When you give something away you make room for something new to come into your life. When you let go of something in your mind you open up for new insights to come to you. When you say goodbye to old habits and behaviors that no longer have purpose in your life, you say hello to new and beneficial, healthy habits. When you let go of something that no longer is necessary, on all levels of your being, whether thoughts, habits or beliefs, you allow something new and fresh to approach you. With more room inside you for something new, and awareness that you are only going to let in that which is beneficial to you, you begin to take back your power and to own your own life once again, or perhaps for the first time ever.
The nagual shaman, don Juan Matus, explained to his apprentice, Carlos Castaneda, that yes, the solid object reality we live in is indeed real, but, it is energy first. Our thoughts, which are interpretations of energy, manifest our physical reality.
What we manifest is real, but the broader truth is that all manifested realities are but an interpretation of infinite energy. Like the Hindu image of the cosmic ocean, the wave is but the manifested surface that appears, and then disappears, back into its underlying cosmic oneness.
From the Thoth Tarot deck of Aliester Crowley
Aleister Crowley, in discussing the Three of Swords, in his Thoth tarot deck, states that the extreme sorrow of this card can be likened to the Buddha’s initial stage of enlightenment when he encountered the pure potential of unmanifested reality: no forms, no reason.
Despite the bliss of this pure clarity, there is the necessary sorrow of releasing attachment to the familiar. Here, one is challenged to surrender to a consciousness greater than one’s current manifestation.
It all begins in the mind. Outer reflects inner. It’s all in what one chooses to emphasize. Negative thought is certainly an option; it’s just as real an option as a positive thought—divinity includes everything.
Everything is possible, but the paradox is that to realize this truth we must be willing to let go of our cherished beliefs, which are fixations of energy that block the natural flow of energy needed to manifest desired change. The struggle is indeed one of submitting to enlightened sorrow, the necessary crossroad that accompanies moving beyond the familiar habitual self.
Take for instance a desired physical change in the body. One may state a healing intent of change but is constantly assaulted by the feedback of sensory evidence that contradicts one’s stated suggestion to their subconscious mind. This sensory feedback loop becomes its own internal dialogue that presents a more powerful counter-intention to the subconscious mind.
The technology of change, through the use of autosuggestion, insists that one emphasize repeatedly that their desired change is already accomplished. The seed has been planted in the divine substance of the subconscious mind and its full manifestation cannot be stopped, despite the presence of a solid sensory artifact, rooted in a prior interpretation of energy.
I suggest resting the body so that the subconscious mind, relieved of its physical oversight responsibilities, might clearly receive its new directive and move toward manifestation. With presence and passion, repeat the stated intention. Be bold, no hesitation, thy will is done.
At other times, be willing to suffer those moments of fear and sorrow when one glimpses the real possibility of letting go of the cherished limited self. Yes, you are chosen; you have chosen to emphasize the red pill: the life-changing, often painful truth beyond the current fixation of solid energy.
From the Thoth Tarot deck of Aliester Crowley
Of course, when the gig is up, the gig is up. In another card of Crowley’s Thoth tarot deck, the Three of Cups, we find the near perfect realization of the manifested intent of abundance. The presence of pomegranate seeds in the cups, though symbolic of abundance, also recall Persephone’s required stay in the underworld for six months of the year with her husband Pluto, god of the dead.
We cannot escape the expiration date located in the small print of every manifestation. Life insists upon growth, which always requires the letting go of the known.
This recalls the Buddha’s suggestion that life is suffering. Everything that we attach to ultimately limits our growth. But that sorrow can be sweet when we embrace love for all in this adventure of forever. One always has the choice to emphasize love and let it fully manifest.
Unearthing old feelings brings up more than just those old feelings. Everything attached to them is unearthed as well. Healing takes time and investigating what has been unearthed thoroughly and completely brings one closer to healing old wounds, old thoughts, whether true or not, and old feelings that may or may not show themselves repeatedly throughout life to be more cantankerous than supposed. To heal from the old is to heal deeply, and to heal deeply is the good work of the soul, for it is the soul’s journey that is just as important as the one physical life you are currently in. Healing is a multidimensional process best engaged in one step at a time, one day at a time, one issue at a time.
Changing times call for changing attitudes. The best medicine is often something totally outside of the norm, unusual and even the opposite of what you think might be needed. Strength, courage and a sense of humor may get you through the worst of times much better than any standard of care. A knowing heart may know what is best, an inner sense that something drastic must be done, a cure that does not require anything more than a deep soul search, an adjustment of direction, balance and yes, attitude. They often say that gratitude is the attitude that cures all, but more often than not it’s facing a truth and accepting it, with honesty. A new honest attitude toward the self may be all that is needed.
External woes are often the result of bad choices but they can equally be just the way things should go. Don’t get too caught up in trying to fix everything that you perceive as wrong but let things run their course. Often the cure can only be gotten by going through a process that may not appear as healing but actually is the solution. It’s nature’s way. Let things unfold as they will and full healing will result. This advice is to be taken at both a personal level and an impersonal one, in your own world and the world at large. Healing is taking place whether you detect it or not.
