Question: I realized today that I often feel an intense ache in my sacral region. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I know that I am frequently trying to escape from it, and I end up distracting myself via social media. It doesn’t feel exactly like shame, but it does feel somewhat similar. What I do know is that I’m somewhat afraid of just being with it.

Be courageous. There’s nothing to fear. Let go of all desires, of all attempts to escape.

Wherever and whenever there’s a tendency to turn away, gently open here.

When you gently open right here, you don’t actually “burrow in” or “use an X-ray.” Burrowing in or using X-ray vision is probably just an expression of hatred or fear. That is, it’s another, subtler escape route.

Gently opening to it, you explore what it is. After all, you admit that you don’t know what it is exactly. Isn’t this, then, an invitation to meet it, to see whatever it discloses?

Simply, you only need to shine a gentle light on this, open to it, and stay right here. Just set up camp.

So, go ahead and set up camp–methodically, quietly, nonchalantly.