Believe It! And So It Is...: Letting Go into Wholeness

*Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn't you - all of the expectations, all of the beliefs - and becoming who you are.*
~ Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen

First, let me go ahead and define *healing*. Healing is the process of becoming consciously whole. Why do I say *consciously* whole? Because we are already whole, perfect and complete! Nothing has to be added to us to make us more whole, more perfect or more complete.

We already are...

Think of each one of us as being a wave in the vast ocean of life. Each wave, like each person, is part of the ocean (i.e., not separate from any other wave or ocean as a whole). They and we are all interconnected and ONE.

Some waves may be higher, bolder, more awesome to watch and admire and others may be quite unnoticeable from every other smaller wave (they may even seem insignificant in the grand scheme of the whole ocean); however, regardless of external qualities, each wave is still a wave part of the ONE ocean.

Now, going back to the statement I made earlier.

Could anything be added to each wave that doesn't already exist as part of the ocean and its environment to make the waves *more whole, perfect and complete*? I don't think so.

Each wave HAS everything it needs to be a wave. There is nothing more that can be added to it to make it more of a wave.

Now, just because a wave is indistinguishable from any other wave (e.g., smaller, unnoticeable) does it make it less whole, less perfect or less complete of a wave? No, standing at the sea shore, we see only waves (both big and small) that are part of a vast body of water. Again, some draw our attention to them because of their external qualities, but they are no more and no less similar to the other waves in substance.

So, let's talk about us.

We, like the waves, are already a part of the ocean of life: whole, perfect and complete. There is nothing more that can be added to us to make us more human or make us more of who we already are (that is, US--you or me). No, nothing more needs to be added. We have everything we need--it's already there.

Instead of adding something more to us, the process of becoming consciously whole requires us to *let go*.

Regardless of specifics, every spiritual tradition has taught throughout the history of humankind that it is in the process of *letting go* that we become more of who we are. We can transcend OUR REALITY and move into deeper states of consciousness, nirvana or enlightenment.

By *letting go*, we release our *old* patterns of belief, our self-imposed limitations on seeing and experiencing things in a certain way. We become OPEN to NEW POSSIBILITIES, beyond our current state of consciousness. It is through this process that true healing can take place.

To illustrate this point, here is a true story told by Dr. Michael Beckwith of Agape International Spiritual Center who is one of the teachers in the movie, *The Secret*:

At the culmination of one of his training programs, he asked each student to share something that everyone else could hold in his or her thoughts and prayers for the graduate. One woman, stated that she is in need of a kidney transplant and that she would like to be placed at the top of the transplant list so she could get a new kidney.

Having heard this, Dr. Beckwith stated, *why not pray that your current kidneys be healed and regenerated?* The woman responded, *well, you don't understand, I've been on dialysis for many years and the doctors tell me that I have this rare kidney disorder...*

Without hesitation, Michael Beckwith again asked, *why don't we pray that the kidneys you have be healed and regenerated?* And, once again, the woman too shared her same statement...

Afterwards, Dr. Beckwith responded, *Well, you have to wait for your kidney transplant anyway, right? So, why not in the mean time work on healing and regenerating the kidneys you have*?

Eventually, the woman and her class agreed to move forward with visualizing this woman living with healthy kidneys, being in a state of gratitude for being able to urinate without a problem, and focusing on changing the belief of the possibility of healing and regenerating the kidneys through affirmative prayer.

In a few short weeks, after both the woman and her class continued to do these things, her kidneys began to regenerate and function on their own. Eventually, the kidneys were completely healed and are now 100% regenerated.

Now, the point of this story is not to focus on HOW the kidneys were regenerated; instead, I want us to look at WHAT needed to happen before the kidneys had a chance to heal.

If you notice in the story, the woman believed as did most everyone else that she encountered related to her kidney failure that the ONLY possibility for *healing* was a kidney transplant. This was a BELIEF (a limiting-belief) which prevented her from noticing any other possibility regarding her current kidneys. As long as the focus was on *it's not possible any other way*, the possibility of something else would not make itself known.

This is NOT a judgment; just an observation on how our beliefs (regardless of good intension) become limiting onto themselves preventing us from seeing any other possibility.

What the woman eventually needed to do is to *let go* of her *old* belief pattern and live from the experience that something greater was possible. For her and her class, the *old* beliefs were challenged by doing visualizations, stating affirmations (affirmative prayer), and practicing thanksgiving or gratitudes.

In other words, these exercises and practices were not intended to bring about something *magical* (i.e., going against the natural laws of the universe). Instead, they were practiced to shift the focus from their current level of belief onto something that originally seemed to be beyond comprehension.

By the way, when I say prayer, I do not mean the practice of pleading to someone or something outside of myself for something I want to occur.

Instead, prayer is a process of consciously becoming in alignment with my own Higher Self, my Life Source to begin seeing beyond my own, current self-limiting possibilities.

It is when, I get out of my own way (my own self-imposed beliefs) that the possibilities become apparent. Those possibilities were already there (it was already whole, perfect and complete); all I needed to do is bring myself in alignment with them by changing my state of mind (awareness).

What I've just outlined applies to any and every area of our lives: Relationships, Money, Career, Spiritual Practice, etc. If you want something different in your life than you already have, it begins by *letting go* of limiting beliefs about that which is no longer serving you.

For example, do you believe something has to be a certain way before you can be happy or fulfilled in your life? That's a limiting belief. Or, do you believe that there is only one way for you to make money, be successful, achieve whatever you're wanting? Again, that too is a limiting belief.

In his book, NY Times bestseller, *Rich Dad, Poor Dad*, Robert Kiosaki tells the story of his two *dads.* His biological dad who he calls *poor dad* and his best friend's father who he calls *rich dad.* From an early age, he was influenced by both men who started out in life in a similar middle class financial state. However, because *rich dad* did not allow his past or current situation to dictate the POSSIBILITIES for his future, this man became one of the riches men in Hawaii despite that his level of education was *lower* than *poor dad's*.

It was *rich dad's* mindset that didn't limit him in becoming a successful entrepreneur because he was willing to let go of any self-imposed limitations. There is nothing wrong with being a middle class person--that's not the point of that story. Instead, it helps to illustrate how someone wanting to go beyond his or her current state of being can move into becoming something greater than they are. First and foremost by not limiting themselves to their current paradigm.

Each of our limiting beliefs will cause us to make certain choice which ultimately will produce the results that we are experiencing in our own lives. So, one way to move beyond our limiting beliefs is to continually practice the Art of Letting Go.

Here are some practical ways to begin the practice of Letting Go:

Like a scientist, become an observer of your actions and reactions. Notice what happens inside of you as you move throughout the day. Place no judgment on it, just notice. This will assist you in becoming more conscious of yourself. Awareness is the first step. Meditation including the use of brainwave technology can assist in this process.

After becoming more aware, explore the beliefs behind your reactions and actions. What beliefs do you hold that are "running" the show of your actions and ultimately your results?

Delve deeper into seeing when and where these beliefs were picked up by you. Think back in your life and write down who else do you know has held similar beliefs (e.g., parents, siblings, other family members, other significant people in your life). How did you feel observing that person/those people expressing these beliefs? How do you feel about yourself holding onto these beliefs?

Forgive yourself for taking on and living out of these self-limiting expectations. I will explore forgiveness work in another blog entry in the future. For now, know that until we release something *old* we cannot truly live in the *new*. One step in the process of releasing dis-empowering or self-limiting beliefs is to acknowledge them and forgive ourselves for having them. This isn't so we can feel guilt and shame for having the self-limiting beliefs.

On the contrary, it is through forgiveness that we RELEASE any sense of guilt, shame or embarrassment. Recall that we are whole, perfect and complete--as we are. Our work is to go beyond our self-imposed limits that are being guided by our dis-empowering beliefs.

There is a great book to begin the process of forgiveness for yourself entitled, *The Twelve Steps of Forgiveness* by Paul Ferrini. It has been quite helpful for me in my own life. I'd encourage you to explore it for yourself.

Choose the beliefs that you do want to live out of and consciously practice living from those new perspectives.

Practice Gratitude. Be thankful for what you already have in your life. See the positive aspect of everything and be thankful for it. It is only when we are truly grateful for everything in our current lives that we can begin to move into something greater than we have yet experienced.

Practice Affirmations. Affirmations are positive statements phrased in the present tense which are empowering and assist us to move beyond our current state of being. They will keep you focused on a new perspective of possibilities instead of limitations.

Grow into more of who you already are by letting go of any self-limiting beliefs.

Here are some other books and materials to check out related to this topic.

Click on the images and link for more information: