New Age Gathering

How to Release


How to Release
By Jennifer Hoffmann

One of the lessons of the Shift is that we are to willingly release those things which no longer serve us and move forward on our path. Like most aspects of our lessons, it sounds easier than it is. Releasing is not simply letting go of a situation, it is also letting go of every attachment that we have to it, including our emotions, thoughts and feelings. Now the situation gets more complicated, especially if what we are releasing is particularly difficult or painful. The spiritual part of us may be in agreement with the need to release, but the human part of us wants some reward for the time, energy, emotional commitment and effort that we have put into a situation. Sometimes we also want vindication, proof that our effort was recognized. When we are at the place where we can truly release, none of that matters.

The more painful and difficult the situation, the harder it will be for us to release it. Situations where we have been hurt by others, where we have been victimized, abused, treated disrespectfully or dishonored by others leave deep wounds. Sometimes we want revenge, other times we simply want an apology. If neither is forthcoming, we can feel like walking the spiritual path means that others can treat us any way they please and we have no recourse. But that is not what release is about.
What we must first learn about release, before we are able to do it and feel good about it, is that it is something that we do for ourselves.

Release is a process that frees us from the pain and suffering that we carry. It is our absolution from the torment of wondering why things happened, whether they could have turned out differently, whether we would be different had they not happened. Release is our way to peace and the only way that we can make sense of things that make no sense at all. We may never understand why someone was so cruel, unforgiving, judgmental or unloving, but we won’t have to. We may not receive an apology for what we suffered, or gratitude for having tried so hard. But that won’t matter. Because when we release ourselves from these situations, we are free to move on in peace.

There are two parts to release. The first is the decision to release, which we make when we’re ready. Generally we will suffer through a situation or carry a burden of anger for some time before we are ready to let it go.

It takes spiritual and emotional courage to make the decision to release ourselves from what can be a lifetime of pain and we do so when we know that we are at that place where we can. Then we get into the second part of release, the process.

The process of release occurs in five stages and as we move through each of them we work through the feelings, emotions, thoughts and memories they contain so that when we are finished, what we are ready to release is ready to leave. The five stages are:
Acknowledgement—recognizing what has happened and seeing it for what it is.
Acceptance—accepting the truth of the situation
Forgiveness—forgiving ourselves and other for the situation
Surrender—removing our attachments to the situation
Moving on—allowing ourselves to move forward.
Each of these steps is important if we want to move forward with our lives and stop filtering our present reality through the memory of what once happened to us. Once we decide that we are ready to release we can find that what we are releasing is sometimes not ready to leave, or it won’t leave without a fight. Often our feelings will intensify and we will feel that things get worse just as we decided that we were ready for them to get better. What we need to release has been with us for a long time and we must honor what we have been feeling before we can let go of it. But the rewards are there for us and they include the peace, joy and unconditional love that we have been longing for. When we give ourselves the gift of release we honor our spirit and can move forward on our spiritual path.

About the author
Jennifer Hoffman is an intuitive, spiritual healer, mentor, teacher and author. She also channels the energy of the Archangel Uriel. Jennifer has helped many people through the Shift through her unique insights and counsel, facilitating their healing journey. Jennifer is the founder of www.urielheals.com, an on-line spiritual healing and growth center and dedicated to the messages and teachings of Archangel Uriel. Information about Jennifer's books, on-line seminars and services is available at her websites, or email healing@urielheals.com for information.

Posted by Cougar Sunday, December 30, 2007 (19:31:25)