Mindful Monday: A Reminder to ‘Let it Be’

Dear friends,

What part of us wants or desperately needs to control things? 
 
It is an ego structure. It is learned. It is conditioning that lies deep in the subconscious. 
 
This structure does its best to control the show. It tells us that we need to control things if we want to have peace or be happy – but the opposite is true. 
 
Trying to control our feelings, our thoughts, this moment, other people - comes at a cost. 

We lose our connection to Self. We live out of fear rather than love, and we can be reactive or ungrounded. There is more effort and more tension and stress in our minds and bodies. 
 
When we try to control, it's like our world of possibilities gets a lot smaller, and we are sacrificing this moment for the illusion (not reality) of being in control. 
 
What if, instead of trying so hard, we were to just 'let it be'? 
 
Let's take a moment to explore this.
 
Being in control is a natural response in our society, while 'letting it be' might sound like a foreign language but is quite simple: we choose to be present and curious with a sincere desire to be with what is here and now.   
 
We observe our reactions, thoughts, and feelings, including our need to control. We celebrate it all with curiousity and sincerity for the truth. 
 
It's important to note that 'Letting it be' is not the same as 'Letting go.' 
 
With 'Letting go,' there is a doing. 'Letting it be' there is a being. We are gathering information, gaining insight and being open to understanding the part of us that needs to be in control.
 
"The truth is you can't try to let go. Trying is the opposite of letting go. To let go is to relinquish trying. To let go is much more to let it be."
~ Adya Shanti

When I first read this quote, a sensation of calm and relaxation spread through my body. I had been exploring this very thing – being open to the moment's mystery and letting it be. It was serendipitous. It was an affirmation.
 
When we let it be, we are leaving our experience alone. We allow the feeling to be there. We may breathe into it. We let it stay for as long as it needs to. There is no judgement, no attempt to change it.
 
If we notice a dislike or resistance arising about the feeling, we observe that. It's not bad; we aren't bad for feeling or reacting this way. It simply is. 
 
This is non-doing in action. We aren't trying to control or let it go. We take a hands-off approach and let it be. 

The walls or structures start to come down when we let it be. We see through the illusion and connect to the truth and our true essence. We can trust, allowing the tension in our mind and body to release or dissolve.
 
This is freedom.
 
The freedom to be who we are where we are.

When you let go of the egoic self what you're getting in exchange is the whole universe."   ~ Adya Shanti

With love,

Diane