Letting Go, Letting Be

Knowing that life is a [....], my purpose in life is to ...

When I did this exercise, I came up with three responses, all of which resonate deeply with three different aspects of me: Life is a beach; Life is a woman; and Life is a process. Knowing that life is a beach, my purpose in life is to ... live my life to the fullest. Knowing that life is a woman, my purpose in life is to ... love her with all my heart. Knowing that life is a process, my purpose in life is to ... go with the flow and be a part of this wondrous process.

In less than two minutes, the heart of my soul, being deeply feminine, knew exactly what she wanted from this exercise.

Just before I did this exercise, I received a heart-warming newsletter from a woman accomplished in the visual and healing arts. She had returned from the Peruvian Amazon, where she had spent a month in the wilds with a group of shamans. She remarked: "feeling the grace of the river, the exquisite green of the forest, the warmth of the air, combined with the simplicity and heartfelt presence of the shamans, I decided to pay more attention to my lifestyle, to relax and enjoy more, each and every moment, letting the flow of the river, the Divine breath, to guide and inspire me in each moment and situation."

She went on to say that healing (physical, emotional, spiritual) occurs with a relaxed attitude from a place of humility, faith, surrender, and playfulness. She added: letting go and letting Divine Grace emerge from within is our only task and destiny. In essence, I would agree with her with all my heart and soul. I would, however, qualify her statement somewhat, phrasing it as follows: "letting go is our most important task; letting be is our ultimate destiny."

All that we encounter, and contrive to encounter, contains relevance for soul; all that we experience, and contrive to experience, carries significance for spirit. Paradoxically, however, letting go requires hanging on; letting be requires clapping hands.