When we try to control and cling, we waste our energy trying to force or manage things to conform to our will. But when we let go, we have access to a greater power, the One Power of that resides through all Life.
Remember, "what resist will always persist," and controlling and clinging is a form of resistance.
The caterpillar does not resist or control or cling. The caterpillar trusts his maker that all is well. He does not cling to his old garment and thus is transformed into a magnificent butterfly.
We have this fearful mind that does not allow us to see Life AS IT IS, and we end up never trusting it. To trust, we must let go of control because LIFE cannot be controlled or clung too. And when we give away the control, we have it. It's another great paradox.
Addiction is all about trying to control pain and pleasure when you process it, and P&P cannot be controlled. It's why I suffered greatly in my addiction years, I was trying to control when the coin of pain and pleasure flipped.
All human feelings are short-lived and will not last forever. But we when attach our identity to pain, we stop the letting go. The key is to let go of our identity; then “let in” the feeling so we can let it go.
Which fits perfectly with the quote below from A Course in Miracles:
"All you are asked to do is let it in." ~ ACIM
Think of a child clinging to his mother. The mother yells, "Let go!" The more the mother yells, the tighter the child clings. The moment the mother takes a moment to be still, look down at her child and speak from a more loving place—then the child begins to loosen his grip.
The mother - lets in (acceptance and Love), and her baby finally let's go.
Another example: A man ends his relationship with his wife but the wife wants to cling and not let go. She suffers beyond belief. It is not until she "lets in " that it's over can she then begin to let it go.
Sometimes, we have to let in to let go.
To have LIFE and to have its pleasure, we must, at the same time, LET GO of it. When we try to attach to it and grasp it, hold it, then we lose it. Just like trying to grasp water in our hands, it's an impossibility. And lets never forgot, everything is in a constant state of change and when we try to hold onto Life, people, place and things we will suffer much.
Remember, LIFE is a continuous and constant LETTING GO because there is no permanence in anything.
Satnam
Paul Noiles