Taking Care of Yourself = Letting Go

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.

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© 2017 Judith Ashley