It’s easy to live in the past or even worse let it haunt our present. We can so easily let our subconscious and our consciousness reside in the anxiety or fear that has no actual roots in our present. Whether you believe in Karma or are averse to situations you’ve been burned by the past, we must start to let this go. Without realizing it on the surface, holding on to what we think we deserve based on our choices can cloud our mind and soul bringing a feeling of “stuckness”. How do we release this dead weight and let ourselves begin to rise up and build a new path? We don’ have to ignore or hide the past, but only be truly open to transformation.
I have many periods in my past that only my closest friends are familiar with, for better or worse. Some of them are rooted in the most unique experiences of my life. The stories are told in memory of “glory days” or times without care or fear of judgement by self or the outer world around us. Some of these periods are full of dark moments of substance abuse (yes alcohol is a substance), self-medicating and living just on the edge.
Everything today on the outside appears to be a polar opposite of my past. Everything internal is ever changing, much of the foundation remains the same I have simply returned to it to anchor the next stage of growth. That however doesn’t mean wading through the emotions and anxiety of that past behavior. Do not allow ourselves to pick that weight back up or wallow in the reminiscence. To rise up and find the clarity, we have to give our minds a chance to reflect, but let go. It starts at our center, to know that the choices we make impact our path. Our choices do not dictate our forever, we can change our course without dragging the weight along the way.
Old habits die hard, but they do not mean a complete backslide. If we find ourselves in an unhealthy familiarity all we have to do is take the space, reflect and refocus accepting that it is part of the process. Trusting in our experience and facing it head on with candor and honesty will keep our confidence and balance. We may feel ungrounded in this new space, this is what it feels like to rise up from the ashes into something novel.
Our spirits are resilient and have brought us through the fire. If we let those ashes swallow us we will remain lost in the cycle of the same fears and uncertainty. If we frame our minds to let go of the past and rise up, we will relinquish those fears through daily practice. It will spark our drive to find that true self and purpose. It is always a journey, and we may burn and rise many times over. That is the beauty inherent of transformation, it is ongoing change that we can learn to appreciate and embrace. Give ourselves the grace of a new day and new era. Do not live in the old mindset with the new self. Let them grow together.
Ad Astra Per Apera