Surrender by definition means to completely give up. To yield whatever you have, land, power, even your will. Surrender comes after you have been completely defeated by demand from someone else. To stop resisting simply because you can’t win, to give up something of yourself or to relinquish something you possess, to give your will and authority to someone strong who considers themselves better.
Surrender comes from the old French meaning to (yield) you are at your end, unable to fight or survive. These are harsh and mean defeating or taking a personal loss that you may never recover from.
We have spoken of the deeper meaning and the emotional impact that words have on us. The impact of inspiration or deflation lies in our choice of words.
In life we find a time when something needs to come to an end, or a change is needed.
Change is good and when we need to make that change it allows us to begin with something new.
The words we say to ourselves, or others, can impact how we accept the change. When someone says we need to (surrender to the change) our thoughts of being defeated, or what we are going to lose, or that we have not done the job well can bring up emotions of worthlessness, failure, and pain.
However, using the word surrender as we do in reference to our spiritual path may not be the best choice of words, as it brings up all the negativity. We want to let go of things but using surrender feels like a defeat.
For instance, in meditation sometimes they ask us to surrender our thoughts so we can quiet our minds.
Let’s use the word release instead of surrender. Release means being set free of confinement, letting go, allowing something to move, to flow freely. We can use the example of releasing the water to flow into the pond. Or release our fear of being free to choose another path.
The action or process of releasing can be used when we are letting go of the shadows, freeing up our energetic fields so they will flow freely, becoming open. We can release distress and sadness which allows us to relinquish what binds us in order to set us free.
We are not failing like surrender makes us feel. We are not giving up something of ourselves, we have simply freed ourselves by releasing what binds us to be able to move on and accept our new adventure.
Every Tuesday evening, I have a heart-centered meditation at my center in Mesa, Arizona. I call it the open-heart meditation. I guide the group into our heart’s center, feeling it with joy, feeling it expands and vibrates faster and faster until we become our true essence as beings of light.
If anyone is in the Phoenix or Mesa area, please give me a call and be part of our open-heart meditation.
I see you, I appreciate you, I honor you
© Care’n Mooney
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