What is letting go? Here’s how I see it.
Have you seen the meditating Buddha fridge magnet that says, “Let that shit go?”
Everything that makes us laugh, helps us to let go. When we are truly laughing, (quietly to ourselves or loudly with friends) it’s nearly impossible to hold onto anything.
Isn’t it funny that in our culture we are given tools that help us to acquire, but not to let go? We rely on fridge magnets to remind us of what is essential to our well-being and growth, but there is no basic instruction manual with the magnet.
Have you ever tried to let go of something that you fully know is not serving you to hold onto? And you are not laughing.
Or you chuckle about it for a moment, but then go right back to holding onto it like it’s a life raft. A feeling, thought, a self-criticism, habit or pattern, an identity, a relationship, a thing, a rejection, a loss, situation, role, an impulse to fix, or a job.
Are you laughing yet, thinking about how comical it can be when that happens? Holding on is a human condition, because dogs don’t do that. They drop it. Then gladly ask for a treat. Wouldn’t it be good to always be that loving and present with ourselves?
Letting go is a curious thing. It often requires surrendering the need to be reassured, or to control, resist, or to please. Frequently it involves releasing our desire to measure or define where dropping it will lead us or how it precisely relates to the: what happened in the past. It can teach us to release having to know the way in every moment, in a world where we are trained to constantly push ourselves to have a ‘pre-approved’ plan of action.
At the heart of this process of discovery is a celebration, an opportunity to express more of our extraordinary capability, as we own our power.
I have noticed that fifty percent of the human equation called letting go is first recognizing that something is no longer beneficial to hold onto. At first, we don’t consciously realize that it’s time to free ourselves. Yet we might know that something doesn’t feel right or doesn’t fit our lives anymore, or we become aware of engaging with a subtle energy that pits us against ourselves.
Becoming conscious that it’s time to drop it, is brilliant progress. It’s valuable to pause and give ourselves a spiritual pat-on-the-back for having that clarity. This is our ‘good dog’ moment.
Sometimes we stay in that ‘fifty percent there’ place for longer than planned, mud-wrestling with it, until it’s clear to us that there is more to letting go than is obvious to the intellect.
Letting go is dissolving what we think it is, and what we expect it will result in.
It really isn’t a ‘thinking thing’ because it’s actually about the energy of it, and how we relate with that vibrational frequency of holding on. Exploring it intuitively as energy opens our consciousness so that we can more easily transform it. This is an experiential rather than intellectual process.
This liberation from pictures in our minds, from emotions, thoughts, and fears is a choice that brings joy, even if we feel some grief in shedding what we have carried.
At that precipice, we can generate inner momentum by saying to ourselves something like:
“Show me the most aligned, supported, joyful, abundant, giving, or harmonious way.”
That new decision opens potentialities within our infinite space of being and creating. Something fresh manifests from this kind of choice.
Have you noticed that we actually let go of the past and future, simultaneously? It’s not linear.
This leaves us with only one place for our awareness to be: the limitless present. That is also where we naturally find ourselves laughing, and being kind to ourselves.
The experience of pure divine surrender is a state of being, not doing. When that effortless surrender happens, it really is miraculous, and it truly brings us inner freedom. We enter the sacred dance, and we grow exponentially.
It’s like saying: “Let’s do this dance. Show me what is.”
As we gift ourselves this step, we open space to be supported and guided by Spirit (the Universe, our Higher-Self, Winnie-the-Pooh, or whatever you like to call it).
Any way we approach it, being able to “let that shit go” is one of the most valuable and compassionate gifts that we can offer ourselves, others, and humanity.
Each time we let go, we create a new reality for ourselves that has a beneficial ripple effect around us. It upgrades our relationship with life, allowing us to harmonize with the movement of creation, and cultivate deeper trust in our immeasurable intuitive wisdom.
by Gwyneth R Flack, M.A.
I love the way intuitive tools and spiritual consciousness can fast-track our ability to let go and laugh, which opens up positive new experiences and beneficial outcomes.
If you could effortlessly let go of anything right in this moment, what would it be?
If you enjoy the practice of letting go, join an upcoming class, schedule a private session, or purchase a class-series audio.