Dear Seeker,

"There is not a thought that can stay in our mind, not a feeling that can remain in our heart, that is not willingly remembered."

~ Guy Finley

Excerpted from "Let Go and Live in the Now" (pg 171)

Special exercise: Leave the past in the past

This particular exercise has the power to help you -- truly help you -- to begin to view your painful past in an entirely new and healing light. The mind has been conditioned to resist pain and avoid it at all costs, which is completely illogical since pain is undeniably a (necessary) part of living. There is not a creature on the planet who doesn't experience pain on some level, be it physical or psychological, every single day. So what's the true purpose of pain? The next time you remember something unwanted from your past, ask yourself -- is it possible that I feel pain right now because instead of just remembering this event I'm actually reliving it? Is it possible that this memory is using my mind to bring itself back to life? Is it possible that I'm an unwitting accomplice in this robotic activity of my mind, and that the pain I feel is actually a wake up call from another (higher) part of me to stop letting the past find its way into the present? If you will work to question the purpose of your pain in this way you will slowly discover that you are not meant to be its victim -- it's actually a warning signal that you are the unconscious victim of a mind that is preventing you from allowing anything new to enter your life.