Julie of Light Omega

Much has been written about letting go of the past.  Much has been needed.  Much has been felt.  And yet in the moment of stretching, in the moment of reaching toward a deeper truth, the heart has concerns of its own that are not necessarily met by the mind's understanding nor the spirit's willingness -  concerns that often bring up sorrow and grief at the prospect of losing what has been.

Such grief and sorrow are often a necessary part of the letting go process.  They are part of the mechanism of release, just as they are part of life itself.  Letting go is what we learn if we are consciously attuned, day by day, week by week, month by month and year by year to change in life.  The more consciousness that is permitted concerning life's fluidity, the more willing and accepting is the heart when a significant size change must take place.  

There is a natural rhythm to letting go, one whose pattern is as unique as each individual heart, yet whose component parts can often involve:

1) shock at the realization of what is occurring or needs to occur, sometimes without one having realized it before,

2) uncertainty and fear concerning the meaning of the shift and the shape of the future,

3) accommodation – involving a wish to keep things as they are, or were, by trying to fit oneself into an old pattern,

4) confusion about who one is, especially if the letting go involves something or someone who has been central to one's life,

5) adaptation – involving making concrete plans for implementing the alterations that are needed, with consideration for both the practical and emotional factors involved,

and ultimately, either sooner or later if the process completes itself,

6) an appreciation of what has been, and gratitude for the gifts that have been given.

The flow and rhythm of the letting go process is shaped both by the absorption of the pain or sadness associated with the sense of loss, and by the eventual transformation of these into a sense of gratefulness for what has been.  This transformation is founded on the life of the heart and spirit, whether recognized or not, which can perceive  goodness and blessing in the presence of pain, and love in the presence of difficulty.  The more one is centered in the heart's truth and in the spirit's wisdom, the more will the gifts of life shine through every obstacle, every loss, and every limitation that one encounters on the journey.

It is with this in mind, that many seek both an inner and outer place of spiritual anchoring at a time of profound loss or letting go.  Such anchoring gives to the inner self a sense of the deepest truth that may be relied upon, even in the presence of painful emotions.  It conveys this truth to the heart and mind so that one can view the future and its unknowns with a sense of peace and equanimity.

Without such spiritual anchoring, the transition toward gratitude and acceptance of change is possible but more difficult, and elements of cynicism can accompany this shift, along with a tendency to isolate and protect one's heart in the future.  Those who wish to most deeply experience life, however, learn to remain open in the face of change and loss, for they know with the fullness of the heart's deepest knowing, that to close down around loss and change is to close down around life itself.

The natural rhythm of letting go is one that one finds within oneself, for it is embedded within the heart which dictates the steps that are needed, and no other can tell one what the measure of these steps may be.  Trusting the sense of inner truth becomes the way, then, to grace, and to taking the first steps into an unknown but trustworthy future.  This future opens out before one as one faces it and releases the past, creating new avenues of movement, and new possibilities for trust and for hope.

Related Writings:

Meditations on Love, Relationships, and Letting Go

Letting Go and the Arrival of the New

An End to Clinging (Video)

Holdout Places of the Heart (Video)

Article Section -  Purification