Letting go is a running theme in the lessons I am learning in this life. But it’s such a nebulous term. What does it mean? And how exactly are we to let go? There is so much to let go of: relationships, the past, the future, your definition of self, beliefs, attachments and emotions. What is it to let go of EVERYTHING? I recently came across the book, Letting Go, by David R. Hawkins, MD, PHD. The single most critical take away from this book is this: talking about it (expressing it), is NOT letting it go. In fact, talking it out, whatever IT is, simply gives more energy to it. The second critical takeaway from the book is that letting go is a specific, practical process. Here is my version of this process.
- Recognize the emotion at the root of what you want to let go of.
- Imagine the emotion moving outside of your body, to right in front of you, as if you are placing it on a table in front of you.
- Look at it without judgement. Just watch it with love as it dissolves away.
It sounds too easy to be effective. But it WORKS. Try it! Like any skill, it takes practice. But it works the first time. The key is to understand that big emotional events will take more rounds of letting go to fully purge. So be patient. And there are always more emotions coming up all the time. Ideally, we can get to a state of continual release.
And why does that matter? It comes down to crafting the life you want. You must release to receive. You have to make room for the new by letting go of the old. You know this. I don’t have to tell you. But doing it – actually letting go of what no longer serves you (which is everything) – is another level of skill. So here it is. No more excuses. This is the practical step by step of how it’s done. Try this with something simple and work your way up to letting go of self, letting go of desire for what you want, letting go of your need to control, of your need to know. It feels light and free. What an amazing book! It’s well worth the read.
Let me know how you apply it in your life.
