In End the Struggle and Dance With Life, Susan wrote about learning to go with the flow of Life, even when—especially when—things are bad. Below is an excerpt about learning to let go of needing to control and to stop resisting change.
To help you get in touch with what it feels like to let go of your resistance to life, repeat the following visualization over and over again. You might want to repeat it slowly into a tape recorder and listen to it with your eyes closed. It provides a very healing image.
Imagine yourself standing at the edge of a beautiful, flowing river in the middle of a rich green valley. You’re curious as to where the river is flowing. You decide that it’s time to find out. A sturdy looking row boat sits at the side of this wonderful flowing river. How handy! You climb right in and then notice that there aren’t any oars. Feeling a sense of safety and adventure, you know that you don’t need any oars…that you are going to let the boat take you where it wants to go. You climb in, untie the rope that holds the boat to the shore…and your Journey begins. You sit up tall and eager, determined to enjoy the Journey, no matter where it takes you. You take a deep breath and relax as you feel the boat drawn into the flow of the river. Knowing you have no control over where you are going, you say to yourself, ‘I let go and allow the river to carry me to new adventures. I trust that I am safe.’ Just feel the freedom as the boat carries you forward. You know you will hit bumpy times and you know you will hit times of great calm. They are all part of the Journey. You know you will enjoy the mystery of wherever your sturdy boat is taking you. And you know that when the Journey is over, you will be glad to have tasted it all.
What a beautiful image! In so many ways, our life is like that Journey. We’ve all been born as passengers. Time is taking us—body, mind and Soul—to new places every moment of every day. And we have to develop the trust that our little boat…our Higher Self…knows the way. My little boat has certainly taken me down pathways I never could have found by myself. The more I allow myself to tune into my Higher Self for guidance, the more my need to control the future disappears…and the more wonderful this Journey called life becomes.