This is a great thread indeed - lots of gems here being explored through.

Anastasia if I may pick up on this one you said...

In my case, when I feel the need to protect myself, I contract. I tense up and harden some part of myself, so as to not let something in, that I perceive as threatening. That becomes my armour. I think this is what Openhand refers to as tightness. But this, of course, is exactly what the Matrix is working for, to keep me tight and contracted. Why? Because when I tighten up, I look away. I hide, and I’m no longer face to face with my ‘enemy’, looking him right in the eye. The wall I put up and hide behind is the same wall that my opponent can use to slip by undetected, and find a way in. In other words, I have created a blind spot where I am temporarily unconscious, and therefore, paradoxically enough, unprotected.

Yes indeed, that is an example of what Openhand would call 'tightness' and how blind spots are created in the moment - so we don't behave authentically. One key aspect of Openhand philosophy in dealing with distortions is this...

When you see a distortion, don't simply try to drop it, like the proverbial hot coals. Because at the root of the distortion is always an authentic truth - distortions are distortions of an original truthful expression of soul. So in order to peel away the distortion, is to find the truth and express that instead.

So what might the truth be in 'tensing up and protecting oneself in the face of an "enemy" (opponent)'?

With someone you experience as opposing you, someone who doesn't have your best interests at heart, then clearly there are limitations to the degree in which we might trust them. It's fine to be loving and non judgmental, but that doesn't mean to abandon discernment aswell. Where trust is an issue, then the soul will create natural boundaries. So for example the emotional body might naturally retract, so as not to be so emotionally open and therefore vulnerable to their actions. But essentially, this must not become a hardened boundary - fixed and tight within. It must be allowed to expand and contract naturally as we perceive the authenticity of the moment.

So you look in the 'opponents' eyes, and you're discerning the degree to which you can trust, and allowing the natural boundary to form from there. Crucially, this requires attention to be in one's energy field - the blind spot will be where the mind forms some kind of judgment (like... "I'm going to be hurt" for example), and paradoxically, you risk getting hurt because the boundary stays open too much or else contracts down and starts to fix.

A great deal of mastery is to be gained from watching these subtle inner interplays happening.

Open