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People set themselves up for difficulties through their memories of pain. For instance, in the past, you or someone you know may have lost money, a job, a house, or a relationship. These issues, rife with fear and other negative emotions, establish a deep pattern in memory and the subconscious. Then, when you hear something on the news or when someone you know tells you a similar story, the pattern triggers the memory, reminding you of the past pain and struggles.

Painful Memory: Real or Imagined Threat?

At such times, inner voices are activated, saying things like, “Remember when you suffered something similar? Well, watch out. It could happen again! It could be coming your way right now, so be very careful!”

In this way, people tend to use their own history to validate an imagined threat even when a real threat doesn’t exist. Ironically, by imagining the possibility of a threatening situation, people set themselves up to manifest it, since the nature of the mirror universe re?ects back whatever we hold in consciousness.

How Your Past Becomes Your Future

The truth is, many people live as if their past isn’t really past. They live as though everything from the past is a reality right now. It’s as if they’re hypnotizing themselves into believing that the issues of the past are real today. As a result, they internalize the related patterns, and the conditions they feared eventually become real.

In every life, forces from the past create obstacles. If you look back on your own life, you’ll see that some of your experiences hit you where you felt the most vulnerable. If you’ve noticed this, you’re not alone, because it happens to almost everyone.

You may have heard the saying, “The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.” As a child I never understood what this saying meant, but as I grew older, I began to understand that we all face the mill of experience that grinds and forms our character traits. We then resist the experiences, refine them, or release them. If we resist, the mills keep grinding. The grinding stops when we discover the way to let go of the resistance. At that point, we experience relief and find more ease and flow.

Letting Go of Suffering, Retaining Wisdom

The mind and ego continually create false reasons to justify lack, struggle, and suffering, and since these reasons stem from faulty assumptions, perceptions, and conclusions, if we want our releasing techniques to be effective, they need to address these fabrications. Certainly retaining the wisdom of the past without holding on to the suffering from the emotional pain is useful. But to do this, we must be willing to surrender and release the pain and suffering connected to the patterns the mind has created.

The first step in releasing anything is to identify some details about what you’re releasing. This may seem obvious, but the process entails more than meets the eye. To begin with, you need to spend a little time exploring the nature of the discomfort and its causes.

You have to be a bit of a detective to learn what the discomfort is all about. This will pay off with rich rewards when it comes to releasing and letting go. You don’t have to go deeply into the feelings you uncover in the process, but engage them to the extent that you can describe them. The more you identify and describe them, the more you’ll release. And the more you release and let go of the grip of suffering and struggle, the more you’ll be able to experience the natural goodness and happiness of your soul.

Be Willing to Surrender, Release, & Let Go

Once you’ve identified the suffering and struggling, you progress to the second phase: acknowledging what you’ve uncovered in the first step. You then willingly disidentify with the position while affirmatively stating that you’re letting it go. Here are some examples of the kinds of statements you might make at this stage: “I am willing to surrender and release the need for fear and anxiety. I am willing to surrender and release the need for loss and lack. I am willing to surrender and release the need for struggling.”

Of course, your own releasing statements can be far more specific and detailed; use this wording as a guideline. Besides describing the issue, it’s important to engage your emotions, since that’s what energizes the releasing statements. While these statements seem simple enough, they’ll be far more effective if you also connect with the underlying feelings.

Put another way, if you do this process merely as a mental or intellectual exercise, the results will be limited, but if you truly connect with and feel the words, you’ll experience the desired relief. And if you also include bringing in the soul presence, you can become completely free.

When You’re Stuck with an Issue

Now let’s get more detailed about how you can deal with challenges, blocks, or reactions you experience stemming from troubling issues or patterns in your life. You can apply these seven steps to any deep-seated core pattern you face, including issues related to the pain of the past.

To bring the seven steps into clear focus, keep in mind an issue of concern while you read. It could be something you feel trapped by or something that triggers a strong reaction. The issue could be physical or emotional, or it could be a person or an event that triggers the negative reaction. Take a moment to bring it to mind. When you have the issue clearly in mind, read through the steps.

Here are the steps:

1. Acknowledge your reaction.

2. Determine the purpose of the issue.

3. Ask yourself what your soul wants you to grow into.

4. Send your soul and deep love to your issue.

5. Be open to the truth behind what you’re experiencing.

6. Bless everything in your world.

7. Surrender your burdens, and experience the light of the soul.

This article was excerpted with permission from the book:

The Soul Solution: Enlightening Meditations for Resolving Life's Problems
by Jonathan Parker.

This article was reprinted with permission of the publisher, HJ Kramer/New World Library. ©2011. www.newworldlibrary.com

Click here for more info or to order this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Jonathan Parker is the founder and director of Quantum Quests International. Jonathan has university degrees in Education, Chemistry, Theology, Counseling Psychology, and Human Behavior & Development. For over 30 years he has been a counselor, workshop facilitator and author of one of the largest self-development libraries in the world. His outstanding TV programs, "Mind Power," "Self-Empowerment" and "Winning at Weight Loss" have brought his results-oriented approach to millions. His recordings, workshops, and retreats offer inspiring and life-changing experiences. Audio programs of meditations similar to those in his book The Soul Solution are available at www.jonathanparker.org.

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