A great question came in just this morning: How do I know when to heal the past versus just be in the present and let the past go?
I understand where the dilemma comes in. We can sometimes have a picture that we’re supposed to be in the present moment and then we’ll always be in bliss.
However, if we are carrying pain from past events, the pain is still here – in the present moment – largely because we’ve tried to shove it down or push it away or deny its existence.
To let go of the past without healing the pain it brought is more like denying its existence. The body still holds the pain along with defenses and protective barriers to keep us safe. Then we end up going through life defending the pain or compensating for the limitations it imposes on us. However, to truly heal, we instead release the pain along with the barriers and live a life of freedom.
Here’s a way to look at the situation: In any healing, stories of the past can help us get to underlying emotions that are affecting our lives today – in the present moment. So the past can have a role in the healing work.
Then to heal, it’s important to be with your feelings and let your feelings carry you to your deeper needs and yearning for love and connection, which ultimately leads us to our yearning for God, the Essence of the love we know in our hearts.
The trick is to let the story carry you into your deeper heart, and to not rebound back into the story when you touch into the discomfort of the associated emotions.
Once you touch into the emotions in your heart, then it’s important to let go of the story that helped you get there so you can move all the way into the love that you were needing all along, ever since you came to believe that you were separate from God.
You’ve never been separate. The love has been there all along.
I hope you found this helpful. If so, please share it with friends. If you are looking for healing in your life – for healing hurts from the past or opening your heart up to the love within – or to learn to help others heal their hearts and know the love of God inside, please consider joining us for one of our programs.
Have a beautiful weekend.
Blessings and gratitude for you!
Mastura Graugnard on behalf of your friends and family at UOS
