How to Let Go

Two years ago, I wrote this article. I have since moved back to my original home base on the East Coast - the beach is different, but the sentiment is the same.

This weekend is Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year. Although I was raised in a moderately-observant household, my grasp of religious details has faded over the years.

Several of the more pagan traditions, however, have stayed with me because they are truly magical. One of these is the New Year practice of?Tashlich, a ritual for casting-away.?

Tashlich?does not require the presence of a clergy member or even a congregation. It traditionally takes place near an ocean, lake, or river and involves having in your possession some breadcrumbs or other biodegradable material that can be cast into the water.

I decided to take the DIY approach to commemorate the holiday this year so I hiked out to Tennessee Beach, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, with a Ziplock bag containing my psychic trash.

Standing at the water’s edge, I considered various things I wanted to let go of, assigned each to a piece of whole wheat cracker, and tossed them one-by-one onto the waves.

I silently read the following?Tashlich?prayer (conveniently sourced online) as they slowly disappeared into the Pacific:

?????????????Here I am again

?????????? ready to let go of my mistakes

?????????????Help me release myself

?????????????from all the ways I’ve missed the mark

?????????????Help me stop carrying

?????????????the karmic baggage of my poor choices

?????????????As I cast this bread upon the waters

?????????????lift my troubles off my shoulders

?????????????Help me know that last year is over,

?????????????washed away like crumbs in the current…

As a coach I bristle a little when I read the words “mistakes” and “poor choices.”?After all, mistakes and poor choices are sometimes just learning experiences that we’ve judged a bit too harshly.

But the bigger idea, and the true power of this ritual, is the belief that we can?stop carrying the karmic baggage?that hinders our ability to take a more loving approach to our personal pursuits.

This is the reason why many of our more secular new year traditions fail to produce results.?We focus on making resolutions or setting goals without first considering - and then discovering ways to?let go?of?- the thoughts, habits, or beliefs that are preventing us from losing those ten pounds or landing that new job.

The truth is, we can?choose?the thoughts and beliefs we carry with us.

So, the real work begins when we cast away those that are no longer of service to us, freeing up energy to make meaningful progress.

Last year is over, washed away like crumbs in the current.?The same is true for last month, last week, and last night.?

What are you holding onto that you can you let go of?

Get creative and create your own cast-away ritual. Writings on paper to tear up or shred. Food scraps to deposit in the disposal. A fogged-up bathroom mirror to inscribe on before evaporation does its thing.

I wish you well,

Laura