Ancient wisdom for modern problems
Going with the flow
There’s a famous Hopi prophesy about how to navigate the transformational times we’re living through right now. It likens our rapidly rising world consciousness to a very fast flowing river, and it cautions against hanging onto the shore. It says to let go and be carried to the middle of the river. It also says to take nothing personally, on this wild river journey—especially yourself.
All very good advice. But, uh...could we be a little more specific please? How does taking nothing personally relate to this epic river trip we’re on?
Okay, here is what it’s actually saying: You know that sticky, heavy mental-emotional stuff you’re still hanging onto? All those modern problems you have. All those ways you have, of saying no to what is. Well, your no is clashing with the rising frequencies of YES.
So all your no’s have to be jettisoned, if you want to stay afloat and be carried by the very fast river of rapidly rising consciousness. (And trust me, you DO want that. It’s an unspeakably magnificent river, heading for an unimaginably beautiful destination. Plus, at this moment in our history, traveling by river is the only game in town.)
So in order to go with the flow, absolutely all your stuff has to be jettisoned.
Great. But jettisoned how? All those annoying Facebook memes tell you to ‘just let it go.’ But seriously. If you could just let all that deadweight baggage go, simply by deciding to...you’d have dropped it ages ago. Right?
But seriously. If you could just let all that deadweight baggage go, simply by deciding to...you’d have dropped it ages ago. Right?
Letting go of no
We’ll leave the Hopi Nation and go to the Dalai Lama for the solution to this one. He’s a guy with plenty of modern problems. He and his followers have been persecuted pretty much from Day One. When he looks around at the state of the world, he no doubt sees much to disagree with.
And that’s why the Dalai Lama makes it a practice to die every morning, before he begins his day. Yeah, I know. Doesn’t sound like much fun. But it’s his way of entering each new day in a space of clarity and peace. His way of ‘taking nothing personally on this wild river journey—especially himself.’
And actually, I would add that there’s alot to be said for practicing the art of dying-before-you-die. It’s really not the least bit creepy. In fact it’s very relaxing. And more than a little bit liberating.
But there’s even more to it than that. Something really potent happens when you let go, even temporarily, of habitual mental-emotional resistance. Your release of no, lights an alchemical spark in you. In that melting of your resistance, your own divine self springs into action—taking over to guide you safely through your river current. And that burst of divine guidance happens automatically, simply because you’ve finally allowed it. Simply because you removed all the no’s that were blocking the way.
You see, your resistance to stuff, and your resistance to your own divine self, are essentially the same thing. Because from a purely energetic standpoint, resistance is resistance. So when you release the illusory no, you make room for the eternal YES to emerge.
How to do it
So here’s a simple method for dying-before-you-die. It’s not particularly mystical, and it’s not hard to do. Just picture how it feels to be on your deathbed, in that moment just before you pass. That moment when you realize your life’s burdens are no longer yours to carry: Your unfinished business will remain unfinished. Your opinions no longer matter. Your responsibilities are ending. There’s nothing more for you to do, because there’s nothing more you CAN do.
Just feel into that. The peace of that. The freedom and the relief of it.
That’s what it means to let go. You’re still thoroughly alive; it’s your heavy burdens and sticky attachments that have passed on.
So even just a few minutes of letting it go, now and then, (not necessarily every single day before breakfast!) will start to create an opening, a softening in you, where you no longer take it all quite so personally. An opening through which your own divine light can emerge, to guide you brilliantly through these fast-moving modern waters.
PS if you just can’t be doing with a practice of imagining your own death...it also works to picture the other end of the life cycle, instead. Imagine yourself as an infant. Sweet and warm, safe and comfortable in your crib. There you are...fully conscious, yet completely unable to shoulder burdens of any kind. Nothing is yours to carry. Even if you wanted to.
Aaaaaand...let it go.