Judith Ashley is the author
of The Sacred Women's Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual
traditions that nurture the soul.
I did say in the
first post on Taking Care of Yourself to focus on what went well in 2016 and I meant
that then. However, what I also know to be true is that we can drag along those
events, items, relationships, etc. that didn’t go as we wanted.
So this Monday
let’s focus on “Taking Care of Yourself = Letting
Go”.
A couple of
questions:
Do you find yourself thinking about something or someone that “got away”?
You know, the idea you didn’t follow through with. The relationship that
sputtered out and died. The 2016 goals you set that you didn’t achieve and that
you regret.
In my tradition,
we have a variety of ways to “let go” of
things that no longer serve us.
One of my
favorites is the “Death Arrow”. Find a stick
or use a wooden dowel. Take a piece of paper and write on it those feelings,
ideas, etc. you want to release. Take some red yarn or string and tie the
folded paper to the stick. And then burn it. Watch it burn and as the flames
destroy the paper and stick, know that you’ve let go.
Don’t have a
fireplace, use a BBQ grill. Don’t have that, use a tin can or a container
filled with sand. If you do this outside, just be careful that you do not have
flammables nearby. I’ve seen flames burst forth and shoot high with some Death
Arrows. I’ve also seen some take For Ever to burn. My first one was the latter.
I thought it would never finish burning…but I’d put some heavy stuff on that
paper so upon reflection, it made sense to me.
Another method is
to write things out or maybe draw pictures, take out appropriate photographs,
cut out pictures from magazines, create a collage
of words and graphics and then destroy it. Fire is really the best way
to do this but you can slice it into ribbons and put it in the trash. If you
choose the trash, I’d make sure the pieces are scattered. Maybe put bits and
pieces out at two different times or if it feels right, ask a friend or
neighbor to take part of the confetti-paper and get rid of it.
Still another
option, especially if what you want to let go of is all about you, is to write a letter to yourself explaining why it is
important to Let Go of whatever you are
holding on to. Go the whole distance and mail it to yourself. (No emails here.
Writing it out by hand is an important part of the process).
If you want to
share, please do. But, it may be uncomfortable to do so depending on how
personal “Letting Go” is for you.
PS: If you
meditate or have other mindful practices, you may get good results by focusing
a session or two on “Letting Go”.
Whatever works!
You can learn more
about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my
website.
Follow me on Twitter:
@JudithAshley19
© 2017 Judith Ashley
And, if you’d
like to explore these ideas in a fiction format, you’ll find these concepts as
a foundation in my Sacred Women’s Circle
series.
