The Art of Letting Go

Whenever anything gets added into your life Earthlings, be it a new interest, a new talent, new people or a new social circle, some of the old must be let go to truly allow the new to come in.

Now this is counterintuitive to your society, where accumulations of all kinds - "stuff", wealth, cars... - seem to be celebrated, strived upon.

Space is required for you to breathe Earthlings. For you to actually notice that something "extra" has popped into your life. Otherwise anything new quickly becomes clutter on top of everything else that is already filling your life.

So many of you seem to have trouble with this - on either side of the equation: the one(s) letting to, as well as the one(s) being let go. Somehow you have been taught that it is "improper" to have an empty shelf.

And sometimes, one or both sides tend to hold on to what was, for whatever reason. It is almost as if, in change, they want everything to stay the same.

The important thing to remember in all of this is that it is a natural process. Sometimes the letting go is temporary. Sometimes, permanent. As you go through life, you evolve, you change as beings. Yes, there are things, hobbies, beliefs, friends that you keep all your life. However, not all people (hobbies...) are meant to stay with you forever. Sometimes they are a mere transition. They needed to happen for you to learn a lesson (or lessons), to heal something, to serve as a jumping board for something better.

In life, there are people who hoard material things. Their physical space is filled beyond capacity. Others hoard beliefs, people (acquaintances, friends, social circles...), interests and so on. These "items" do no necessarily take up a lot of physical space in their house, but they take a lot of room in their life. It is simply a coping mecanism. Take it for what it is, without judgment. You know, everybody here on this Earth is doing the best they can.

If you are unwilling to keep an empty shelf, to let go when it is called for, quite often Earthlings, as anything new enters your life, it kind of gets piled up on top of whatever else is in your life and suffocates or gets forgotten. What a shame... This is simply a societal habit, more or less ingrained depending on what continent you live.

Letting go is an art that can be re-learned. Start small. Do it in a way that feels right for you. You are the one who knows yourself best. What would work for someone would make the other "run after the garbage truck" in total panic. Now, this is only an analogy. In many ways, releasing philosophies and hobbies is much easier than releasing people, as the first two elements are unresponsive. They have no feelings, so they will not get hurt if you slowly fade away. 

The thing is, these new opportunities opening up, fresh talents getting uncovered and new people entering your life are simply better aligned with the evolving you. This is why it is important to evaluate what and who is in your life as newness comes in, letting go of all that feels heavy.

And we do mean let go of the old. Not break or destroy it. There was a lot of good in the old. If it had not been for the old, there is a chance, the new would never have occurred. Do your best to honour yourself and what/who you are letting go. Be as gentle as you can. If the other is a hoarder, being firm, loving and persistent/consistent will be necessary.

Remember that you will be both at the giving and at the receiving end of this letting go process. Do it in a way that you would like it to have done to you. And when it happens to you, be graceful. Remember that the other simply needed to "clear certain items from their closet" to let something new in and give it room to grow. Something new that is as beautiful as you, just a better fit.

In a way, all of you who are letting things go are simply "losing weight", and as you shed what no longer serves you, you need new clothes that feel just right, that make you feel good.

When your closet is too full of clothes, that are too big, too small, that you are only keeping because of how much they cost (and you feel guilty about whenever you see them because you never wear them), that were given to you but you actually hate (but love the person who gave it to you)... well, finding the clothes that actually fit you is a very time-consuming act.

If you are afraid to let things go, there will come a time when your house is so full of stuff that you would not have the space to bring anything new in, simply because there is absolutely no room. Even for that lovely piece of furniture you have longed for all your life that you happen to come across by chance... and at an excellent price.

The same goes for hobbies, talents, people... Only adding things into your life makes for a very cramped and stressed existence. You need to give yourself and everything in your life, room to breathe, germinate and grow.

Yes, it may seem cruel and unfair. Life is all about choices and evolution.

Pause for a moment. Do you have the same exact interests, hobbies, friends... as you did when you were ten years old? How many times has your favourite colour, food or movie changed over the years? For the ones who are a bit older, how do your current interests, hobbies and friends compare with those you had in university or college or your early twenties?

Letting go was an act you did naturally as a child. Waking up  with strawberry ice cream as the "bestest flavour in the universe", and going to bed with chocolate as your new favourite flavour. Back then you had a better ear for your heart. You did not always understand the change or what was going on, but you did not have to, you only listened to your heart, to your instinct. You had not yet been programmed to follow certain rules, to do things to "keep up the appearances".

Just know that there this is simply another way in which less is truly more. That you are changing, evolving, so is your life, hobbies, friends, philosophies. Change is OK. We know that with the "human factor", it can be tricky at times to embrace all the changes occurring in your life. Some people do not understand, others chose not to.

Please avoid getting trapped in the guilt trap others may set up for you. And avoid setting traps yourself. Be graceful. Refrain from catching the ball. While not all is aware of the changes going on, everybody is feeling the shift, just in different ways and at different speeds.

We know all the changes many of you have experienced over this Earthly year are quite overwhelming. It is a lot to take in. We know you can do it. In your own way. In your own time. Pace yourself. Just as "catching the ball", rushing only leads to trouble. Baby steps. One thing at a time.

This is all.
Much Light and Love to Everyone