The Art Of Surrender: Letting Go In The New Year

It has been all kinds of New Years recently: the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah was in September, Hindus celebrated the Diwali “Festival Of Lights”, and Muslims observed Muharram, in October. The Celtic and Pagan New Year, Samhain, was also in October, on Halloween. Chinese New Year is coming up this February. On January 1st, in two days, we will be celebrating the Gregorian New Year.

We have been given many opportunities to release and let go all year. All of this action was not for the faint of heart!

But, what if you’ve been fighting, tooth and nail, against the flow of letting go? That is an uphill battle that presents with its own challenges. Truth is, when we go with our flow, including letting go of what (and whom) we need to let go of, we make our lives much easier on ourselves. The fight only prolongs the needed growth from happening.

We all have different ways of learning. And for some of us, garnering resistance towards release serves its own purpose, and may be the way we best learn. Whichever way we choose on our journey, we all come to the crossroads of “should I stay or should I go?”

So, as we approach the New Year, we start to evaluate how the past months have treated us, and think of what’s worked and what hasn’t. Even when certain things no longer serve us – outdated mental patterns, old behaviors and addictions that rear their heads to see if you truly are as done with them as you say you are, exes that seem to stay in our lives for no redeeming reason, friends or family members that you stay engaged with, despite their abusive or detrimental actions, the job that sucks your life-force out of you.

‘Tis the time to let go! Those of you who follow my blog may be familiar with my love of letting go of things that no longer serve us. Energetically, this year of processing our old stories has been a challenging one, making some of us still hold on for dear life to the remnants of the past that we clutch onto out of fear. Fear of change, fear of what will become of us if we were to shift our story.

Believe me, hanging onto the old stuff does not help make things easier, or preserve what you hold dear. It prevents you from owning your true and natural abundance.

In the art of surrender, here are 7 ways to gracefully let go:

1. Understand that letting go is an act of self-love. Self-love means taking care of your sweet self, on all levels. When you understand that when you cling onto old, dusty memories/behaviors/patterns out of fear of loss, that is only half of the struggle. The other half is in recognizing that these outdated things are not the things you hold sacred. What is truly sacred is kept within you, and is only released when you declare it to be. Only you can make that decision. So, here I flash my Geek Card proudly, in the words of Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek fame, “Make it so”.
2. Nourish your Lungs. The Lungs, in Chinese Medicine, are all about grief and letting go. Are you having recurring colds, sometimes back to back? Sometimes, that’s the body’s way of processing grief. I know a person who, after the death of her daughter, had a chronic, lingering dry cough for a few years, that had nothing to do with a physical cause. I’ve also observed this in people who are grieving the loss of a loved one who’s passed on, or as a result of a heart wrenching breakup. Garlic, cinnamon, dates, ginger, lamb, molasses, pumpkin, sweet potato, and walnuts are all beneficial in building Lung Qi. Essential oils like Eucalyptus Radiata and Ravensara are wonderful for building the Lung Qi, and assisting with release. There are excellent Qi Gong forms to cultivate Lung Qi, as well.
3. Give it up. To the Powers That Be, that is. Whether that means to you: the Universe, I AM, God, Allah, whatever name you use and are comfortable with. You can even give it up to Love. Surrendering means relinquishing control over the outcomes, and releasing your commitment to micromanaging the issue at hand. It’s easy to say, but challenging to do. If you are being called to surrender, do yourself a favor and give it up. Once you cross the threshold and surrender your control, you will literally feel a load lift off of your shoulders!
4. Forgive. When you forgive, you don’t condone the behavior that transpired. But you do give yourself permission to accept that what happened, happened, and allow powerful healing to take place within, so you can move on, and no longer be a prisoner to your bitterness. One effective prayer is the Ho’oponopono healing prayer for forgiveness.
5. Create a ritual around the release. One way to release what no longer is meant to be in your life is to create a ritual around it, where you write it down, and then burn it up. The words can be the name of the challenge, or person, you are ready to let go of. It could be a poem or a phrase that perfectly encapsulates what is happening in your life right now. Once you’ve named it on paper, light the tip of it with a flame, and let it burn by a window in a fireproof container (I personally like to use my mini-cauldron!) As you see the smoke plume and waft into the air, you are releasing it. I find it helpful to seal intentions with the simple phrase, “And so it is.” Maybe you’ll find that this ritual of release is helpful to you, too.
6. Ask for help. Even when we are seemingly alone, we never really are. Nope, this isn’t new age-y woo, but reality. We are surrounded by guidance, in the form of ancestors, spirit guides, angels, and others who are assigned to help us through life on Earth School. You don’t need to know all the answers. But, we can ask for assistance. Although we are all surrounded by helpful beings who love us and are standing by, it is best to engage them by asking them for help. That is when we get the best results. No fanfare is needed, just a simple request does the trick. For instance, if you’re having difficulty deciding what to do about a difficult partnership, asking something to the effect of, “Spirit guides, please help me see what I need to do to gain clarity around this situation”, is helpful.
7. Receive an Acupuncture or Reiki treatment. Acupuncture is a medicine and art that taps into the meridian channel energy to bring about balance and create Qi flow for the benefit of our body, mind, and spirit. Reiki clears and rebalances the energy centers (or chakras) with pure Universal Energy that is channeled to you for your highest benefit. Both help you detox, recalibrate, and reconnect you to your true self, on various levels.

Now it’s your turn!
What is your favorite way to bring about surrender? Share it in the comments, below!

New Year Blessings To You & Much Love,

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. Have you been enjoying my chakra series? Next week I explore the final chakra in the series, the Crown Chakra! How appropriate that we enter the New Year with connection to Spirit and trust in life.

 

 

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