The ultimate goal of any spiritual path is devotion. Although you may associate the word surrender with defeat or weakness, it is the most powerful spiritual action that offers you infinite freedom and opportunity. Surrender is trusting that God, the Universe, or a higher intelligence can accomplish anything, even when you can’t predict the outcome of a situation.
On the mind level, everything always unfolds perfectly, and You don’t have to fight or force situations to get your way. Only your ego mind believes you are an isolated individual trying to survive in a hostile world. In truth you are a spiritual being. When you surrender to Spirit and listen to the voice of your deeper intelligence, you end the struggle. You free yourself from fear and doubt and release the obstacles your ego has created.
The entire spiritual path could be described as learning to let go, but letting go all at once is not possible. This is a journey of many small steps, a process of replacing automatic reactions with deeper awareness. Here are the guidelines along the way that have proven effective for me personally and that I believe will work for many people:
1. Know your intentions.
Your destiny is moving in the direction of your soul, and the fuel that moves your destiny is your intention. Intend each day to let go a little more and close the gap of separation that is just a delusion of the ego. Also, expose your false intentions, which take the form of guilty desires: I want someone else to fail. I want revenge. I want to take something that doesn’t belong to me.
False intentions can be elusive, but you can recognize them by the emotional tone they carry, including fear, greed, anger, hopelessness, and weakness. Feel the feeling first, refuse to believe it, and then remain aware until you find the intent lurking underneath.
2. Set your intentions high.
Aspire to be a saint and a miracle worker. Why not? If you know that the goal of inner growth is to attain mastery, then ask for that mastery as soon as possible. Don’t strive to work miracles, but don’t deny yourself them either. The beginning of the championship is vision; See the wonders around you and this will facilitate the growth of greater wonders.
3. See yourself in the light.
The ego keeps its grip by making you feel needy and powerless. Out of this feeling of scarcity grows a hunger to acquire anything in sight. Money, power, sex and pleasure are meant to fill the void, but they never do. You can escape this painful illusion when you see yourself in the light. The only difference between you and a saint is that your light is small and a saint’s is great. You are both the light.
4. See everyone else in the light.
Everyone lives in the same light. If you are tempted to judge another human being, no matter how obviously he or she deserves it, remember that everyone is doing the best they can from their own level of consciousness.
5. Reaffirm your intentions every day.
Everyday life is a kind of swirling chaos and the ego is entrenched in its demands. You must remind yourself of your spiritual destiny day by day. Some people find it helpful to write down their intentions; for others, periods of regular meditation and prayer are beneficial. Find your center, take a good look at yourself and don’t let go of your intention until it feels centered within you.
6. Forgive yourself.
We all fall into the traps of selfishness and delusion when we least expect it. The casual remark of wounds, the frivolous lie, and the irresistible urge to cheat are ever-present. Forgive yourself for being where you are. Apply to yourself the same dictum that you apply to others: I am doing the best I can from my own level of consciousness. I like the definition of a spiritual master of the perfect disciple: “One who always stumbles but never falls.”
7. Learn to let go.
The paradox of being spiritual is that you are always wrong and always right at the same time. You’re right if you try to know God, but you’re wrong if you think things won’t change tomorrow. Each stage of inner growth is good and nurtured by God, but when it’s time to move on, don’t hesitate to let go.
8. Worship what is sacred.
Perhaps you were raised to be skeptical of what is sacred. In our society, few people spend much time delving into the great richness of the world’s scriptures. But the saints and human representatives of God are an infinite treasure. Dive into this treasure will help open your heart. The words of a saint or sage could be just the right fertilizer when your soul wants to flourish.
9. Allow Spirit to lead.
Most people are addicted to worry, control, micromanagement and disbelief. Resist the temptation to follow these tendencies.Don’t listen to the voice that says you have to be in charge, that constant vigilance is the only way to get things done. Instead, let Spirit try a new path and be willing to experiment. Intend for everything to work as it should, then let go and allow for opportunities as they come your way. The result you are trying so hard to force may not be as good for you as the one that comes naturally.
10. Embrace the unknown.
Over the years you have developed likes and dislikes and learned to accept certain boundaries. None of this is the real you. However, you can’t force the real you to show up all at once. Because it is painful to shed the thick layers of illusion, you must allow the soul to reveal itself in its own time.
Rest assured that the unknown awaits you – one that has nothing to do with it has the “I” you already know. The part of you that you know is the part that fades away all too quickly. When you feel a new impulse, an uplifting thought, an insight you’ve never acted on before, embrace the unknown. Cherish it as tenderly as a newborn baby. God lives in the unknown, and when you can fully embrace it, you will be free.
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