This is the mechanism of consciousness: whenever you live something consciously it never becomes a loaded thing on you; try to understand this. It never becomes a burden on you if you live it consciously.

If you go to the market to purchase something and you move consciously, walk consciously, purchase the thing consciously, with full remembrance, mindfully come back home, this will never be a part of your memory. I don't mean that you will forget it -- it will not be a load. If you want to remember it, you can remember it, but it will not be constantly forcing your attention towards it, it will not be a loaded thing.

Whatsoever you do consciously is lived through and is no longer a hangover. Whatever you live unconsciously becomes a hangover, because you never live it totally -- something remains incomplete. When something is incomplete it has to be carried -- it waits to be completed. You were a child, and somebody had broken your toy, and you were crying; and your mother consoled you, diverted your mind somewhere -- gave you some sweets, talked about something else, told you a story, diverted you -- and you were going to cry and weep, and you forgot. That has remained incomplete; it is there, and any day whenever somebody snatches a toy from you -- it may be any toy, it may be a girlfriend, and somebody snatches her -- you start weeping and crying. And you can find the child there, incomplete. It may be a position: you are mayor of the town and somebody snatches the position, a toy, and you are crying and weeping again.

Find out... regress into the past, move through it again, because there is no other way now; the past is there no more, so if something has remained hanging the only way is to relive it in the mind, move backwards. Every night make it a point to go backwards for one hour, fully alert, as if you are living the whole thing again. Many things will bubble up, many things will call your attention -- so don't be in a hurry, and don't pay half-attention to anything and then move again because that will again create incompleteness.

Whatsoever comes, give total attention to it. Live it again. And when I say live it again I mean live it again -- not just remember, because when you remember a thing you are a detached observer; that won't help. RELIVE IT! You are a child again. Don't look as if you are standing apart and looking at a child as his toy is being snatched. No! BE the child. Not outside the child, inside the child -- be again the child. Relive the moment: somebody snatches the toy, somebody destroys it, and you start crying -- and cry! Your mother is trying to console you -- go through the whole thing again, but now don't be diverted by anything. Let the whole process be completed.

When it is completed, suddenly you will feel your heart is less heavy; something has dropped. You wanted to say something to your father; now he is dead, now there is no way to tell him. Or you wanted to ask his forgiveness for a certain thing you did which he didn't like, but your ego came in and you couldn't ask his forgiveness; now he is dead, now nothing can be done. What to do? -- and it is there! It will go on and on and destroy all your relationships. If you are conscious, you can watch. Go back. Now your father is no more, but for the eyes of the memory he is still there. Close your eyes; again be the child who has committed something, done something against the father, wants to be forgiven but cannot gather courage -- now you can gather courage! You can say whatsoever you wanted to say, you can touch his feet again, or you can be angry and hit him -- but be finished! Let the whole process be completed.

Remember one basic law: anything that is complete drops, because then there is no meaning in carrying it; anything that is incomplete clings, it waits for its completion. And this existence is really always after completion. The whole existence has a basic tendency to complete everything. It does not like incomplete things -- they hang, they wait; and there is no hurry for existence -- they can wait for millions of years.

Move backwards. Every night for one hour before you go to sleep, move into the past, relive. Many memories by and by will be unearthed. With many you will be surprised that you were not aware that these things are there -- and with such vitality and freshness, as if they had just happened! You will be again a child, again a young man, a lover, many things will come. Move slowly, so everything is completed. A certain quality of freedom will come to you, and a freshness, and inside you will feel you have touched a source of life.

You will be always vital -- even others will feel that when you walk your step has changed, it has a quality of dance; when you touch, your touch has changed -- it is not a dead hand, it has become alive again. Now life is flowing because the blocks have disappeared; now there is no anger in the hand, love can flow easily, unpoisoned, in its purity. You will become more sensitive, vulnerable, open.

If you have come to terms with the past suddenly you will be here and now in the present, because then there is no need to move into the past again and again. Go on moving every night. By and by memories will come up before your eyes and they will be completed. Relive them; completed, suddenly you will feel they drop. Now there is no more to be done, the thing is finished. Less and less memories will come as the time passes. There will be gaps -- nothing is coming -- and those gaps are beautiful. Then a day will come when you will not be able to move backwards because everything is complete. When you cannot move backwards, only then do you move forwards.

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Recommended Book:

Emotional Wellness: Transforming Fear, Anger, and Jealousy into Creative Energy
by Osho.

Incorporating new, never-before-published material, Emotional Wellness leads us to understand the roots of our emotions, to react to situations in a way that can teach us more about ourselves and others, and to respond to life’s inevitable ups and downs with far greater confidence and equilibrium.  Osho’s unique insight into the human mind and heart goes far beyond conventional psychology. He teaches us to experience our emotions fully and to deal with them creatively in order to achieve a richer, fuller life.

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About The Author

Osho is one of the best-known and most provocative spiritual teachers of the 20th century. Beginning in the 1970s he captured the attention of young people from the West who wanted to experience meditation and transformation. Even since his death in 1990, the influence of his teachings continues to expand, reaching seekers of all ages in virtually every country of the world. For more information, visit www.osho.org where these is an "Ask Osho" section where people can write their question and the web editors will find the nearest answer to the question from Osho, who has answered thousands of questions from seekers over the years.