We Are Our Thoughts
Live your life as a prayer . . .
David R. Hawkins wrote an insightful book, Letting Go The Pathway of Surrender in which at great depth he analyzes how our emotions rule our lives if we are not paying attention. That would not be such a problem except that sometimes our emotions become like little gremlins that can wreak havoc in our interactions with other people as they trigger suppressed or repressed areas of our consciousness.
We are creatures of habit even though we’d like to deny it. Think about your morning routine. It is so ingrained into your system: turn on the kettle for a cup of tea, check the weather, write in your journal, pray. You get the picture. Everything is automatic you don’t have to think.
Here’s the thing though with each attitude, behavior, and thought we are encoding in our bodies a way of being. Some of these behaviors we pick up from our families and society. Many of these emotions might just pass as harmless, however that is not always the case.
When was the last time you reacted to something and a few hours later asked yourself why you behaved the way you did? Well, there was some unresolved anger, fear, pride that triggered that an episode. We have lapsed into unhealthy behavior that seemed to have happened automatically.
The emotion in our body was just waiting to express itself and then you created the situation for the experience. You may have even sought out the environment that would aid in its outward manifestation.
From his research, reports from patients, and personal experimentation Dr. Hawkins says that we can create beautiful lives if we are willing to let go and surrender. My reaction to the first reading of the book was “Sure who doesn’t want that? What do you do with grief and sorrow, which are natural emotions?” The answer is to let go and surrender.
According to David Hawkins
As we relinquish the negative suppressed feelings from all the programs we have internalized, they are automatically replaced by the higher ones. We become happier and lighter and so do the people around us.
I think we could all thrive in that kind of environment. The idea is to surrender to the negative thoughts, not like in a dual but in being present to what is coming up and releasing these thoughts from your mind. It’s an internal process. Richard Rohr notes that
By observing our thoughts and emotions we can witness how they build on each other through our attachment to repetitive inner stories. Such witnessing begins the process of healthy nonattachment.
When I first started experimenting with this concept of allowing and then letting go I have to admit that I had in my mind that the sheer simplicity of the exercise itself was a setup for failure, so I had to let go of that! And yes, it took some genuine interest in changing my life and a desire to work through some unpleasant stuff.
In all honesty it did not take that long. As a dancer I was familiar with how the mind controlled my success in movement and remembering choreography. The more I let go of how difficult a step or series of combinations were, the more I was able to master the movements. As in the studio so in life.
Eventually the flow and synchronicities came regularly and spontaneously as I became more aware and present to each moment without anticipating what was next or how it might look. Included in the practice is humility. Anyone can test this process and I recommend purchasing the book to complement your journey of transformation.
Then you can say with Plato
This kind of knowledge is a thing that comes in a moment like a light kindled from a leaping spark which, once it has reached the soul, finds its own fuel.