Letting Go Is Hard, But Necessary For Our Spiritual Growth
“Love liberates. It doesn't just hold – that's ego. Love liberates. It doesn't bind. Love says, 'I love you. … I love you. Go.” – Maya Angelou. How do we learn to let go when we’re taught to hold on tight? Remember, not letting go can be dangerous – an embrace can turn into a suffocating chokehold.
Often spiritual growth means making changes, which can be scary. It means we have to actively let things go. Why does letting go feel so hard when it’s so necessary?
The ultimate act of letting go is death. White supremacy teaches us to fear death, or even fear the process of aging.
But many African spiritual practices predating enslavement and colonization celebrated death – they realized that death was just another step in our spiritual journey.
When we look at death as a finality it is terrifying. But when we look at it as the next phase of our spiritual journey, we can begin to let go of the fear of letting go!
We can even prepare for death by practicing daily rituals for letting go.
These rituals can be big or small. We practice letting go any time we change our hairstyle, declutter our space, let go of toxic relationships or habits, and most importantly, when we embrace all of ourselves – including our emotions!
Letting go allows us to practice gratitude.
Toni Morrison once wrote,“You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.”
What do you need to let go of in order to access the next phase in your spiritual journey?
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