Letting Go

It is the season of letting go. Some leaves fall when they are still green; some leaves fall once they have completely transformed their color; some leaves fall along with the others; some leaves linger as long as they can; some leaves hang on until spring comes and new growth pushes them off. Some fall quickly to the ground and some meander down in swaying curves. Some get carried by the wind and others get carried by a stream or river. All the leaves eventually let go, showing us that there is no one way to do it. They have much to teach us about the process.

We use the term "letting go" often in meditation. But what does it really look like to let something go? It can sound so easy or methodical, but it rarely is. On Sunday night I shared my current layer of letting go. It often happens in layers. We shed a whole skin and live in that new suit for a while, until we are ready to shed another. I invite you to have a listen to the talk, but even if you don't, you can still try on this week's pause...

This fall, what do you want to let go of? What holds you back, keeps you in resentment, sadness, anger, physical pain, or stuck? What keeps you from feeling free? Anxiety has a lot to say on that matter, so if you are feeling anxious it can be a good place to start. What's underneath it that needs releasing? It's okay if you feel as though you already did it and it "shouldn't" still be there needing to let go. All it means is that there is yet another layer ready to fall away in time.
Naming it is the first step. From there, letting go has to happen in the mind, in the body and in the heart. Skipping one doesn't work. Here are some journaling/reflection prompts on all three.

1. What does my mind need to let go of here? Is there another way of perceiving what has gone on that incorporates who I am now, not who I once was? What is true now?

2. Where in my body am I holding this? Drop out of thinking and into sensing with this one. What does it feel like (describe it in colorful detail)? Now that I know it, what does my body need me to do to really let go, to relax, to stop contracting? If I were to sit, stand, move in the ways it needs me to, what would that feel like? Or, if it needs me to stop altogether, what would that be like?

3. What does my heart, or what does love, have to say about this? This will be the voice of kindness, compassion, and understanding coming through. Move away from processing intellectually and drop into something deeper and more knowing.

This is just a start, but it can be part of the process that's often a life-long one. Forgiveness works in the same way. So much freedom lies here.

Wishing you a peaceful path to Thanksgiving!
🙏🧡

Jean