“Always say ‘yes’ to the present moment… Surrender to what is. Say ‘yes’ to life and see how life starts suddenly to start working for you, rather than against you.”
~ Eckhart Tolle
Image by Foundry Co from Pixabay
What does it mean to surrender? When we think of the word surrender, does the thought of giving up or giving in come to mind? Do we imagine surrendering to war or control? Is that what our ego wants us to believe?
What if surrendering means letting go, moving into the flow? What if by surrendering, we allow peace of mind to take the place of fear or a perceived outside belief of happiness or power?
There is great peace of mind in surrendering. When we surrender a situation, a thought, a fear or an outcome to the divine, whatever that means for any individual’s beliefs, we are giving in to the true sense of power.
But why don’t we surrender? To surrender demands trust, faith, practice, detachment, compassion and even love. Surrendering is an art of sorts.
One of the biggest reasons we don’t surrender, or let go, is because we hold on to the illusion of control. We want to control the outcome, control how others see us, use action or “working hard” to get it done. Fix it. Control how we feel. We want to cling to situations or thoughts that no longer serve us. We want to cling to the belief that happiness is found in external conditions, rather than being at peace with one’s self.
When we realize that being in control is truly an illusion, that looking outside yourself for power or feeling content, when in reality true power comes from within, then we start the process of surrendering. Our existing or old belief systems are what our ego erroneously holds fast to in a perceived notion in order to keep us safe. This no longer serves us.
When we surrender our desires, our existing perceptions of how things should be, we surrender to a new belief system that we are not separate from the divine. We can realize that we are truly incapable of controlling most of life’s circumstances and by practicing the art of surrendering, we can control how we respond and feel to life.
And it does take practice. It takes a willingness to trust that everything in the moment is perfect. It takes faith that this too shall pass. It takes the ability to lovingly detach from the situational outcome and know that everything will work out to everyone’s highest good. It takes practicing compassion, nonjudgement and love, to the outside, and most importantly, to one’s self.
How does surrendering help us? Surrendering lays down the burden of fear, worry and discontentment. It breaks through the very real and persistent barrier which holds us to that which no longer serves us. Surrendering sends a message to ourselves that we have the inherent power within us.
For so long, we as individuals and as a society, have been told we are powerless, that we are undeserving and unworthy. When we practice surrendering, we cultivate trust, faith, self awareness, love and compassion. We punch through the destructive beliefs we’ve either adopted or had been thrust onto us, and accept our true sovereign divinity, which is inherent in all humans. The time is now to have “eyes that see” and “ears that hear”.
There is no time like the present to practice the art of surrender. While we, as a world, are in global chaos, we’ve all been forced to reevaluate what's important . We are all in some sort of situation beyond our control. How do we choose to deal with this uncertainty, globally and individually?
It is easy to give into fear and worry for the future. We toss and turn at night, visions of terror floating through our mind. We feel the fear and anxiety that is like a living, pulsing breath in the air when we step outside. And so we can choose to let go, to be still and know, to surrender to the divine will. We are not separate. We are not alone. We have never been alone, no matter what we’ve chosen to believe.
How do we practice the art of surrendering? Everyone has different ways to do this. We can pray. We can meditate. We can, in the very moment we are feeling despair, fear or anxiety, say words to surrender the situation.
An example would be, “I lovingly surrender this situation to (All that is, God, the Universe or whatever you choose) at this moment, knowing that everything will work out for everyone’s highest good.”
Realize that we don’t have to know how or why the situation will be resolved, but trust and have faith. This may take us doing it once, twenty or a hundred times, but keep going until that feeling of peace or letting go of the anxiety and fear blooms within us.
Focusing on the moment, rather than the future or the past will help. We can’t change the past or control the future, but we can focus on the moment. Slow down, pay attention and be still in the moment. Go outside and listen to the birds, or the sound of the rain or the feeling of one’s own breath.
We can use visualization. An example would be to take all our fears and worries and put them into a bucket. Once we’ve filled the bucket, pour it down the well. This well is filled with divine white light, strong enough to transmute or absorb the contents of the bucket. As the contents disappear into the well, visualize a sense of connection and peace encompassing our body. We surrender the situation or thoughts and breathe in the peace and knowing that all is at peace and well.
Remember we are not alone and by practicing the art of surrendering, we can flow into our inherent power and divine free will. Accept and know that learning to surrender is a process that takes time, patience and a willingness to practice self-love.
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