Tag Archives: letting go

Soulbyte for Friday June 15, 2018

Let the unnecessary go, that which causes so much pain and so many problems. Why hold onto something that only holds you back? Practice letting go by shifting toward something new, by turning in a new direction, by saying something different to yourself, by developing new relationships, by turning to nature and letting it guide you in what it means to let go. Nature is an expert at letting go, for letting go is change and nature is in constant change. Letting go is the first most necessary aspect of beginning to change. Let something old go today, even if it’s just an idea about yourself that is not positive, and take the first step towards a changed self. And don’t forget to look forward with joy in your heart as you take your first step!

-From the Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne

Chuck’s Place: Let It Happen

Jan shares an excerpt from her forthcoming book, The Place of No Pity:

“I don’t know. The whole idea of letting go just makes me hold tighter and I’m so afraid I haven’t completed everything on this side of the river yet. I don’t want to leave anything behind. I’m thorough that way.”

We laugh at that, but it’s no joke.

After the session I drive over to the studio. I told Chuck that I’d heard the words “true things happen” and that I like the idea of letting things happen so much better than letting go. “Let it happen” sounds so doable, a lot less stressful than “letting go.” To me, letting go implies that I am holding back and can’t let go, which is true, but it also implies that I am at fault, that I am to blame for not letting go. Let it happen, on the other hand, allows me to let myself be open, to acquiesce. Let go, inhibits by its very command and my reaction is: “Oh my God, I can’t! There must be something wrong with me! Why can’t I?” And I start thinking that I’m incapable and then I just tighten up. The phrases let it happen and true things happen are more soothing, allowing me to open, to be flowing, to go with the flow; all of which are much more positive, without a hint of blame, without some other voice making demands. Instead, I simply release and open to the possibilities. Or at least that is my intention! (End of excerpt.)

Looking out the back window... - Photo by Chuck Ketchel
Looking out the back window…
– Photo by Chuck Ketchel

How many times do we come to the conclusion: “I just have to let go!” But what is the technology of letting go? How do we actually let go?

The realization that one must let go derives from the growing awareness that much of life energy is exhausted by and preoccupied with what has happened in the past. One feels the impact of the unresolved past overshadowing and consuming the present as we obsess about what has happened, how it has impacted us, and how we handled it. Conclusions and fixations from the past define our sense of self, our self-esteem, and the limiting beliefs we are controlled by in everyday life. In effect, as the train of life moves into new territory we find ourselves staring out the back window of the last car, unable to be present for the uniqueness and possibility of unfolding time.

Clearly, the optimal seat on the train is the engineer’s—first car, front window, being fully present to the nuances of oncoming time. In practical terms, this means being mindfully present now. If I sit down to a meal and munch away but my mind is fully engaged in replaying a disturbing incident, I will surely not be present for the flavors and textures of the food, much less a conscious participant of the beginnings of digestion—slow and thorough chewing!

The decision to be present to what is truly occurring now, is a conscious decision to encounter now as it happens. This is at the heart of an existential attitude, to be fully engaged and present for what is happening in the moment, letting it happen by being fully open and present to the full experience of it.

The mechanics of this kind of mindful presence is to volitionally bring one’s attention and intent to the present moment, letting it happen with full participation. Of course, part of being fully present means also being fully present to all that is happening within oneself as one faces oncoming time. In the present moment one might feel a gripping tension in the throat, a holding back of breath, a tightness in the solar plexus, the bladder, and a clenching in the perineum. These energy centers, or chakras, are all revealing their present state of activation and various forms of protective defense. While acknowledging their collective state of anxiety, one is still free to choose to place one’s attention on the present moment, on what is happening, and engage it with conscious awareness.

If one is experiencing waves of terror within, one can still be available to interact with another being—still be fully present, still look the other in the eye, focus on their words, while also noticing one’s own feelings and impressions—in essence, to have the experience of a conscious encounter, no matter what is going on inside oneself.

The act of letting go in “letting it happen” is training awareness to release the stranglehold of the past, just enough to take in now, to be present in everyday life. It is not possible to be present if one does not let go, to some extent, of being completely consumed by the view from the back window. The trick here is to not dissociate from one’s past discomfort as it presents, but to “let it go” just enough to remain aware of the unfolding of present time as well. This is the act of remaining associated, open to the full inclusion of inner and outer experiences, as presented by the clash of the past with oncoming time. This is the kind of fuller awareness that opens doors to new possibilities and new perspectives, as one looks out the back window and the front window of the speeding train of life simultaneously.

Fully present, fully facing oncoming time... - Photo by Chuck Ketchel
Fully present, fully facing oncoming time…
– Photo by Chuck Ketchel

Recapitulation, which Jan was in the midst of in the opening quote, requires a conscious choosing to “let it happen,” to acquiesce to what comes in the unfolding of one’s journey through life. “It” may be the full impact of a viscerally stored experience reaching way back in time, through the back window of the train, into early childhood history. However, by consciously choosing to remain present with the experience, one is simultaneously at the front of the train, viewing the experience from a much broadened perspective, a lifetime of experiences providing a lifetime of insights.

“Letting it happen” is the real technology of letting go. In this earth dimension, we are all treated to a reality of oncoming time all the time. To open fully and be present to oncoming time is our opportunity to exercise our freedom. When we exercise that freedom by choosing to be fully present, no matter what comes at us, we release ourselves from the tenets and limitations of the past. And, little by little, we take bold and definite steps toward opening to new and present experiences of life.

Letting it happen,

Chuck

Note: Volume 4 in the Recapitulation Diaries series, The Place of No Pity, is targeted for publication early next year.

Lessons in a Life: Responsibility In The Face Of Karma

Facing the truth of the path that lies before us... - Photo by Jan Ketchel
Facing the truth of the path that lies before us…
– Photo by Jan Ketchel

We are all, at some time in our lives, faced with having to admit that something just isn’t working for us anymore. At such times we might get angry. We might become sad. We might become defiant, or we might simply give up. But the truth is that when something is not working for us anymore we are being asked to face a truth about ourselves, about our life, and about our future. We are being asked to change something and the decision we make is crucial to what comes next.

Sometimes we might have to act on the behalf of another person, and this too puts us in a unique position. Robert Monroe—documented out-of-body traveler, founder of the Monroe Institute and the developer of Hemi-Sync audio technique—described, during an out-of-body experience, being in a position to have to make a decision on behalf of another living creature, in this case, a dog.

Here is the story: He and the dog are the best of companions. They are taking a walk when the dog, running after a rabbit, is struck by a truck. Monroe assesses the situation. The dog is obviously beyond recovery. In order to alleviate his suffering, Monroe takes responsibility and acts quickly. Soaking his shirt in gasoline from the gas tank of the truck that struck the dog, Monroe places the gasoline soaked shirt over the dog’s mouth and with the most tender and caring embrace helps his dear dog go.

Coming out of the OBE, Monroe learns from his teachers that at another time in his life he would have been swept up in such emotional turmoil that he would not have been able to act as quickly and wisely toward his dying dog. He would have clung to him, but it would have been to the detriment of the dog’s spirit, for the truth was that the dog was dying and overpowering emotional attachment would have offered nothing of substance to the situation. At the time of this OBE, however, Monroe had advanced to a place of utter detachment. He had control over his emotions and could focus his energy where it needed to go. Without pity, but only filled with love, he could do what his doggy friend needed him to do.

Sometimes it’s time to let people, pets, things, behaviors and habits go, as succinctly and with as much love and kindness as Monroe administered to his dying dog. They’d had a good life together, but without regret, and without blaming the truck driver for striking the dog—for he knew there was no cause to fault him—Monroe acted in alignment with the truth of what had occurred. He was so emotionally detached that within seconds was able to read the entire scene. His role was clear. He was there to administer impersonal loving kindness and compassion; a karmic duty was performed.

Our own evolutionary process prepares us, through each lifetime, as we train ourselves to take responsibility, gain control over our emotions, and focus our energy, just as Monroe did, to get to the point where we are able to face the truths of a certain situation without attachment or blame.

Wise knowing comes when we are ready to act upon it... - Photo by Jan Ketchel
Wise knowing comes when we are ready to act upon it…
– Photo by Jan Ketchel

Sometimes we are called to action unwillingly; we don’t really want to, but we feel obligated. Sometimes we are ready to jump in when asked. Sometimes things are thrust upon us suddenly, as in Monroe’s case. On the day he took his dog for a walk he had no idea he would be called upon to do what he did. Such are the moments when we realize our true spiritual state, when our evolutionary progress is made clear.

The question is: Will we be ready, when called upon, to do the thing that is right for all involved, with only goodness in our heart, without attachment, need, dependency, but simply because it is the right thing? Will we be able to transcend the personal and let go?

“Letting go” can take many forms, depending on our lives, how we’ve created them, and how ready we are to change and allow for new life, whether a new phase of life on earth, or acquiescence to the death of the physical body. Letting go is allowing for change that is right to actually take place, changing us in the process.

In the end, we must all take responsibility for ourselves, for our decisions and our actions; if we don’t or can’t then things will be imposed on us. And so it is imperative that we practice taking control of our own letting go now, in full consciousness, not letting even the letting go overpower us, but riding through it with as much grace and love as Monroe did when he realized it was time to let his dog go.

Part of our karmic process now involves letting go of that which no longer serves us, be it old habits or behaviors, attachments, loves, fears, dislikes, resentments; even our physical prowess must go at some point. The list goes on. We all have something to let go of, as we are all challenged to free ourselves to move on into greater life every day. Can we take full responsibility for every aspect of our lives and move on without burdening, blaming or becoming a victim?

The difficulties we face when we are involved in the lives of other adult beings is that we cannot control or really ask anything of them. Ultimately, every decision, choice and action is up to them. We might see very clearly that they are in a critical situation, being foolhardy, putting their lives at risk or burdening others with their behaviors, and although we might see that there is no time like the present to give advice, the truth is that we really do have to let our own expectations go and allow others to take their own journeys, keeping in mind the lesson that Monroe learned from his teachers, that during another lifetime he had not been so advanced. We are all living the life we are living in order to learn a crucial karmic lesson, even those who frustrate us the most!

What tomorrow may bring we don't really know, but we can prepare now... - Photo by Jan Ketchel
What tomorrow may bring we don’t really know, but we can prepare now…
– Photo by Jan Ketchel

People will do what people will do, but at the same time if we are called upon to assist we must state the truths as we see them and ask the other being to take full responsibility for decisions made.

We can offer help and guidance, but ultimately we have to step back and let nature take its course, including the nature inside another being. That kind of letting go is as poignant and caring as Monroe’s action on behalf of his dying dog, and learning to let go in such a manner is a sign of true compassion.

Who are we to know the truth behind someone else’s karma? We can only guess. Unless it is our own karmic journey, we only have the outer truth available to us, and that may be very clear to us, though not at all to the other being. At such times, our only recourse may be to administer love, kindness, and compassion, and without attachment send that other being on their journey, into new life in whatever form that will take.

Sometimes love is enough,
Jan

The episode with the dog is described in Robert Monroe’s book, Far Journeys.

Chuck’s Place: Letting Go—Being With Without Grasping

Can we release the diamond in the mine?

Anything we hold within, beyond our knowing, we grasp at in unawareness. Our bodies cling to our secrets in symptoms and disease, seeking release in awakening awareness.

Letting go is actually letting ourselves fully know—all there is to know—to release all restrictions to the truth and let it be revealed.

To be in the full presence of the truth, to feel the full emotional experience of terror, fear, powerlessness, loss, abandonment, betrayal, hatred, and even love—the full multifaceted diamond of a life experience—is the heart of letting go. That is, letting go of the body’s need to grasp all that we couldn’t know is at the heart of freedom.

In the knowing, we are free to release the emotional energy the body once grasped at. Drained of its energy, we find ourselves fully present with fact—just the truth of what was once so viscerally true but now no longer holds emotional charge.

Sometimes we grasp at illusions to shield us from the impact of life’s inevitable changes: the loss of a loved one, the end of a relationship, the end of love. To allow ourselves to calmly be in the full presence of such truth, to feel what is or was without needing it to be anything other than what it is or was, is releasing the self from grasping that which is no more, self now freed to be fully present with the truth, freed to move on to new life.

At the heart of it all, can I let go?

Can I let myself know the full truths of self and other, and all we’ve done together? Can I be in the full presence of all that I truly feel? Can we pass each other, encounter each other, acknowledge each other, without familiarity, without grasping? Can we walk past each other, simply beings who shared a past, perhaps profoundly so but now totally freed, our energy now retrieved, fully available to new life in the full presence of life lived and unfolding life, without grasping? This is the essence of letting go.

Without grasping,
Chuck

#740 On Becoming a Person of Awareness

Written by Jan Ketchel and including channeled guidance from Jeanne Ketchel.

When I began my recapitulation journey, a life changing journey, I easily identified Jeanne as a main guide in my life when she appeared before me in a numinous experience that I could not have conjured up, nor fully comprehend, at the time. From that first appearance and as she reappeared again and again, I began to trust the experiences of her, whether in visionary or energetic form. Later I was able to identify other helpers as well, sometimes just unknown guiding voices that spoke clearly and soberly, offering me straightforward and pragmatic advice as I journeyed onward. But what I learned from Jeanne at the very beginning was the importance of continually allowing myself to trust the guidance I was receiving.

It was not an easy process. It entailed not only learning to trust the truth of the memories that were triggered and resurfacing almost daily, but also to trust the universe as a whole, learning that it was all I really needed in order to evolve. This was a major step in both learning how to let go and how to become more aware.

Jeanne says: All wisdom lies within. As a New Year begins it is time to more fully accept this fact, that you alone are enough, that you have within you all that it takes to learn to trust, to learn awareness, but also to learn what it means to truly love both the self and others. Only in learning these things will your wholeness be fully available to you.

She often told me, as I elected to go on a journey of total personal transformation, that all I had to do was trust, be open to the signs that appeared before me, but that to fully trust I had to learn how to let go of the old me. This meant letting go of my need to control everything in my life, in my everyday world, but also releasing control of my thoughts, emotions, feelings, and what came out of my unconscious. I had to learn to let the universe become my guide. This letting go was often as painful as the reliving of memories, but it was equally freeing and necessary.

Jeanne says: In learning to let go of the controlling self—both the known controlling self, the everyday self who acts and sees and relates to the prescribed world, and the unknown, hidden, controlling self who sits upon an inner throne and dictates and directs life as if it were a play—one begins to not only act and relate differently but one begins to perceive differently too. One becomes gradually more aware; aware that in letting go of controls one receives new life and new energy.

Letting go of the old self is part of the process of learning to trust, as I learned from my work with Chuck as my shaman guide in this world and Jeanne as my shaman guide in the world where awareness counts above all else.

Jeanne says: Awareness means being present in an uncommon way, in the form of heightened alertness to the world around you, fine tuning all your senses, but also the innate ones that all of you have buried deeply within. These innate senses are rejected by most Western cultures and thus become dormant, often never revived in a lifetime. In becoming a person of awareness, one asks these innate capabilities to awaken and guide one’s progress through life. In becoming a person of awareness, life will be perceived in a different manner, but this must become acceptable and that is where I stress learning to trust all that comes to greet you from outside and inside. It is only in learning to trust your experiences that you will understand what I am talking about. Life is meant to be experiential. And I do not mean only in the world you perceive every day, but in the worlds that you may not notice except only occasionally.

I learned to trust the guidance I received during the process of recapitulation, over time, as I plodded along one step at a time. I learned, by doing, to let go of preconceived ideas, of judgments, expectations, and really everything I thought was so important, indeed everything I had learned since infancy. I learned to reinvent myself in my own image.

In teaching the process of awakening and awareness, I must fully agree with Jeanne that the most important step is learning to trust your personal experiences, the experiences that life and your body offer, whether they are physical, mental, emotional, paranormal, numinous, psychic; any experience that shifts you, that jolts you out of yourself and your world, that unexpectedly throws you, exposes you or presents you with experiences of the sublime, the magical, the fearful, the darkness, God, the angels, clarity, enlightenment, etc. These are the experiences to pay attention to. They teach us how to trust and how to let go, so that we may have the opportunity to evolve if we so choose.

Another important lesson in learning to trust the universe in a process of transformation is learning patience. “All good things will come,” Jeanne always used to tell me, “just wait.” Sometimes that meant waiting patiently for years, holding onto the truth of time, keeping the inner light honed on moving forward, knowing that eventually everything would work out just fine. “When the time is right, when you are ready, when the universe is in the right alignment you will evolve to a new stage of life.”

As we begin this New Year I am going to be allowing the Monday channeling session to evolve, without preconceived format, to be open to what feels right to offer—conversations, tips, experiences, etc.—as each week brings something new. It’s a New Year, so it’s time for something new!

Please feel free to post comments or respond to this message in the post/read comments section below.

Most fondly and humbly offered.