Letting go can be interpreted in so many ways. Release, trust, acceptance, surrender, these are all terms that may inspire the feeling of letting go.
A few months ago, I saw a picture in my mind during one of my meditations. It had been a stressful time for me and I was seeking some relief. In my mental picture, I was holding onto a trapeze bar in the sky. As long as my hands were tightly clinching the bar I could feel the apparent gravity pulling down on me. I could feel the weight of my body as I held on for fear of falling.
The relationship between me hanging onto something and the ground below created a sense of fear. The focus from that vantage point was directed towards what seemed to be an inevitable observation. I am hanging onto something high off the ground and when I let go I will surely die.
But what if the bar and the ground were not a part of the equation at all? What if they are part of an illusion? What if all there really is, in the place where our spirit abides, is the space in between the bar and the ground? What if that space became the focus of our attention and we didn’t scramble to hang onto anything outside of ourselves for security?
At first the thought of letting go of the bar seemed to be counter intuitive. It seemed that I would surely plummet to my death. Yet, when I gained the courage to let go, I didn’t fall as I suspected I would. Instead, I released into a weightless space. It was as though I was floating on a cloud.
I had entered into a place where everything flows, where instantaneously all my confusion, fear and struggle ceased to have power over me any longer.
In this place there is no fear, no struggle to survive, no lack. All things are complete. All things are content. All things are exactly as they should be. All things are full of joy and the pleasure of being alive is realized.
[bctt tweet=”When I LET GO and flow with life, fear and struggle cease to have control over me any longer.”]
No longer do the limitations of gravity confine or define who we are or what we are capable of. In this place, the conditions we observe do not apply. We enter into an unconditional love. A love without form. A love that stretches beyond our understanding.
We can choose to tightly hold onto the trapeze bar, go through the motions, allow fear or someone else dictate who we are and where we lead our life. Or we can choose to let go of the bar, release into the unknown, take flight, embark on a journey that reaches beyond the parameters of who we thought we were and bask in the weightlessness of the unconditional love that is truly our very nature.
HERE are 4 STEPS THAT CAN HELP YOU CULTIVATE PEACE AND LET GO
1. Acceptance
Letting go is a process, as is accepting ourselves and our circumstances. The two work hand-in-hand. When we have a hard time letting go, it seems that oftentimes the culprit lies in the avoidance to accept. We keep wanting the outcome to change so we keep pressing and pressing only to make matters worse. Even if we don’t agree with what is transpiring, an attitude of acceptance can help us see through the smog and walk a straighter path.
2. Trust and Release Fears
Fear can be so elusive. All of us struggle with it to some degree. When fear shows up there’s a little trick I like to use to avoid it as much as possible. Stop believing in it! This doesn’t mean we won’t get hijacked by it from time to time, but when we know that fear truly is something that only exists when we allow it to exist, there can be great relief in taking back our power by knowing that our being originates from love and not fear.
A couple of scriptures from the bible that have helped me:
“There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out all fear.” 1 John 4:18
“God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7.
When you feel fear, sit with what you are feeling. Don’t judge it. Allow the root of whatever you are thinking to arise. Look at it and know it’s not real because it’s not a thought stemming from love. Our thoughts are not who we are. We can train our brains to be in alignment with love, which is our core, so that we may fully experience ourselves.
Instead of latching onto fear, let it pass on through. Fear does not serve us. It only makes us feel bad and can paralyze us when our deepest desire is to flow with inspired action.
3. Release Judgements
Things don’t often go the way we think they should go. Many times we are headed in one direction, thinking we know exactly how to get there, when suddenly the scenery changes into something as foreign as a hillbilly in Hong Kong. We start to feel like dissecting our circumstances, exposing everything that’s wrong with our lives, with ourselves and everyone around us. If we jump onto the judgment train the momentum of it can become like a drug. Judgement focuses our energy on all the negatives and steals from what could be our power in the moment. It will never satisfy.
Pay attention when judgement-peace-stealers try to take your mind hostage. They usually come in the form of placing everyone in a hierarchical order. Or they come by being critical or feeling like nothing is right. Everything starts to be categorized as either good or bad, wrong or right, black or white. Avoid this kind of thinking and the ability to let go will have the means to come through.
4. Quiet Your Mind and Breathe
This step is crucial to letting go. One of our greatest hindrances can be an overactive and negatively based mind. However, if we learn to lead our mind with presence, quietness and peace, it will become our ally. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of sitting with ourselves and clearing our mind. This is the place where we can develop new avenues of thought where negativity once wreaked havoc. Negative thinking usually is just a habit we’ve fostered over time. By clearing our minds, we can introduce new positive thoughts that will then become our habit. Over time, after consistently practicing peace through breathing, relaxing and clearing our thoughts, positive thinking becomes our thoughts by default.
A TRIBUTE TO MY BIRDIE:
I actually had already written most of this post when she flew away, but her exit provided me with a great opportunity to practice what I preach. Don’t you love it when that happens!? Not really, but it’s true. It’s in these times that we can grow and gain a little more awareness than we had before.
I dedicate this post to her and thank her for the joy she brought to me and our family. I am learning to accept and release in the midst of even the most unfortunate turn of events.
I love you Mordecai. May your spirit soar above the clouds and may the stars love and hold you.
