What is holding you back?
There are often emotions, thoughts, and worries that hold you back in one form or another. Things that don’t feel good and annoy you, bother you, frustrate and irritate you, maybe fill you with dread and remorse. We all have them, as it’s part of being human.
Often we focus only on the bad, the scary, the hard parts of where we have been in the past and where we are now. The problem is we tend to put these things in the forefront of our mind and let those things spin and spin around occupying so much of what we do and take up way too much of our mental space.
But those “bad” thoughts or emotions stop you from seeing the “good” things in your life and world, as it can be hard to focus on anything else. Now good and bad is way too simple of a term as nothing is truly only bad or good, but you know what I’m talking about. The emotions and feelings that just don’t fill you with something that lifts you up.
In order to grow and evolve though, you need to allow what holds you back to be released so a better version of yourself can grow.
How to let it go?
Think of the leaves on the trees that shed in the fall. The leaves fall to the Earth as the trees need to let them go because:
- 1. They need them to survive the harshness of winter
- 2. They no longer provide the tree nourishment and
- 3. They need to make space for the new version of growth to form in the spring
By releasing their leaves the trees are actually supporting their own growth.
Imagine if trees never shed leaves. They wouldn’t be able to survive for very long. I remember a few years back where I live in western MA we had a huge snow storm very early in the season. It was October, not long before Halloween, and we got somewhere around a foot of snow and ice. The problem was, there were still leaves on the trees as most of them didn’t fall yet seeing it was still a few weeks before they would.
The heavy weight of the snow and ice ended up caused the trees to carry an enormous amount of weight by the leaves letting the ice and snow pile on. This extra weight resulted in a large amount of tree limbs to snap and break, bringing down tons of trees and powerlines. It’s a storm forever known as Snowtober to the locals as that storm put so many without electricity for weeks as roads became impassible. If that same storm happened a month later, the devastation most like would have been minimal, for the leaves would have been released and the snow would have nothing to cling too.
So just as the trees know the importance of shedding so they may grow stronger and become renewed by spring, it’s important for you too to shed your leaves so you can renew as well. When you let go of what clutters your mind that doesn’t help you, you create space. Space for something new and better.
You’re telling your mind, I am done with the old, and I am ready.
Ready for something better, something different, that brings me in the direction that lifts me up.
So how can you let go of what is holding you back?
Below is a simple ritual using the magic of the leaves:
Leaf Releasing Ritual to Let Go of What You Don’t Need
- Set aside a few moments by yourself to step outside (or even look out a window if that is all you can muster).
- Look in the distance to see where there are trees near you and pick a tree that speaks to you (the kind doesn’t matter).
- Admire for a few moments the strength of that tree. Look at how it stands tall, how its branches spread out. Just take a moment to connect with that tree in any way that makes you feel comfortable. Maybe say hello in your mind, maybe give it a blessing of strength to survive the winter.
- Now think in your mind about something that has been bothering you lately or taking up way too much room in your mind. Maybe an emotion, a thought, a feeling, an addiction, or a frustration. Think of that thing in your mind and try to see it for a moment clearly so you know exactly what it is that isn’t serving you.
- Now it’s time to let it go if you are ready (sometimes we’re not ready to let something go and that is okay). But if you are ready, you’re going to give it to a leaf or leaves that are on the tree. This can be done in a number of ways but whatever is the simplest way for you is perfect for you. My favorite way is to visualize what you want to let go of sitting on that leaf in your mind. You can also speak out loud (or to yourself) to the leaf (leaves) what you want to let go of. The key is to transfer what you don’t need onto the leaf in a simple way as it’s just energy and energy moves wherever you put your attention.
- Now, if the leaves are currently falling, great. Speak out what you release as they fall. If there are no leaves left on the tree, that’s ok to. Simply speak out your intention to the tree as seeing it is still the season of fall, the tree is still shedding some of it’s energy for winter. And if the leaves don’t fall in your area, don’t worry. All trees still shed some energy and part of themselves before winter as all trees need to grow more in spring.
- The simple task of thinking of what doesn’t serve you in your mind and releasing that as you see the leaves fall is a huge first step for creating change in your world.
- Know that what you send away to the tree will not hurt it. The leaves will fall to the Earth and be composted and as they compost, they turn into beautiful nourishing food for something to grow.
Here is a link to a poem I wrote about this process of composting and renewal several years ago called Leaf Spiral.
May you release what holds you back and bloom into what you desire come spring!
