I remember the delight I felt many years ago in hearing my now departed beloved friend, Joanne Westlund, say, “I don’t believe a word I think.” I could feel the buzz of Truth in there, though I didn’t know to fully access it.
Some beliefs – those flimsy cardboard substitutes for Truth - remain hard to let go of no matter how often they are disproved. One of my most sticky beliefs is more money = more happiness. Though this belief has been proven to be false countless times, I still see how the ghost of its resonance works in my life. I wonder if these sticky beliefs have been instilled in us as children, come to us as we travel through the birth canal, are woven into our DNA or are passed down into our consciousness from our ancestors. Or perhaps it is some combination or none of these at all? It might be that it doesn’t matter how they are formed; what does matter is whether or not they continue to serve. It is my practice to look closely at my beliefs and to let the ones that no longer serve dissolve. It is becoming my practice to release my attachment to all of my beliefs. This may sound radical; believe me, in practice it is much more radical than it sounds.
I can identify a distinct evolution of my relationship with beliefs. For much of my life, I thought my beliefs were as integral to me and as solid as my heart and lungs; that they were unmovable and True. When I discovered that my beliefs were manufactured and nurtured by my thoughts and behaviors and by the people I spent time with, I also noticed that many of them were negative and even hurtful. I began a journey then to get to the root of these beliefs in order to dispel them. In this process I learned that it is possible to get so involved with finding the root of a belief that you can lose your way and actually immerse yourself further in that belief. A great letting go and a great Trust served me as I moved through this with discernment.
In the next stage of evolution I began to replace negative beliefs with ones I liked better. I remember the waterfall of beliefs that showed up when I started to pay attention. They washed over me, threatening to drown me. I began creating “better” beliefs to counter the old beliefs and I began to use them as lifeboats to keep me afloat in what felt like a sea of chaos. Rewriting beliefs helped me create a sense of control as I released much of what had been guiding me for so long. I thought that if I could change my beliefs to better, more positive, beliefs, I could change the quality of my life. I was right. This was a noble and important practice. It taught me about the flexibility and openness inherent in our thoughts, and in our universe and the powerful role we hold in creation.
As I worked with shifting my beliefs, I began to notice how often they had been formed from a place of fear and a desperate need to be in consensus with others. I saw that the beliefs I held had been put in place to create safety and uniformity and a certain automation that simplified the world for me but left little room for the infinite diversity of life around me.
This evolution brings me to today: my current practice is to gently release beliefs as they come to my awareness in order to make space for what is Real. I am vigilant and often catch myself acting and thinking from places informed by beliefs that are based in fear. I give these beliefs space to exist – I try not to banish them – I look at them with affection and compassion. I smile at them whenever possible. Once they are looked at, they tend to diminish and fade away, leaving me to be more Present and connected with what is Real.
I don’t know how this process will evolve but I know it will evolve. It feels exiting and scary, which makes me think I might be on the right track.