Letting Go

by Carlton Haney

Question Poised by: Richard Lynn Young
Interior Designer: ASID
Denver, CO

Carlton, exactly what does “letting go” really mean?

    Letting go is a process in which one turns inward to take a critical look to analyze what issue or circumstance—in the now or the past—is causing pain, anxiety, fear, resentment, doubt, or self flagellation. Once facing any of the above causes, we must rid our thought process (consciousness) of it in our mind and thinking process.

That is easier said than done. How do you accomplish the above?

    Rest yourself in a very quite place. The mind cannot think two thoughts at once. The reality of the situation is that we can only live in the now, the past is gone forever.

    We each have to reach for a higher level of a voice that lives within who is closer than our shadow, and listen very carefully to what it has to say. This voice anticipates our every desire, knowing within our own soul, that peace of mind is directed by harmony and balance that God desires for us in his perfect plan for us in this universe. This is a voice we must listen to and accept its purpose and bring back to a center to triumph over every defeat.

    Say repeatedly:

I breathe in God’s Love and exhale God’s Peace! I now release every thing I have known of hurt, anger, pain, a business situation gone terribly wrong, loss of money, loss of a love by death or divorce, state the situation, followed by this expression: This situation, whatever it is, is in the past and not in the present. I release and let it go to take flight from my daily thinking and thoughts. It no longer has control and I live in the anticipation to a new pathway into the future.

Carlton, once you have let go of any painful experience how do you move forward to meet a new challenge, for example, love?

    Love has always been ours; it is God’s first and ever lasting gift for as long as we live. To love, we must be able to accept the worthiness of our inner voice again. Love is what moves us forward to accept the greatest good that life has to offer. It is the most real value and is one of the great, abiding purposes of life, to give love and receive love. Love warms us, nourishes us and makes us whole. It is ours and lives within our heart, trusting all and knowing all. It is never haughty, selfish, or rude and we should offer it to everyone on an unconditional basis, without expecting anything in return. When one can accomplish this, they become a larger love.

    A larger love takes time. “It needs a history of giving and receiving, laughing and crying.” A larger love is on a constant journey to what others need. It must be attentive, caring and open—both to what others say and to what they will not say. A larger love will say no with empathy and great compassion, encouraging growth, happiness and fulfillment to another.

How do you let go of the pain of losing someone you have loved?

    I am so appreciative that you asked that question. I am going to answer this one from my own experience of living with AIDS for twenty-one years. I have eighteen friends, a long time companion, a cousin and countless acquaintances that have (died), made their transition

    I have held so many people as they have taken their last breath. I have witnessed the glory and beauty of their self-expression in such profound peace at the end.

    In my discussion of love, those life lessons saved me from despair and overwhelming grief. As we live to accomplish our goals and dream, we also proceed through this journey that some day it will come to an end. Those we have loved and are now gone, each gave us something unique, and touched our life in a most powerful way. I think of death not as the end of life, but as the transition to a transcendent state of consciousness, a revelation of exquisite and beauty in paradise, taking our energy and the love we have within our heart.

    It’s the memories we hold dear in our heart and the voices that stay with us in such a way that the love we had from that person never dies. Our reflection in our mind’s eye of those magical times and moments of shared ecstasy never leaves us and is always there for us to recall.

    I take great solace in knowing that life is immortal. You see, Rick, the spiral of life is forever upward. Our daily circumstances carry us forward, not backward. Our expansion in God’s law is always present and there are not breaks in its continuity. Great, accomplished men throughout history have expected eternal progress and expansion to fulfill their heart’s desires and aspirations; love from someone has helped in that endeavor. It seems incredible that such a universal belief could fail to have a basis in reality. When we loose a love, we gain an angel.

    Without conscious memory of loving and caring for someone we would just be one empty shell. It is the memory alone that connects us to the energy to move forward and let the beloved go to their destiny at another place.

Carlton, I am a double amputee, how do I let go of my body parts?

    First of all, your loss is very profound. I am truly amazed by your good cheer and uplifting attitude. You seem to be very well grounded. We must also think of fifteen thousand soldiers who have served in Iraq and suffered the same loss or even worse, with severe mental disturbances.

    As I would perceive it, whatever body part is gone will never be yours again. The mind and your sight have to deal with what is not there and the function it once performed. Easier said than done—I know the mind has to stop fixing its gaze on what is not there. In this situation, one must accept that a vital part of your functioning body has been taken away from you. From what I understand, a great deal of anger and low self-esteem comes into play. You will come to a place where complete faith is absolute and positive and the agonizing cries from within will end. An amputee will come to a complete surrender of their loss and move forward to a new convection of healing and becoming whole again with the miracle of incredible prophesies. Although the journey is long and hard, remember there are support groups, counselors, and physical therapy to meet your needs. Remember most of all that those who love you see you as God does, whole, perfect and complete in every way. In this case, you have to let go and let God!

Carlton, how do I let go of great financial loses?

    Rick, this is one that I can certainly identify with and is close to home. Through history a certain segment of the population have achieve great wealth and prosperity. It has come from very hard work and perseverance, great thinkers of new inventions and new ideals in what the public will buy. Naturally we all want what we want when we want it! Money and things materialistic form a foundation that feeds the ego. God gave each of us the universal law to achieve and be successful. The true principles are available to all that understand them.

    The law of cause and effect most often comes into play in a person who keeps above average earnings and wealth. Truth is the foundation that the house of prosperity is built upon. There is no place for greed. For instance, water seeks its own level by its own weight—water will flow downhill. We must obey the law. We use it. We apply it, but we cannot go contrary to that principle and compel water to flow uphill. There is no quick way to wealth; the crux of the matter is that the ocean is larger than a fishpond and all that is in it. So, it is with business, so within and so without. No pain, no gain.

    The law of prosperity will work in our favor only if right intentions are used for personal gain. Money coming in has no intention or thought for us and how our ego is fed; it is just a thing that we humans have placed on the highest form of success and recognition.

    The law of mental equivalents should never be overlooked, for it is the law, which decides how much of this infinite thing we are going to experience. Our use for money is another thing; I believe that everything moves in a circle until two points meet again. Everything bends back upon itself. There is an old and wise saying—as a man sows so shall he reap. Prosperity comes from that same voice within and discord and chaos are ears to the same voice.

     Quite simply, letting go of all forms of prosperity means starting over. If a man has lost great wealth, then he probably did not earn it in a humble or truthful way.


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