The Art of Letting Go
Surrender. Let go. JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL. Though it’s a common spiritual adage, surrendering or detaching is way easier said than done. It can feel like a moving target, a practice I come back to every day. But there’s one book that helped me move the needle immensely.
The book in question is Letting Go, by David R. Hawkins, truly a book with amazing energetic power and a wealth of knowledge. Beyond getting into how to specifically let go, Hawkins gets into the different levels of consciousness that we can experience. It is illuminating. According to the Hawkins scale, a percentage of the world operates around 200 which is essentially the trailhead of the spiritual journey. Many others exist lower on the spectrum, in fear and survival mode. Apparently the few of us who are even higher on the scale when it comes to consciousness can make up for the many who exist much, much lower. He gives the example of Buddha or Jesus Christ, or any high sage or guru. Their powerful and high level of consciousness balances out the ‘sins of the world’ (my paraphrase). The key to moving up the scale of consciousness? Deep surrender.
So how do we actually do this? The first step is to feel the feeling. We tend to suppress or try to escape from feelings. This can look like numbing through food, or entertainment or more extreme escapism like drugs or drinking. Instead, the next time something is bubbling up, take a second to examine and observe the feeling. Journal if you need to. Sit with it, but when you are truly accepting a feeling with warmth and compassion it doesn’t stick around long. Then you have to let go of the outcome, or whatever you’re gripping onto. You must deeply know that you are safe and loved and the outcome of what you’re worrying about is going to be ok. You’re good if it happens (if it’s something good) and good if it doesn’t. This is the most liberating feeling. You’ll feel the pressure move off you, like you quickly let the air out of a balloon. Let the anxiety leave your body, unclench your jaw, and really, let go. As you practice this, you may need to revisit the same patterns a few times. The thought surfaces, you let go of attachment again and again, until it becomes second nature. When you can be in the world but not of the world, true freedom is yours.
