The Courage to Let Go of the Past

We may not yet see it as being so, but wheneverwe're being pulled apart when our relationships
unwanted situations come along -- stripping us ofchange -- as they must. There's a silver lining to this
some beloved attachment -- it is the operation ofkind of suffering once we learn to see it! Strange as
one world acting upon another. There is our familiarit is, how else could any of our secret attachments
world, the one we've always known -- who andever be realized and released... if not for the
what we've been, filled with our preferences andunwanted events that come along to reveal them!
possessions -- and acting upon it is a new order ofEach "troubling" event, seen properly, is the herald of
reality whose meaning is unknown at first, but whosea freedom yet to be known. With this in mind, here's
secret purpose is to help us awaken to our ownthe higher lesson that awaits us on the other side of
higher possibilities. But when in such moments --any loss, if only we'll open ourselves to its healing.
moments only these colliding worlds can provide, allIn the spiritual worlds above us, we are the other.
we see is our resentment or regret -- we lose sightThe man who came to own a successful horse ranch
of this spiritual gift that can be offered to us in nois -- and will forever have within him -- the small boy
other way.who couldn't imagine anything better than his little
When we are hurt badly, the higher lesson hidden instick pony. Nothing real can be lost. Just as the seed
this trial is to recognize the time has come to let gomust give way so that the sapling it holds can spring
of who and what we have been up until the momentfrom it, with all of its greater possibilities, we must
of loss. And "how" do we know this is true? How canlearn to let go of what was, so that what may be
we be sure there is something good in the "bad"can grow in its place. Love never dies, but only
others put us through? Because if we understandchanges its form and expression that we may see its
that events in themselves have no power to punishexample and willingly follow suit.
us, then who's to blame for our pain when lifeOne last thought. Our anger and resentment toward
changes as it must? The real culprit here is oursomeone who has hurt us do not prove that we
present level of Self -- literally wrecking itself -- as itloved, and they didn't. What our enmity really
clings to what can no longer remain in our life...indicates is that we don't yet understand the true
Yes! It does hurt to be left behind, or to be lied to.nature of love, or we wouldn't be ripping ourselves
Yes, we feel lots of grief and anger -- thoseapart because someone tore from us something to
knee-jerk reactions that rush in and rule a heart thatwhich we had become attached. The hole in our soul
feels so wrongly compromised. But as long as wethat is created by any such loss must be left empty.
cling to the false idea that who we really are isIf we let it be filled with negative states, we will
meant to be defined by any "other" -- regardlessnever know the birth of a whole new order of love
how sublime -- we have no choice but to feel thatbecause there is no room for it to grow.