In many ways it’s not about what we gather towards us that sets us free or defines our path, but rather it’s what we let go. Jung talks about magic in the Redbook and the fact that it isn’t in learning the rules and rituals but the letting go of rational thinking that allows magic to appear. Mystics talk of enlightenment not as something more or different than we already are, but rather uncovering and releasing the things that hold us back from seeing that, in fact, we are already enlightened.
That’s the funny thing about where the journey of life takes us, it’s never about becoming something else, it’s about remembering who we really are. We have to unlearn the lies we believe about ourselves so that the magic can appear. So how to begin the unlearning? Well, that’s the question, and it can be answered and approached in as many different ways as there are human beings. It’s an ever-evolving destination, a journey that for each of us will look a little different. Maybe we could start by asking ourselves where we’d like to begin, because that is as good a place as any to dive in. Where do you find yourself right now, in this moment?
If you answered hurt, scared, angry, guilty, ashamed (or any of the other annihilating emotions) well then, here is the doorway that’s just as good as any to begin the unlearning. What would it take to release any of these feelings or deep rooted attitudes and begin on a different road? This is the heart of unlearning, surrendering what we think we know. Make a list, name these things that no longer feel like your truth. It may sound easy to want to let go of what hurts or holds us back but in the end it takes monumental awareness, a repeated effort, and a lot of sorting of beliefs, stories, and outworn ideas we have about ourselves. Be prepared for the discomfort of not quite knowing who you are when some of these old stories begin to fade away. Unlearning asks us to let go in order to discover what resonates with the soul.
This moment is as good as any to get out of our own way and see what we find. Unlearning is a peeling back of layers, a continual process of shedding our skin. It can be slow-going at times, and sped up at others, but when we reach for the truth that waits inside, the lies, shortcomings, and endless trying to be something other than who we are fall away, and there we sit, ourselves revealed.
Begin unlearning the ideas and feelings that keep you stuck and discover what has been patiently waiting to be seen the whole time, your true self.
kb
