Letting go and surrendering the past events and fears leads to a healthier more joyful life and connection to God. Why is it so difficult to release the emotions from past events? There are many past events that have created pain, sorrow, hurt, anger, guilt, and fear. A person experiencing these emotions may not even be aware that they are holding onto them so deeply. The emotion has been repressed deep into the body. Where a person holds onto these emotions may vary and result in physical symptoms such as stomach irritations, heart problems, or throat issues. The burden can become heavy at times and holding onto these emotions can create a sense of powerlessness. By holding onto this feeling, the focus is only on the feeling within you and creates a barrier that no one can reach including God. Anger or whatever the emotion is at the time becomes the sole focus. The more the focus is on the feeling, the more intense the feeling can become with no resolution in site. To learn the art of letting go and/or surrendering can allow a sense of release that will bring your self awareness back to yourself. There cannot be growth, balance or progress in your spiritual pathway if you continue to hold onto these past events so strongly. To be able to change your direction and re-focus on your pathway, one must learn the techniques to surrendering.
Imagine water flowing freely in a river and how the flow is unimpeded. As the water flows, you can clearly see through the clean water as it continues on its journey. If the water is impeded with debris, it becomes stagnant, dirty, and unclear. You cannot see through it and it is stopped on its journey. However, once the barrier is released, the water slowly starts flowing again freely and continues its way again on the journey. Clarity is resumed. This analogy is similar to holding onto something that you are not able to let go. Your connection with God is impeded and the spiritual journey is not as clear or easy. Trust in the power of letting go. Start by recognizing the emotions that are holding you back and preventing you from moving forward on your journey. Do you want to continue to hold onto or release these emotions to be able to become more clearly the person you were meant to be?
A technique that is helpful in letting go the negative emotions is through visualization. First create a quiet calm space where you can focus on on the process. Breath deeply and slowly. Imagine the river flowing clearly and notice where it might be getting stuck or have a barrier. What are the barriers that are preventing the river from flowing more freely? What are the emotions related to this barrier? Open your heart and surround yourself with the loving light of self-acceptance and compassion. Choose to release, imagine releasing your concerns, worries, self-doubt, and whatever the emotion might be to God and the angels. Feel the lighten of the release. See the barrier get smaller; imagine putting a stick in the river to release the debris that is causing the barrier and see the water start flowing again.
Another method is to either visualize or actually try to hold water in your hands. As you struggle to try and keep all the water in your hands, the water still leaks out between the fingers. See the water as it flows through, let go the barrier of the hands and release the water. Watch the water freely flow out of your hands.
Journaling after these visualizations will help you more clearly see what barriers of emotions are holding you back on your journey and the significance of surrendering these barriers. Appreciate the courage in yourself for facing the issues and letting go the barriers that prevent you from connecting to your God more fully. See God in everyone and realize that everyone has their own issues they are trying to release. Remember the next time something is held onto so tightly to imagine yourself as the water flowing freely without the barriers, surrendering to the flow of the journey of life.
