Letting Go

“The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go.”

~annonymous

Letting go is often much easier said than done. We cling to the past - our past hurts, worries, fears, resentments, and frustrations - as if we are holding on for dear life. We hold on because our ego is afraid of losing itself if we let go. But holding on prevents us from living the life that is right in front of us. As Mark Nepo says in his book The Book of Awakening, “It is unavoidably true: hands must be emptied before they can be filled anew”. If we want our lives to be full, if we want to open ourselves to the love that is right in front of us we must summon the courage to open our hands and let go, and in the letting go have faith that we won’t lose ourselves but instead blossom into the fullness of life just as the trees let go with full faith that something new and beautiful will bloom.

Autumn is a natural time of shedding. The leaves put on a brilliant show and then fall away one by one, leaving the tree bare. But the trees do not worry that they will be less of a tree as they let go. They know that to preserve themselves, to be able to bloom and grow in the spring, they have to let go. In order to fulfill their dharma, their purpose in life, they can’t let the weight of those dead leaves be a burden any longer.

We all have our own “dead leaves”. Those things that drain our energy, rob us of our joy, and prevent us from living to our fullest potential. What are your “dead leaves”?

Leaves change color in autumn when their “food making” process stops. At this time the chlorophyll breaks down and the true colors of the leaves are revealed before they fall away. And this is how we let go too. When we stop feeding those “dead leaves” and let their truth be revealed to us we can finally let them go. When we stop nurturing them with our time and attention, the stories we have told ourselves about these “leaves” fade, and the truth behind our hurts, worries, fears, resentments, and frustrations reveals itself. Once we see the truth behind those “leaves” we are finally free to let them go. And it’s so beautiful to let those dead things go.

Sit comfortably and bring your attention to your breath. Let your mind relax into your breathing. Once your mind is relaxed drop into your heart and connect to the past hurts, worries, fears, resentments, and frustrations that you are holding on to. One by one, imagine each of these “leaves” slowly revealing it’s truth to you, bringing into light the root of the fear, worry, hurt, etc. As these truths are revealed let what you are clinging to fall away and feel yourself becoming lighter as you make space for new beauty in your life.