Reconnecting with our Higher Self (our True Self) is a sure way to experience more happiness and peace in our lives.
One of the most important things we can do to accomplish this is SURRENDER - let go of that which causes us pain, suffering, unhappiness, and limitation.
As long as we are primarily operating from our lower self/ego, we are unfortunately tying ourselves to those very things.
Emotional Juicing It is important to realize that the ego does not want to relinquish control to the Higher Self, and will do everything it can to keep you tied to the lower self.
One of the primary methods it uses is emotional "juicing".
This involves evoking on-going emotional responses to various situations that keep us from experiencing the peace of our Higher Self - and keep us bound to the ego! Whether it is anger, resentment, hurt, worry, self-pity or other negative emotions, there is a payoff (juice) to not letting go of these situations.
Sometimes emotional juicing can go on for years - such as with the "poor, pitiful me" and "look how I was wronged" syndromes.
Not letting go of anger, resentments, self-pity and other negative emotions results in an actual addiction to them.
This in turn will keep you tied to the lower self (and suffering!) because the Higher Self consciousness is devoid of negativity.
You cannot connect with your True Self when involved with negative emotions.
Immediate Surrender is the Key If you are determined to have more peace, happiness and an end to suffering, the key again is surrender! When negative emotions arise, the key is to immediately surrender them to God/the Universal.
You can use whatever visualization to make that even more powerful - such as seeing a big bushel basket and taking the whole energetic package of whatever you are experiencing and placing it in the basket and letting it go.
See it rising up into the sky and disappearing.
Emotional responses that have been on-going for a long time will require constantly surrendering until the tie to them is finally broken.
If you find yourself reluctant to surrender something or find you are still revolving the same thing over and over along with the negative emotions, you need to ask yourself why - what is the payoff? What is the juice the lower self is feeding on? Realize that whatever the ego is holding on to, it will continue to cause you grief and suffering until you are willing to surrender it completely! Remember - you have a CHOICE - to continue to hold on to negative emotions and suffering - or to surrender them and as a result, find more happiness and peace in your life.
As you go through your day, be constantly aware when negative emotions or upsets arise, and immediately surrender them! Fighting the Ego Trap Many spiritual seekers falsely believe the ego is "bad" and that we need to fight it.
That is a trap.
The thing is to see the ego as merely a temporary attachment and NOT your Real Self.
Until we are more firmly connected to our Higher Self, most people identify "me" as their ego, so if they end up fighting it, it feels like they are fighting themselves! The key is to surrender the attachment to the ego and cultivate reconnecting more fully with the Higher Self.
In that way, there is no need to fight it and the ego will eventually relinquish control and the lower self will dissolve into the Higher Self.
Let Go and Let God Another thing to realize is that we cannot control everything and the events in our life through the human self.
Sometimes it is necessary to "let go and let God".
Letting go involves surrendering yourself (and your ego!) to a higher force, and the ego does not like that at all.
As you connect more and more to your Higher Self, surrendering and letting go becomes less difficult.
Letting go also means surrendering fears, worries and insecurities and trusting God/the Universal that everything will work out.
False Beliefs/Perceptions Many of our worries and fears are totally groundless and are manufactured in our minds and by false beliefs, some that have been instilled in us since we were young.
Realize that whatever you hold to be true in your mind will create how you are experiencing things.
Life doesn't have to be that way, but you first have to be willing to surrender and let go of false beliefs and perceptions.
Non-attachment and Surrender One of the goals of Buddhism is nonattachment - to let go and let be.
Buddha taught that the cause of suffering is craving and attachment and that by experiencing nonattachment, suffering will be greatly relieved or alleviated.
I believe this concept to be valid, although I also feel it has been misinterpreted and taken too far by some people who feel that any attachment is bad.
My personal interpretation is that attachments to desires, people, things and events that aren't the Will of God can and DO create a great deal of pain and suffering.
All of us have experienced wanting something to happen very strongly and when it doesn't happen, we can suffer.
To me, this is a red flag that we are pushing for something to happen that may not be the best for us.
I believe our Higher Self is always guiding us to what is right and best which is in alignment with God's Will.
The many times I have seen this happening in my life, I stop, center in my heart and surrender whatever to God's Will and try to let it go completely.
Amazingly enough, there have been numerous incidents when after I have done that, the very thing I had wanted to happen, happens! I think sometimes we hold so tightly and try to make things happen with our human will, that it actually prevents it from happening.
Once you surrender and let it go to a Higher Will, it can then sometimes be made manifest.
Of course, your surrender must be heartfelt and not a way to trick God into giving you what you want! Trust Letting go/surrender involves trust.
Trust is something you develop a step at a time.
Trusting is not always an easy matter for people.
Many of us have been burnt by others and situations in our lives and we do not give our trust easily.
We cannot force ourselves to trust something, someone, or to trust God.
By taking small steps at first, testing things out and getting the desired results, you will slowly develop a greater trust.
As you raise your consciousness and connect more completely with your True Self, you will find that trusting and letting go becomes easier.
As you continue to let go and surrender on a regular basis, you will find that any sense of struggle with life is lessened, suffering diminishes and you will begin to experience more peace and happiness in your life!