accepted it,but then I started asking
questions like why do we believethis?
Who benefits from me beingafraid?
And honestly, it was terrifying.

(04:11):
At first I was scared of beingwrong, of being rejected, of
losing my place, but the more Iquestioned, the more I realised
that a lot of those fearsweren't even mine.
They were handed down like oldclothes that never really fit.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
That's so relatable, and it's not just about
questioning for the sake of it.
It's about finding liberationin curiosity and compassion.
When you start listening reallylistening to people who are
different from you, it's hard tokeep holding on to those old
fears.
It's like the more you know,the less you fear.
No.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
Exactly, and there are actual practices that help
with this.
Active listening for one, likereally putting your own agenda
aside and hearing someone out.
Non-violent communication isanother, focusing on needs and
feelings instead of blame.
And mindfulness, too, justnoticing when fear pops up and
asking is this real or is thisjust an old story?

Speaker 1 (05:08):
And it's not just personal, is it?
When we do this workcollectively, when we create
spaces for dialogue, for honestconversation, we start to break
the cycle, we start to see thatactually most people want the
same things.
As we discussed in Roots andReconnection, reconnecting with
our own intuition and ancestralwisdom can help us see through

(05:28):
the noise and find our own truth, rather than just absorbing
what we're told to fear.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah, and it's ongoing.
I still catch myself fallinginto old patterns sometimes, but
now, instead of beating myselfup, I try to get curious Like
where did that come from?
Is it serving me?
And most of the time it's not,so I let it go, or at least
loosen my grip a bit.

Speaker 1 (05:52):
It's a process, but it's so worth it and that's the
heart of it, isn't it?
Overcoming fear isn't aboutpretending it doesn't exist.
It's about facing it,questioning it and choosing
something better Compassion,understanding and, ultimately,
unity.
So let's talk about what itactually looks like to move
forward, because it's one thingto talk about unity and
compassion, but how do weactually build a world that

(06:14):
reflects those values?
That's where leadership comesin, and not just any leadership,
but the kind that's rooted inmoral integrity and shared
purpose.
Richard Ravenbrook is a greatexample of this.
He wasn't born a visionary.
He was just a regular personwho started asking hard
questions and listening deeply,and that's what made him a

(06:34):
leader people wanted to follow.

Speaker 2 (06:36):
Yeah, and what I love about Ravenbrook's story is
that he didn't just talk thetalk, he actually lived it.
He started small volunteering,joining environmental groups,
having tough conversations, andthen he brought people together,
not by telling them what tothink, but by inviting them to
share their own experiences andideas.
That's real leadership.

(06:58):
It's not about being theloudest voice in the room, it's
about creating space foreveryone to be heard.

Speaker 1 (07:04):
Exactly, and it's not just about one person either.
It's about building systemsthat support unity, like
holistic education that valuescritical thinking, creativity
and emotional intelligence.
It's about using technologyethically to connect people and
solve real problems, not just tomake a profit or spread fear.
And it's about activismstanding up for justice, for the

(07:26):
environment, for the well-beingof all, not just a privileged
few.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
And magical activism too.
I know that might sound a bitout there, but honestly it's
just about using intention,ritual and storytelling to focus
collective energy on creatingchange.
It's about bringing peopletogether, setting a shared
vision and then taking action.
Whether that's through art,protest or just being kind in

(07:51):
your daily life, it's powerfulstuff.

Speaker 1 (07:54):
It really is, and it's not about perfection.
As we've seen in previousepisodes, the journey is messy.
There are setbacks,disagreements and doubts, but
the key is to keep coming backto the vision, to keep choosing
unity, compassion and sharedpurpose, even when it's hard.
That's how real change happens.

Speaker 2 (08:14):
And it's not just about changing the world out
there.
It starts with us questioningour own beliefs, listening to
our own intuition and beingwilling to grow.
When we do that, we inspireothers to do the same.
It's like a ripple effect.
One person wakes up andsuddenly a whole community
starts to shift.

Speaker 1 (08:32):
That's the legacy of the Ravenbrook tradition, isn't
it?
It's not about dogma orhierarchy.
It's about empowering eachperson to become a leader in
their own right, to live withintegrity, to act with
compassion and to build bridgeswherever they go.
If we can do that, even insmall ways, we're already
awakening beyond fear.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
Couldn't have said it better myself, eric.
So, as we wrap up, I just wantto say wherever you are on your
journey, keep questioning, keeplistening and keep choosing love
over fear.
That's how we build the worldwe want to live in.

Speaker 1 (09:06):
Absolutely.
Thanks for joining us today,Ruby, and thank you to everyone
listening.
We'll be back soon with morestories, more questions and more
magic from the house ofRavenbrook.
Until next time, take care andkeep awakening.

Speaker 2 (09:20):
See you, eric, and see you everyone.
Don't forget unity starts withyou.
Bye for now.