This session addressed the common fear of aging and future health and financial concerns by reframing fear as an avenue of excitement and awakening rather than an obstacle to overcome. Bartholomew emphasized that God uses everything to bring people home, and that fears are one of the main pathways to awakening rather than barriers that need to be eliminated first. He challenged the typical approach of trying to solve one set of fears before pursuing spiritual development, pointing out that when one fear is resolved, another inevitably arises, creating an endless cycle of postponement.

The teaching distinguished between two responses to fear: the unsuccessful method involving struggling like a fish in a net desperately seeking mental escape routes through storytelling about the past or fantasizing about future solutions, while the successful approach requires the courage to stop running and simply be present with the uncomfortable feelings. Bartholomew described how at 2 or 3 AM, when fears typically arise, most people spend energy creating endless mental scenarios rather than recognizing this as "the moment of the warrior" - an opportunity to choose presence over mental spinning.

A significant portion of the sessions addressed guilt as a joy-killer that arises from running away from the simple possibility of having made a mistake. Rather than spiritual bypassing with statements like "there are no mistakes," Bartholomew suggested the liberating approach of saying "Maybe I did" make an error. He explained that this willingness to acknowledge potential mistakes immediately releases energy into relaxation and disarms those who might be attacking with righteousness, while also addressing the deeper fear that a punishing God would exact retribution for wrongdoing.

The session explored Joseph Campbell's statement that "God is the ultimate barrier," clarifying that the barrier was not God's essence but rather people's mental projections and preconceived ideas about what God should feel like. Bartholomew explained that many spiritual seekers fail to recognize authentic experiences because they don't match their conceptual expectations, and that even experiences of bliss that came and went were not the ultimate fullness of God-awareness since the eternal Self remained present through all changing states.

Bartholomew addressed doubt as potentially one of the major paths to awakening rather than an obstacle, challenging the catch-22 that doubt prevents reaching God while only God's revelation could eliminate doubt. He encouraged embracing doubt fully rather than trying to eliminate it, explaining that the energy of doubt was no different from the energy of total knowing - it is simply not as deep. This same principle applies to all difficult emotions: they are raw, pulsating power that reveal the same essential substance as joy when one stop running from them.

The teaching concluded with encouragement that spiritual awakening is not reserved for a chosen few but is available to anyone who has even the slightest desire or stirring toward God-awareness. Bartholomew pointed out that such desires are themselves signals of readiness, since not everyone is naturally drawn to these topics. He emphasized that the increasing difficulties and wars on the planet make this an even more powerful time for awakening, as fear and uncertainty create moments of power that can be used for immediate spiritual breakthrough rather than sources of despair.

The practical instruction involved recognizing that all intense feelings - whether fear, doubt, guilt, or pain - are "God in drag" and contain the same essential substance as experiences of bliss. The key is developing the skill of stopping mental storytelling for just a few moments and trusting the unknown mystery of God-awareness that is closer than hands and feet, requiring no preparation or elimination of difficulties to be accessed in the immediate present moment.