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Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins
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The mind, with its thoughts, is driven by feelings. Each feeling is the cumulative derivative of many thousands of thoughts. Because most people throughout their lives repress, suppress, and try to escape from their feelings, the suppressed energy accumulates and seeks expression through psychosomatic distress, bodily disorders, emotional illnesses, and disordered behavior in interpersonal relationships. The accumulated feelings block spiritual growth and awareness, as well as success in many areas of life.
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It is the accumulated pressure of feelings that causes thoughts. One feeling, for instance, can create literally thousands of thoughts over a period of time. Think, for instance, of one painful memory from early life, one terrible regret that has been hidden. Look at all the years and years of thoughts associated with that single event. If we could surrender the underlying painful feeling, all of those thoughts would disappear instantly and we would forget the event.
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What is the surrendered state? It means to be free of negative feelings in a given area so that creativity and spontaneity can manifest without opposition or the interference of inner conflicts.
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We have three major ways of handling feelings: suppression, expression, and escape.
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In repression, this happens unconsciously; in suppression, it happens consciously.
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The pressure of suppressed feelings is later felt as irritability, mood swings, tension in the muscles of the neck and back, headaches, cramps, menstrual disorders, colitis, indigestion, insomnia, hypertension, allergies, and other somatic conditions.
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When we repress a feeling, it is because there is so much guilt and fear over the feeling that it is not even consciously felt at all. It becomes instantly thrust into the unconscious as soon as it threatens to emerge.
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denial and projection are perhaps the best-known methods, as they tend to go together and reinforce each other. Denial results in major emotional and maturational blocks. It is usually accompanied by the mechanism of projection.
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Instead of feeling it, we project it onto the world and those around us. We experience the feeling as if it belonged to “them.” “They” then become the enemy, and the mind searches for and finds justification to reinforce the projection. Blame is placed on people, places, institutions, food, climatic conditions, astrological events, social conditions, fate, God, luck, the devil, foreigners, ethnic groups, political rivals, and other things outside of ourselves. Projection is the main mechanism in use by the world today. It accounts for all wars, strife, and civil disorder. Hating the enemy is even encouraged in order to become a “good citizen.” We maintain our own self-esteem at the expense of others and, eventually, this results in social breakdown. The mechanism of projection underlies all attack, violence, aggression, and every form of social destruction. 2. Expression.
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This is a very important point to understand, for many people in society today believe that expressing their feelings frees them from the feelings. The facts are to the contrary. The expression of a feeling, first, tends to propagate that feeling and give it greater energy. Second, the expression of the feeling merely allows the remainder to be suppressed out of awareness.
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Expressing oneself is now in vogue as a result of a misunderstanding of the work of Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis. Freud pointed out that suppression was the cause of neurosis; therefore, expression was mistakenly thought to be the cure.
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3. Escape. Escape is the avoidance of feelings through diversion. This avoidance is the backbone of the entertainment and liquor industries, and also the route of the workaholic.
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The projection of these repressed feelings results in the social problems, disorders, and the increase of selfishness and callousness characteristic of our present society. Most of all, the effect is the inability to truly love and trust another person, which results in emotional isolation and self-hatred. In contrast to the above, what happens instead when we let go of a feeling? The energy behind the feeling is instantly surrendered and the net effect is decompression. The accumulated pressure begins to decrease as we constantly let go.
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The real source of “stress” is actually internal; it is not external, as people would like to believe. The readiness to react with fear, for instance, depends on how much fear is already present within to be triggered by a stimulus. The more fear we have on the inside, the more our perception of the world is changed to a fearful, guarded expectancy. To the fearful person, this world is a terrifying place. To the angry person, this world is a chaos of frustration and vexation. To the guilty person, it is a world of temptation and sin, which they see everywhere. What we are holding inside colors our world. If we let go of guilt, we will see innocence; however, a guilt-ridden person will see only evil. The basic rule is that we focus on what we have repressed.
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A negative feeling instantly causes a loss of 50% of the body’s muscle strength and also narrows our vision both physically and mentally.
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The suppressed and repressed feelings seek an outlet and utilize the events as triggers and excuses to vent themselves.
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Everything in the universe emits a vibration. The higher the vibration, the more power it has. Emotions, also, because they are energy, emit vibrations. These emotional vibrations impact the body’s energy fields and reveal effects that can be seen, felt, and measured.
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Because emotions emit a vibrational energy field, they affect and determine the people who are in our lives. Life events become influenced by our repressed and suppressed emotions on the psychic level. Thus anger attracts angry thoughts. The basic rule of the psychic universe is that “like attracts like.” Similarly, “love promotes love,” so that the person who has let go of a lot of inner negativity is surrounded by loving thoughts, loving events, loving people, and loving pets.
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There are experiments demonstrating that even the growth of bacteria is affected by human emotions, and that plants register measurable reactions to our emotional state (Backster, 2003).
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Letting go involves being aware of a feeling, letting it come up, staying with it, and letting it run its course without wanting to make it different or do anything about it. It means simply to let the feeling be there and to focus on letting out the energy behind it.
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The first step is to allow yourself to have the feeling without resisting it, venting it, fearing it, condemning it, or moralizing about it. It means to drop judgment and to see that it is just a feeling. The technique is to be with the feeling and surrender all efforts to modify it in any way. Let go of wanting to resist the feeling. It is resistance that keeps the feeling going. When you give up resisting or trying to modify the feeling, it will shift to the next feeling and be accompanied by a lighter sensation. A feeling that is not resisted will disappear as the energy behind it dissipates.
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When letting go, ignore all thoughts. Focus on the feeling itself, not on the thoughts.
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To be surrendered means to have no strong emotion about a thing: “It’s okay if it happens, and it’s okay if it doesn’t.”
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Feelings come and go, and eventually you realize that you are not your feelings, but that the real “you” is merely witnessing them.
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Letting go of negative feelings is the undoing of the ego, which will be resistant at every turn.
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Another block that may occur is the fear that if we let go of a desire for something, we won’t get it. It is often beneficial to look at some commonly held beliefs and let go of them right in the beginning, such as: (1) We only deserve things through hard work, struggle, sacrifice, and effort; (2) Suffering is beneficial and good for us; (3) We don’t get anything for nothing; (4) Things that are very simple aren’t worth much. Letting go of some of these psychological barriers to the technique itself will allow an enjoyment of its effortlessness and ease.
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The mind is, therefore, a survival mechanism, and its method of survival is primarily the use of emotions. Thoughts are engendered by the emotions and, eventually, emotions become shorthand for thoughts. Thousands and even millions of thoughts can be replaced by a single emotion. Emotions are more basic and primitive than mental processes. Reason is the tool the mind uses to achieve its emotional ends. When used by the intellect, the basic underlying emotion is usually unconscious or at least out of awareness. When the underlying emotion is forgotten or ignored and not experienced, people are unaware of the reason for their actions and they develop all kinds of plausible reasons. In fact, they frequently do not know why they are doing what they are doing.
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There is a simple way to become conscious of the underlying emotional goal behind any activity through use of the question, “What for?” With each answer, “What for?” is asked again and again until the basic feeling is uncovered.
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Every activity or desire will reveal that the basic goal is to achieve a certain feeling. There are no other goals than to overcome fear and achieve happiness. Emotions are connected with what we believe will ensure our survival, not with what actually will. Emotions themselves are actually the cause of the basic fear that drives everyone to seek security constantly.
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The Map of Consciousness (see Appendix A) provides a linear, logarithmic view of this nonlinear energetic terrain. Each level of consciousness (or attractor pattern) is calibrated on a logarithmic scale of energetic power, ranging from 1–1000. The level of Full Enlightenment (1000), at the top of the Map, represents the highest level attainable in the human realm; it is the energy of Jesus Christ, the Buddha, and Krishna. The level of Shame (20) is at the bottom, close to death, representing bare survival.
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Here, we delineate the basic scale, starting from the higher energies down to the lower: Peace (600): This is experienced as perfection, bliss, effortlessness, and oneness. It is a state of non-duality beyond separateness and beyond the intellect, as in the “peace that passeth all understanding.” It is described as Illumination and Enlightenment. It is rare in the human realm. Joy (540): Love that is unconditional and unchanging, despite circumstances and actions of others. The world is illuminated by exquisite beauty, which is seen in all things. The perfection of creation is self-evident. There is closeness to unity and discovery of Self; compassion for all; enormous patience; the feeling of at-oneness with others and a concern for their happiness. A sense of self-completion and self-sufficiency prevails. Love (500): A way of being that is forgiving, nurturing, and supportive. It does not proceed from the mind; rather, it emanates from the heart. Love focuses on the essence of a situation, not the details. It deals with wholes, not particulars. As perception is replaced with vision, it takes no position and sees the intrinsic value and lovability of all that exists. Reason (400): This aspect differentiates humans from the animal world. There is the ability to see things in the abstract, to conceptualize, to be objective, and to make rapid and correct decisions. Its enormous utility is problem solving. Science, philosophy, medicine, and logic are expressions of this level. Acceptance (350): This energy is easy-going, laid back, harmonious, flexible, inclusive, and free of inner resistance. “Life is good. You and I are good. I feel connected.” It meets life on life’s terms. There is no need to blame others or blame life. Willingness (310): This energy subserves survival by virtue of a positive attitude that welcomes all expressions of life. It is friendly, helpful, wants to assist, and seeks to be of service. Neutrality (250): This is a way of life that is comfortable, pragmatic, and relatively free of emotionality. “It’s okay either way.” It is free of rigid positions, nonjudgmental, and noncompetitive. Courage (200): This energy says, “I can do it.” It is determined, excited about life, productive, independent, and self-empowered. Effective action is possible. Pride (175): “My way is the best way,” says this level. Its focus is achievement, desire for recognition, specialness, and perfectionism. It feels “better than … ” and superior to others. Anger (150): This energy overcomes the source of fear by force, threats, and attack. It is irritable, explosive, bitter, volatile, and resentful. It likes to “get even,” as in “I’ll show you.” Desire (125): It is always seeking gain, acquisition, pleasure, and “getting” something outside oneself. It is insatiable, never satisfied, and craving. “I have to have it.” “Give me what I want, and give it to me now!” Fear (100): This energy sees “danger,” which is “everywhere.” It is avoidant, defensive,…
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The fastest way to move from the bottom to the top is by telling the truth to ourselves and to others.
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Recall the usual mechanisms that the mind consciously uses to handle emotions, which are suppression (or repression), expression, and escape. These are deleterious only when they are used without conscious intent. In an overwhelm, it is often advisable to utilize them, but doing so consciously.
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Suddenly there is the awareness that we have the courage to face the situation, recognize our feelings, and do something about them. As the trivia are surrendered, curiously, the main event becomes less and less oppressive. The reason for the phenomenon is that, when we use the mechanism of surrender on one emotion, we are surrendering on all emotions at the same time.
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as the disassembled emotional complex is taken apart into its component parts, each component part now has less energy and can be surrendered individually.
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Handling a crisis from the emotional rather than the intellectual level will shorten its duration dramatically.
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Thus, every life crisis carries within it the kernels of a reversal, a renewal, an expansion, a leap in consciousness, and a letting go of the old and a birth of the new.
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One of the most effective tools for handling the past is the creation of a different context. What this means is that we give it a different meaning. We take on a different attitude about the past difficulty or trauma, and we acknowledge the hidden gift in
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Jung also said that in the unconscious there was an aspect of ourselves called the “shadow.” The shadow is all the repressed thoughts, feelings and concepts about ourselves that we do not want to face. One benefit of a crisis is that it often brings us into familiarity with our shadow.
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Passing through a life crisis, then, makes us more human, more compassionate, more accepting and understanding of ourselves and others. We no longer have to indulge in making others wrong or making ourselves wrong. Handling an emotional crisis leads to greater wisdom and results in lifetime benefits.
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Fear of life is really the fear of emotions. It is not the facts that we fear but our feelings about them. Once we have mastery over our feelings, our fear of life diminishes. We feel a greater self-confidence, and we are willing to take greater chances because we now feel that we can handle the emotional consequences, whatever they might be. Because fear is the basis of all inhibitions, mastery over fear means the unblocking of whole avenues of life experience that previously had been avoided.
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One benefit from a life crisis is greater self-awareness. The situation is overwhelming, and we are forced to stop all of our diversionary games, take a good look at our life situation, and re-evaluate our beliefs, goals, values, and life direction. It is an opportunity to re-evaluate and let go of guilt. It is also an opportunity for a total shift in attitude. Life crises, as we pass through them, confront us with polar opposites.
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The world can only see us as we see ourselves.
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The price of holding on to smallness can be demonstrated with muscle testing.
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A good and very illuminating exercise is to sit down and look at the feeling that is directly opposite the negative one that we are experiencing and begin to let go resisting it.
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Greatness is the courage to overcome obstacles. It is the willingness to move to a higher level of love. It is the acceptance of others’ humanness and having compassion for their suffering by putting ourselves in their shoes. Out of the forgiveness of others come self-forgiveness and the relief of guilt. The real payoff we get is when we let go of our negativity and choose to be loving; we are the ones who benefit. We are the ones who gain from the real payoff. With this increased awareness of who we really are comes the progressive invulnerability to pain. Once we compassionately accept our own humanness and that of others, we are no longer subject to humiliation, for true humility is a part of greatness.
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The way out of apathy is to remind ourselves of our intention, which is to get higher and freer, to become more effective and happy, and to let go of the resistance to the technique itself.
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Behind all of the “I can’ts” are merely “I won’ts.” The “I won’ts” mean “I am afraid to” or “I am ashamed to” or “I have too much pride to try, for fear I might fail.” Behind that is anger at ourselves and circumstances engendered by pride. Acknowledging and letting go of these feelings brings us up to courage and, with that, finally acceptance and an inner peacefulness, at least as it regards the area which has been surmounted.
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To overcome blame, it is necessary to look at the secret satisfaction and enjoyment we get out of self-pity, resentment, anger, and self-excuses, and to begin to surrender all of these little payoffs. The purpose of this step is to move up from being a victim of our feelings to choosing to have them. If we merely acknowledge and observe them, begin to disassemble them, and surrender the component parts, then we are consciously exercising choice. In this way, we make a major move out of the morass of helplessness.
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One of the laws of consciousness is: We are only subject to a negative thought or belief if we consciously say that it applies to us. We are free to choose not to buy into a negative belief system.
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As we look within ourselves, we ask, “What is the anger covering up?” Underneath the anger, we are likely to find fear. Aside from the fear, we also find jealousy. We find competitiveness and all the other little components of the feeling complex that have blocked the relationship. The simultaneous letting go of the negative and letting go of resisting the positive result in a shift of inner energies, and there is an accompanying subtle change in our self-esteem. Letting go of our resistance to the willingness to have something positive
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When we come upon bitterness, what we have really discovered is an unhealed area in our own emotional makeup, and the effort that we put into healing it will bring enormous rewards. In any situation which involves suffering, we have to ask ourselves: “How long am I willing to pay the cost?
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In some self-help groups this is called “getting it by osmosis.” It is not necessary to know how it happens, but merely that it does happen. It is common to witness this phenomenon. For instance, in our society most people have been trained to be logical and left-brained in their orientation. However, some people from birth are right-brain oriented. Such right-brain persons are characterized by greater powers of intuition, creativity, telepathic communication, and awareness of thought forms and energy vibrations. Frequently included among these capabilities is the capacity to see the bio-energy field around the human body called the aura. When in the presence of people with this capacity, it becomes possible to share that capacity.
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After listening to her story and investigating her life circumstances, it was suggested that instead of psychotherapy, she follow one simple recommendation for a period of three months. If it didn’t work, then, she could reassess the need for psychotherapy. The recommendation was merely to discontinue her association with the group and with her bitter, divorced friends and, instead, seek the company of people who had successfully re-established relationships despite former divorces.
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Instead of suppressing the feeling, if it is allowed to come up and be relinquished, we can quickly jump from grief to acceptance. The continuing grief over a loss is due to the resistance to accepting that state and allowing the grief to expend itself. The persistence of a feeling is due to the resistance to allowing it to be relinquished (e.g., “Cry me a river”). Once we accept the fact that we can handle grief, we are already up into pride.
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In facing grief, we often have to acknowledge and let go of our shame and embarrassment about having the feeling in the first place. For men this is especially so.
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Attachment creates a dependency, and dependency, because of its nature, intrinsically carries with it a fear of loss.
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fear of loss. This is usually defended in one of two ways. One is to increase the intensity of the attachment by ever-persistent attempts to strengthen the bonds.
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The second way that fear of loss is handled is by the psychological mechanism of denial which is, in common language, called “playing ostrich.” We see this around us every day in its various forms of refusing to face the inevitable.
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A well-known and widely-practiced teaching is the Serenity Prayer of the 12-Step groups: God, Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.
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Failure to work through any of the various emotions associated with mourning and loss can result in chronic stuckness in any of its components.
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We can begin to look at our own inner areas of immaturity. Specifically, we need to examine: “Where am I looking to get love rather than to give it?” The more loving we are, the less vulnerable we are to grief and loss, and the less we need to seek attachments. When we have acknowledged and let go of all negative feelings, and we have graduated from smallness to the recognition of our greatness so that our internal joy comes from the pleasure of giving and loving, then we are really invulnerable to loss. When the source of happiness is found within, we are immune to the losses of the world.
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Over two thousand years ago, the Buddha made the observation that the basis of all human suffering was due to desire and attachment, and human history has merely proven the truth of his teaching.
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The purpose of letting go is to de-energize these programs so that they no longer run us; then, we are free to expand into the greater awareness of our Higher Self.
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By constantly letting go of our negative feelings, we thus cure present pain and prophylactically prevent the occurrence of future pain. Fear is replaced by trust and with it comes a profound sense of wellbeing. Immunity to grief of loss occurs when we replace dependence on the small self (the personality) with dependence on the Self (the Divinity within). We look for security to the Self, which is eternal, instead of to the small self, which is transitory.
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To understand how fear is self-reinforcing, we have to stop and look at another one of the laws of consciousness: What one holds in mind tends to manifest. What this means is that any thought which we consistently hold in mind and consistently give energy to will tend to come into our life according to the very form in which our mind has held it. Thus, fear engenders fearful thoughts. The more we hold these thoughts in mind, the more likely the feared event will happen in our life, which again reinforces our fear.
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We can learn another one of the laws of consciousness: Fear is healed by love.
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In the world of consciousness, like goes to like, so that fear attracts fear just as its corollary is true that love attracts love. The more fear we hold, the more fearful situations we attract to our life. Each fear requires additional energy to create a protective device until, finally, all of our energy is drained into our extensive defensive measures. The willingness to look at a fear and work with it until we are free of it brings about immediate rewards.
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Fear is what blinds us to the real dangers of life. In fact, fear itself is the greatest danger that the human body faces. It is fear and guilt that bring about disease and failure in every area of our lives.
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We could take the same protective actions out of love rather than out of fear. Can we not care for our bodies because we appreciate and value them, rather than out of fear of disease and dying? Can we not be of service to others in our life out of love, rather than out of fear of losing them? Can we not be polite and courteous to strangers because we care for our fellow human beings, rather than because we fear losing their good opinion of us? Can we not do a good job because we care about the quality of our performance and we care about our fellow workers? Can we not perform our job well because we care about the recipients of our services, rather than just the fear of losing our jobs or pursuing our own ambition? Can we not accomplish more by cooperation, rather than by fearful competition? Can we not drive carefully because we have a high regard for ourselves and care for our welfare and those who love us, rather than because we fear an accident? On a spiritual level, isn’t it more effective if, out of compassion and identification with our fellow human beings, we care for them, rather than trying to love them out of fear of God’s punishment if we don’t?
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Guilt is really self-condemnation and self-invalidation of our worth and value as a human being.
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Remaining unconscious of guilt (repression), however, does not solve it. The guilt re-emerges in the form of self-punishment and through accidents, misfortune, loss of jobs and relationships, physical disease and sickness, tiredness, exhaustion, and the multiple ways the ingenious mind figures out how to bring about the loss of pleasure, joy, and aliveness. Guilt represents death just as love represents life. Guilt is part of the smaller self and underlies our willingness to believe negative things about ourselves. The happiness and joy of the day is instantly destroyed by one negative remark from a family member, friend, or neighbor. Physical disease is unlikely to exist without guilt, and guilt is a denial of our inner intrinsic innocence.
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There is often a lack of understanding of the function of wanting and desire. The main illusion is seen in the statement, “The only way that I’ll get what I want is by desiring it; if I let go of my desire, then I won’t get what I want.” Actually, the opposite is true. Desire, especially strong desire (e.g., cravingness), frequently blocks our getting what we want. Why is this so? Actually, the way something comes into our life is because we have chosen it. It was the result of our intention, or we made a decision for it. It has come into our life in spite of desire. The desiring was actually the obstacle to its achievement or acquisition.
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The impossible becomes possible as soon as we are totally surrendered. This is because wanting blocks receiving it and results in a fear of not getting it. The energy of desire is, in essence, a denial that what we want is ours for the asking.
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Why is it already ours? In a lower state of consciousness, the universe is seen as negative and denying, frustrating, and reluctant. It is like a bad, stingy parent. In a higher state of consciousness, our experience of the universe changes. It now becomes like a giving, loving, unconditionally approving parent who wants us to have everything we want, and it is ours for the asking. This is creating a different context. It is giving the universe a different meaning.
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Although the world may be stingy and hostile to other people, there is no reason why we should buy into this paradigm. When we buy into it, we make it that way in our own life. As we experience the letting go of desires, we begin to see that what we have chosen will come into our life almost magically. “What we hold in mind tends to manifest.” As was said before, during times of supposed high unemployment, some people are not only employed but have two or three jobs.
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Personal goals were written down, followed by a letting go of the desire for them. It sounds paradoxical but that is the process: identify the goals and then let go of wanting them.
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Because of being totally surrendered, the impossible became possible, manifesting itself effortlessly and rapidly.
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As we free ourselves out of lower states of consciousness such as apathy and fear, we come into wantingness. What was formerly an “I can’t” and impossible now becomes possible.
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thing itself does not coincide with our pictures of it. Glamour means that we have attached sentimentality or we have made it bigger than life. We have projected onto a thing a magical quality that somehow leads us to believe that, once we acquire it, we will magically achieve some higher state of happiness and satisfaction.
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Glamorization is living at a fantasy level. Therefore, when we proceed to let go of a desire, we must dissect away that which is exaggeration, fantasy, and romanticization. Once we have relinquished the glamour, it will be relatively easy to surrender the desire itself.
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The way to become that exciting person whom people want to know is very easy. We simply picture the kind of person we want to be and surrender all the negative feelings and blocks that prevent us from being that. What happens, then, is that all we need to have and to do will automatically fall into place. This is because, in contrast to having and doing, the level of being has the most power and energy. When it is given priority, it automatically integrates and organizes one’s activities. This mechanism is evidenced in the common experience, “What we hold in mind tends to manifest.”
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Because of the mind’s tendency to want to attribute credit elsewhere, other than to the power of our own consciousness, it is good to keep a diary to write down goals that we would really like to achieve and then check them off and make follow-up notes. Why? Because it will take a while before we believe that it is truly our own power that is accomplishing these ends.
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In summation, then, instead of the motivation of selfishness and desire, we can much more effortlessly bring into our life that which we want by envisioning what we wish to have happen. We do this by declaration of our intention, by acceptance, by decision, and by the act of consciously choosing.
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There is a lot of energy in anger; therefore, we may actually feel energized when we are irritated or angry. One of the tricks people learn is to move up quickly from apathy and grief into anger, and then to jump from anger to pride, and then on into courage. In anger, there is the energy for action.
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It is common for people to repress their anger, aggression, and inner hostility; they view it as unpleasant, undignified, and even as a moral failure or spiritual setback. They do not realize that repressed anger is nonetheless the energy of anger and, if not acknowledged and worked through, it will have deleterious consequences to their health and overall progress.
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The anger can inspire us to rededication, to put forth greater clarity of effort, and to actually do a better job. In this way, the situation can result in recommitment. It can inspire us to look within ourselves and relinquish all the negative feelings, via acceptance. Instead of being mad about it, we can accept it.
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One source of pride is connected with self-sacrifice. If our relationships with others are associated with our small self in the form of sacrifice, then we are setting ourselves up for later anger, because the other person is usually unaware of our “sacrifice” and is, therefore, unlikely to fulfill our expectations. An example of this comes from a day in the life of a typical traditional marriage.
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The resistance is because pressure is always felt by us as a denial of our choice.
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When we are motivated by self-sacrifice, we are pressuring the other person. Even if we force an acknowledgment, it will be a disgruntled one. A forced compliment does not satisfy. Part of the anger here arises from the pride of self-sacrifice. We have a certain secret vanity about what we are doing for others, and our pride of achievement makes us vulnerable to anger when our “sacrifice” is not recognized. The way to offset this anger is to acknowledge and relinquish the pride, surrender our desire for the pleasure of self-pity and, instead, view our efforts on behalf of others as gifts. We can experience the joy of being generous with others as its own reward.
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Very often that something appears in the form of a signal to us to become more aware. Let’s say, for example, that somebody calls us “stupid.” Our natural response is one of anger. We can use the energy of that anger consciously: “What is that person asking me to become more aware of?” If we ask ourselves the question, we may come to the realization that we were being self-centered; we were being uncaring; we were failing to acknowledge them; and we were not being conscious and aware of what was going on in the relationship.
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If we constantly follow this procedure, we will come to the awareness that everyone in our life is acting as a mirror. They are really reflecting back to us what we have failed to acknowledge within ourselves. They are forcing us to look at what needs to be addressed.
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presented in the course of everyday experience. To do this, we have to resist the temptation to indulge in making ourselves and others “wrong.” If we look at the “small self” aspect of ourselves, we will see that making ourselves and others “wrong” is one of its favorite activities (e.g., politics and the media). This is because the small self is ignorant of better ways to accomplish our goals. It does not see the alternative, which is choosing to change a situation out of free choice.
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One source of anger stems from the unacknowledged acts of the love that we have expressed to others. Love in this context means the everyday simple forms of lovingness that go on in every human relationship in the form of thoughtfulness, consideration, polite gestures, encouragement, and providing. Very often an internal dialogue can go on for years about our resentment over the other person’s lack of appreciation for our feelings about them. If this is so for us, it must be the case for others as well. There are people, therefore, in our life who are walking around with an endless mental stream of thoughts about us, having to do with our lack of appreciation of their feelings for us. This whole arena of anger can be offset and prevented when we see the enormous value of simply acknowledging the gestures of others toward us. This means to acknowledge all of their communications to us. For instance, if friends call us on the phone, we thank them for calling us. The reason for doing this is that it makes the other persons feel complete and secure with us. It is an acknowledgment of their value in our life, and everyone feels pleased when we acknowledge their value. By this simple mechanism of acknowledgment, it is possible, within a matter of days, to transform all of one’s relationships in a rather dramatic way. This acknowledgment does not have to go on in the outer world but can take place within oneself. As we examine our relationships, we can ask ourselves, “What have I failed to acknowledge in those with whom I have daily contact?”
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When we stop pressuring others with our expectations, we create an opening for them spontaneously to respond positively to us. We can, in a prophylactic move, offset resentments by shifting what we have done for others from the level of sacrifice to the level of a loving gift. We can then acknowledge ourselves for this move and drop our expectations, which will dissolve the resistances in others.
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We need to be aware that we have unwittingly become “injustice collectors.” The media reports are full of this form of chronic resentment. We see “injustice collecting” in international relations where making the other nation “wrong” is actually a primary objective. We are unconsciously programmed to believe that “injustice collecting” is “normal.” In contrast to this habitual pattern, which is destructive and weakening, the letting go technique frees us from keeping close account of the “wrongs” made against us. Our time and attention are freed up to see the beauty and opportunity around us.
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Anger is binding, not freeing.
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In all of us, the prideful feeling, “I have the answers,” blocks our growth and development. It is interesting that the egotistical part of the mind is willing to sacrifice the whole remainder of a person for its own sake. Rather than admit to being wrong, people will literally give up the life of the body itself and sacrifice any aspect of life on the altar of pride (e.g., religious wars and crusades).
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The prideful person is constantly on the defensive because of the vulnerability of inflation and denial. Conversely, the humble person cannot be humiliated for they are immune to vulnerability, having let go of pride. In its place, they have an inner security and self-esteem. Many people try to substitute pride for genuine self-esteem; however, genuine self-esteem does not actually arise until pride is relinquished. That which inflates the ego does not result in inner strength. On the contrary, it increases our vulnerability and overall level of fear. When we are in a state of pride, our energy is dissipated by the constant preoccupation with defending our lifestyle, vocation, neighborhood, clothes, year and make of car, ancestry, country, and political and religious belief systems. There is a tireless preoccupation with appearance and what other people will think, so there is a constant vulnerability to the opinions of others.
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This brings us to one of the basic laws of consciousness: Defensiveness invites attack. An examination of the nature of pride facilitates the letting go of it, as it is no longer valued.
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Is there such a thing as “healthy” pride? When we talk of healthy pride, we are referring to self-esteem, an inner awareness of one’s true value and worth. This inner awareness is different from the energy of pride. Self-awareness of one’s true value is characterized by lack of defensiveness.
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Pride, because it is a vulnerable position, always implies that somewhere there is a doubt that needs to be cleared up, and the opponent quickly centers on that doubt.
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The attempt to suppress pride out of guilt simply does not work. It is not helpful to label the energy of pride a “sin” and to suppress it in ourselves out of guilt, to hide it, or to pretend that we do not experience it. What happens is that the energy subtly takes on a new form, known as spiritual pride.
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The more we surrender our negative emotions, the less we will rely on the crutch of pride. In its place, there will be a quality that the world calls “humility” and that we subjectively experience as peacefulness. True humility is distinct from the paradox of “pride in one’s humility,” or “false modesty,” seen frequently in the public arena. False modesty is the pretense of self-diminishment with the longing that others will recognize the accomplishments that one is so proud of, but too proud to brag about openly. True humility cannot be experienced by the person who is said to possess it, because it is not an emotion. As we have said before, the truly humble cannot
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Because pride is sometimes seen as a motivator of achievement, what would be its higher level substitute? One answer would be joy. What is wrong with joy as the reward for successful achievement, rather than pride? Pride carries with it the desire for recognition from others and, consequently, there is a vulnerability to anger and disappointment if it is not forthcoming at some point. If we achieve a certain goal for the pleasure, enjoyment, love of accomplishment, and the inner joy that it brings to us, we are invulnerable to the reaction of others.
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lack of pridefulness about her possessions. Possessiveness and attachment occur as a consequence of pride. Attachment is, therefore, a potential cause for suffering, because attachment brings about fear of loss and, with loss,
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Gratitude is one of the antidotes of pride. If we happen to be born with a high IQ, we can be grateful for it rather than take pride in it. It’s not an accomplishment; we were born with it. If we are grateful for what has been given us and for what has been fulfilled through our
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The difficult side of prefixing things with the word “mine” is the pride that goes with that sense of ownership. This makes us feel called upon to defend everything we label as “mine.” We can reduce our vulnerability by letting go of the desire to possess; instead of saying “mine,” we can use the word “a.” Not “my” shirt, but “a” shirt.
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If we don’t take a prideful stance about our opinions, then we are at liberty to change them.
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When we let go of pride, help comes into our life to address the problems with which we are struggling.
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Letting go of pride unlocks the door to our receiving that which is the most beneficial to us. Are we willing to let go of pride and feeling superior to others? When we are willing to let go of the pseudo-security of pride, we experience the real security that comes with courage, self-acceptance, and joy.
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On the level of courage, we are willing to take self-improvement courses, learn consciousness techniques, and risk the journey within to seek our own true Self, the inner reality. There is a willingness to experience uncertainty, periods of confusion, and temporary upset because, underneath the temporary discomfort, we have a long-term transcendent goal. The mind that is operating on the level of courage makes such statements as: “I can handle it”; “We’ll make it”; “The job will get done”; “We can see this through”; “All things shall pass.”
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On the level of courage, we really start becoming conscious. It dawns on us that we have the freedom and the capacity to choose. We no longer have to be the victim, and freedom in the psychological, emotional, and spiritual sense is possible. Therefore, much less rigidity is present, and because of flexibility and the capacity of concern and genuine love for others, people on this level make good parents, bosses, employees, and citizens.
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Carl Jung said that the healthy personality is equally balanced between work, play, love, and an aspect of personality called spirituality, which we could also define as the search for meaning and value. These investigations bring inner upsets but also moments of acceptance and peace. There are moments of intuitive understanding which beckon us on to continue the quest, to find out if there is anything beyond just the physical and material world and its ever-changing phenomena.
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In acceptance, we enjoy the experience of harmony. We feel as though events are flowing.
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Everything Is Perfect As It Is In the state of acceptance, there is the feeling that nothing needs to be changed. Everything is perfect and beautiful the way it is.
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When we are in a state of acceptance, we love our friends instead of being critical, and we are willing to love them in spite of their limitations, which we willingly overlook.
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When we are in the lower energy level of desire, we are looking to be loved. It seems to be something we “get.” On the level of acceptance, however, our lovingness radiates out naturally from the essence of our being, because many of the blocks to its awareness have been surrendered.
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The great teachers have said that the negativity which we see in a person or in society is really due to blindness, ignorance, and unconsciousness.
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Once we see our innocence, there is an identification with others and a loss of feeling alone and stressed.
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Another characteristic of the level of acceptance is that we are no longer concerned with moralistic judgment, with “good” and “bad.” It just becomes obvious what works and what doesn’t work.
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In a relationship of loving acceptance, minor imperfections are no longer given serious importance and are overlooked.
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The hallmark of this state is the taking of responsibility for our own consciousness.
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What becomes increasingly important is what we are becoming, not what we have or do.
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On this level, we take on the challenge of fulfilling our greatest inner potential and nurturing the potential and dreams of others.
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Our letting go of the lower energies of guilt, fear, anger, and pride has alleviated the weight of the past and cleared the clouds of the future.
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Love is what we have become through the pathway of surrender.
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Like ripples on the water, every gift returns to the giver. What we affirm in others, we actually affirm in ourselves.
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When we have surrendered all of the resistances to love and let go of the negative feelings that block love, then the world is radiant with the splendor of love. On the level of love, this radiance is no longer hidden from us.
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Over time, “thinkingness” and its mental processes are replaced by spontaneous, intuitive “knowingness.” Logic is bypassed. This occurs because, at the highest level of vibration, everything in the universe is connected with everything else. Our understanding unfolds as “revelation” from this inter-connected field. The knowing is holistic rather than limited.
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By continual surrender, we experience the state of unconditional love (calibrates at 540), which is rare and occurs in only .04% of the population.
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Love augments the positive about others rather than their defects.
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A key to making Love unconditional is the willingness to forgive. With forgiveness, events and people are re-contextualized as simply “limited”—not “bad” or “unlovable.”
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To forgive someone implies that we’re still seeing the person or situation as “wrong” and, therefore, in need of being forgiven. True surrender means letting go completely of seeing it in such a way.
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When we surrender our perception completely, letting go of all judgment, then the whole situation is transfigured and we see the person as lovable. Since all judgment is really self-judgment, we have liberated ourselves in the process.
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It was a profound moment in which one of the laws of consciousness was experientially verified: Love is the Ultimate Law of the Universe (statement calibrates at 750).
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PEACE In peace, there is no longer any conflict. There is a total absence of negativity and an all-encompassing lovingness that is experienced as serenity, tranquility, timelessness, completion, fulfillment, stillness, and contentment.
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When a person is in the state of peace, they test strong with kinesiology, and nothing makes them weak, whether it is mental, emotional, or physical. There is no longer identification with the body as our self, and physical disorders may or may not be healed.
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The most beneficial thing that can happen to us is to have been in the presence of a great teacher, because we pick up the vibration by being in the physical presence of that state of peace and complete surrender.
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Surrender to Ultimate Reality The hallmark of this level is desirelessness. There is no need to want for anything because everything manifests in our life spontaneously and automatically, without conscious will or effort.
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Science now postulates a transcendent frequency beyond space and time. An impressive body of research in many laboratories has demonstrated that the brain perceives by sophisticated mathematical analysis of frequency patterns.
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whole field in which there is rapidly growing interest, as is indicated by the publishing of such books as The Holographic Paradigm, Wholeness and the Implicate Order, The Tao of Physics, The Dancing Wu-Li Masters, Mindful Universe, Psychoenergetic Science and the publication of articles with titles such as “Field Consciousness and the New Perspective on Reality,” “The Enfolding-Unfolding Universe,” “The Holographic Model,” “Physics and Mysticism,” and “The Medium, the Mystic, and the Physicist.”
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theories can be summarized: Our brains mathematically construct concrete reality by interpreting frequencies from another dimension, a realm of meaningful, patterned, primary reality that transcends time and space. The brain is, therefore, a hologram interpreting a holographic universe.
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Our response to stress depends on our “stress proneness” and, as we pointed out earlier, this is directly the result of the amount of suppressed and repressed feelings we have accumulated. The more emotional pressure that is surrendered and let go, the less vulnerable we are to the stress response and stress-related diseases.
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Medical Aspects of Stress Stress is our response to a perceived threat (real or imaginary) to our security or bodily equilibrium. The stimulus may be internal or external. It may be physical, mental, or emotional.
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“general adaptation syndrome.” In response to a stressful stimulus, the body first goes through an alarm reaction, then secondly a stage of resistance, and if the stimulus continues, it may result in the third stage of exhaustion syndrome.
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Some executives, for instance, develop swollen ankles as the week goes on, and then on Friday evening they have frequency of urination. They complain of a letdown due to the sudden decrease in the level of the cortisol hormone.
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In addition to a somewhat euphoric effect, cortisol also has an anesthetic effect; therefore, during the letdown period of low-cortisol production, weekenders may notice physical symptoms that were ignored during the excitement of the work week, and they may complain of many aches and pains over the weekend that weren’t experienced while at work.
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acute alarm reaction, the stomach’s motility halts, digestion stops, and the blood supply to the stomach’s lining is decreased.
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The overall balance of the body’s acupuncture energy system is regulated by the activity of the thymus gland. The bio-energy system is intimately connected to the body’s immune system via the thymus gland.
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Chronic stress weakens the body’s immune system, suppresses the thymus gland, and throws the bioenergy system out of balance.
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An extensive explanation of this is found in the books Behavioral Kinesiology and Life Energy by John Diamond, M.D.
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Strengthening the thymus gland or taking thymus supplements rebalances the bio-energy system.
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Stress in the form of intermittent shocks suppresses the immune system. When the immune response is strong, there is the release of the brain’s endorphins, so-called anti-cancer “killer” cells, which attack and kill young growing tumor cells. But when the immune activity is suppressed and there is a reduced presence of endorphins, the activity of the anti-cancer “killer” cells diminishes.
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The report goes on to say that a feeling of helplessness has been related to reduced anti-cancer killer cell activity and increased tumor growth. Depression in animals, as well as humans, lowers the immune response, and this helplessness has to do with how much control the person and the animal feel they have over stressful events.
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The overall effect of stress on the immune system results in the blocking of the body’s immune system because of the production of auto-antibodies. If these auto-antibodies are themselves blocked, the immune function resumes once again. Therefore, the blocking of the immune system is reversible.
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Research done on college students, for example, found that meditation led to a decrease in their inflammatory stress reaction, which was linked to the alleviation of their depression.
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A negative thought or feeling instantly weakens the body and creates an imbalance of the body’s energy flow.
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When a person uses the mechanism of surrender and lets go of a negative feeling, the muscle testing we have described will change from weak to strong.
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This is a basic law of consciousness: We are subject only to what we hold in mind.
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The Influence of Mind The basic dictum to comprehend is that the body obeys the mind; therefore, the body tends to manifest what the mind believes.
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it became apparent that the brain is not the origin of the mind, as science and medicine had believed, but the other way around. The mind controls the brain, which acts as a receiving station (like a radio) with thoughts being similar to radio waves and the brain being similar to the receiver.
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Davidson’s research during the last decade at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) has demonstrated that compassion and loving-kindness meditation practices stimulated increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex (the seat of positive emotions such as happiness) and the production of high amplitude gamma wave synchrony (sign of expanded awareness, alertness, and insight).
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He discovered that laughter had an anesthetic effect that could alleviate his pain for two hours. Laughing is a method of letting go.
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Thus, it is the content of our consciousness that has to be changed to eliminate and prevent stress.
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The most obvious and visible effect of letting go of negative feelings is a resumption of emotional and psychological growth and the solving of problems, which often have been long-standing.
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The effectiveness of the letting go mechanism in problem solving often is quite astonishing.
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The approach that brings fast and easy results is the following: Don’t look for answers; instead, let go of the feelings behind the question.
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When we are surrendered on the feeling behind the question, we can let go of any other feelings that we might also have about what seems to be the problem.
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When we are finally and fully surrendered on all components, the answer will be there waiting for us. We won’t have to look for it.
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When the negative blocks and “I can’ts” are removed, whole new areas of life open up to us. Success stems from doing what we like to do best, but most people are tied down to what they imagine they have to do.
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Resolution of Psychological Problems: Comparison with Psychotherapy In general, letting go is often more rapid than psychotherapy.
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The mechanism of letting go facilitates and speeds up psychotherapy, and it elevates its goals.
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The mechanism of letting go, on the other hand, is concerned with the emotional “what” from moment to moment, without involving the intellect. The “why” becomes apparent of itself once the “what” has been relinquished.
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The objective of psychotherapy is to replace unsatisfactory mental programs with more satisfactory ones. In contrast, the objective of letting go is the elimination of limiting mental and emotional programs.
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With the mechanism of letting go, there is no patient role and no dependency on another person or theory.
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The purpose of letting go, in contrast, is the elimination of the ego. The ego is fearful and limited and, when it is surrendered, the inner Self stands forth, and what was always more powerful is revealed.
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Letting go has a peculiar advantage in that the surrendering of one negative feeling also relinquishes the energy behind many other negative feelings, so there is a constant across-the-board effect.
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The goal of letting go is the elimination of the very source of all suffering and pain.
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she came upon a technique of relinquishing guilt by studying the “Workbook” of A Course in Miracles. In working with this home-study course, which consists of contemplating exactly one short lesson a day for 365 days, she began to undo all of her guilt and resentment through the mechanism of forgiveness. By constantly forgiving and undoing the negative feelings, and therefore undoing her inner guilt, the disease of multiple sclerosis reversed itself.
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What often passes for love in common human understanding is primarily attachment, dependency, and possessiveness.
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all emotions toward others involve the basic belief that we are incomplete within ourselves and, therefore, others are viewed and utilized as a means to an end.
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Lesser forms of anger are criticism, criticalness, resentment, sulking, stewing, and negative judgments about others. The emotional purpose is to punish others, make them feel sorry, try to force them to change their feelings or behavior, make them suffer, get even with them, diminish and devalue them. This, of course, also results in the other person’s response of counter-criticism, counter-resentment, and avoidance.
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It is obvious that these negative feelings take an enormous emotional toll on our own inner selves.
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Our feelings and thoughts always have an effect on other persons and affect our relationships, whether these thoughts or feelings are verbalized, expressed, or not.
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The overall attitudes we hold about another person are influencing that other person’s feelings and attitudes about us whether we express them or not.
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we find that often the set of feelings we hold about another person is mirrored back to us by their attitude and that, when we change our inner attitude about them, their attitude changes abruptly. We are unconsciously influencing others all the time because of the feelings we hold about them.
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We have the secret hope that our angry feelings towards others will punish and make them suffer. Actually, we are just providing them with justification to hate us back.
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When the inner feelings are relinquished, the way in which we see the situation changes, and we are often surprised by the abruptness with which feelings of forgiveness suddenly arise and the relationship becomes transformed, even though on the external level we did or said nothing to express this inner change.
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A Course in Miracles is based on that precise process of changing our view of a situation by the willingness to see it differently and to be forgiving. This is what was meant by Jesus Christ when he spoke of the miraculous power of forgiveness.
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When we shift out of a lower to a higher energy pattern, we create a protective shield on the energetic level, as it were, and we can no longer be psychically vulnerable to that other person.
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When we are in a state of anger, for instance, we are vulnerable to the energy depletion brought about by the other person’s counter-anger. Paradoxically, if we really want to affect other people, then we ought to really love them. Then, their anger at us will boomerang back upon them with no effect upon us!
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By the holding of guilt, we bring on to ourselves all the criticalness of others and their belittlement of us; our low self-esteem is channeled back to us through others in the form of their invalidation of our life.
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Poverty on any level, not just financial, comes from inner poverty, just as outer wealth comes from inner wealth.
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To help clarify the role of emotions in interpersonal relationships, a very quick way of learning is to presume that the other person is conscious and aware of our inner thoughts and feelings. By doing this, we will not be far from wrong, for they are indeed intuitively aware of our thoughts and feelings, even if they are not consciously aware at a given moment.
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The overall relationship will behave as though the other person were aware of our inner feelings.
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If we are still holding the fantasy that other people do not know our thoughts and feelings, just notice that dogs quickly do!
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The feelings of apathy, grief, depression, sorrow, self-pity, the blues, hopelessness, and helplessness come from the inner program of “I can’t.”
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Although there may be an initial attempt to help, eventually this is replaced by pity and finally avoidance. Why avoidance? The avoidance is because of the huge energy demand that we are making on the other person.
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“When you laugh, the world laughs with you; but when you cry, you cry alone.”
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The feelings of fear—whether tension and anxiety, shyness, self-consciousness, caution, holding back, or distrust—have the purpose of escape from the imagined threat, and to put psychological distance from the feared situation or person.
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Fear in relationships, therefore, is giving away our power to another person and enabling them to do the very thing that is feared.
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“What is the worst possible scenario?” With this question, we see that the basis of the fear is pride. When the pride is recognized and relinquished, the fear automatically dissolves.
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If we look at pride, we see that it’s often a substitute for genuine self-esteem.
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When we stop wanting to be liked, we find that we are. When we stop catering to others and trying to manipulate their approval, we find that they do respect us.
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We are all connected to each other on the psychic, intuitive level; so, our feelings are read and known by others.
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Effect of Positive Feelings It is obvious that higher states of consciousness have a profound effect on our relationships, because one of the laws of consciousness is like goes to like. Our inner states are actually radiated to others.
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Letting Go of Expectations When we put pressure on other people in order to get what we want, they automatically resist, because we are trying to pressure them.
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First, look at how you are secretly feeling about a person in a given situation. Presume that the other person is aware of those thoughts and feelings. Then, put yourself in their place and see how you would react. You will see that their behavior is probably just what you would have done in their place.
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Negativity does not exist within a situation or event; rather, it resides in our reaction to the situation as we see it. When negative feelings are acknowledged and relinquished, the situation can rapidly change in appearance from impossible to easily manageable, workable, and even quite useful.
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One of the most prominent negative feelings that blocks success in professional life is that of envy.
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We can simplify the levels of consciousness into three major states: inert, energetic, and peaceful.
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The first state—inertia—is reflective of the emotional levels of apathy, grief, and fear.
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In the computer language of “garbage in and garbage out,” the negative feeling state is the “garbage in,” and the decisions that come out of it must be on the same level.
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The second state, which is higher than inertia, is that of being “energetic.” The emotions underlying this state are those of desire, anger, and pride. The nature of these feelings is to interfere less with concentration than the previous lower state because some positive thoughts are allowed to flow through and mix with the negative feelings.
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This is the state of the “go-getter.”
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Therefore, many of the decisions are unsustainable because they are based on a win-lose situation rather than on a win-win situation.
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This means that they seek to attain success and to master the world. But they are self-centered and driven by personal motives, with little concern for the welfare of others or of the world in general.
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The third and highest level is the peaceful state, based upon the feelings of courage, acceptance, and love. Because these feelings are purely positive and non-disturbing by their very nature, they allow us to concentrate completely on the situation and observe all of the relevant details.
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On this level we discover that when everyone’s needs in a situation are met, our own needs are fulfilled automatically.
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We need to remember the dictum that the impossible becomes possible as soon as we are totally surrendered to the situation.
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He concluded that success in the world is related to our ability to concentrate, which means the ability to keep our attention on one thing at a time without interference of other thoughts or feelings.
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We will start with the basic working concepts: • A thought is a “thing.” It has energy and form. • The mind with its thoughts and feelings controls the body; therefore, to heal the body, thoughts and feelings need to be changed. • What is held in mind tends to express itself through the body. • The body is not the real self; it is like a puppet controlled by the mind. • Beliefs that are unconscious can manifest as illness, even though there is no memory of the underlying beliefs. • An illness tends to result from suppressed and repressed negative emotions, plus a thought that gives it a specific form (i.e., consciously or unconsciously, one particular illness is chosen rather than another). • Thoughts are caused by suppressed and repressed feelings. When a feeling is let go, thousands or even millions of thoughts that were activated by that feeling disappear. • Although a specific belief can be cancelled and energy to it can be refused, it is generally a waste of time to try to change thinking itself.
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We surrender a feeling by allowing it be there without condemning, judging, or resisting it. We simply look at it, observe it, and allow it to be felt without trying to modify it. With the willingness to relinquish a feeling, it will run out in due time. • A strong feeling may recur, which means there is more of it to be recognized and surrendered.
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In order to surrender a feeling, sometimes it is necessary to start by relinquishing the feeling that is there about the particular emotion (e.g., guilt that “I shouldn’t have this feeling”). • In order to relinquish a feeling, sometimes it is necessary to acknowledge and let go of the underlying payoff of it (e.g., the “thrill” of anger and the “juice” of sympathy from being a helpless victim). • Feelings are not the real self. Whereas feelings are programs that come and go,…
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Ignore thoughts. They are merely endless rationalizations of inner feelings. • No matter what is going on in life, keep the steadfast intention to surrender negative feelings as they arise. • Make a decision that…
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Choose to surrender negative feelings rather than express them. • Surrender resistance to and skepticism about positive feelings. • Relinquish negative feelings but share positive ones. • Notice that letting go is accompanied by a subtle, overall lighter feeling within yourself. • Relinquishing a desire does not…
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Get it by “osmosis.” Put yourself in the aura of those who have what you want. • “Like goes to like.” Associate with people who are using the same or similar motivation and who have the intention to expand their consciousness and to heal. • Be aware that your inner state is known and transmitted. The people around…
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Persistence pays off. Some symptoms or illnesses may disappear promptly; others may take months or years if the condition is very chronic. • Let go of resisting the technique. Start the day with it. At the end of the day, take time out to…
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You are only subject to what you hold in mind. You are only subject to a negative thought or belief if you consciously or unconsciously say that it applies to you. • Stop giving the physical disorder a name; do not label it. A label is a whole program. Surrender what is actually felt, which are the sensations themselves. We cannot feel a disease. A disease is an abstract concept held in the mind. We cannot, for instance, feel “asthma.” It is helpful to ask, “What am I actually feeling?” Simply observe the physical sensations, such as, “Tightness in the chest, wheezing, a cough.” It is not possible, for example, to experience the thought, “I’m not getting enough air.” That is a fearful thought in the mind. It is a concept, a whole program called “asthma.” What is actually being experienced is a tension or a constriction in the throat or chest. The same principle goes for “ulcers” or any other disorder. We cannot feel “ulcers.” We feel a burning or piercing sensation. The word “ulcer” is a label and a program, and as soon as we use that word to label our…
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The same is true with our feelings. Instead of putting labels and names on feelings, we can simply feel the feelings and let go of the energy behind them. It is not necessary to label a feeling “fear” in order…
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Happily, the “Workbook” of A Course in Miracles requires the simple contemplation of a sentence or “lesson” throughout the day.
Location 3838:
The two tools worked together. Surrendering and forgiving went on simultaneously during the day.
Location 3879:
It was obvious in that moment that we are only subject to those things that we hold in mind. It is not necessary to be a slave or victim in the world.
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