Saturday, June 14, 2008

I Give Up (My Sacred Life, Sunday)

A couple of years ago, I was inspired to formulate a mudra which my wife has taken and run with (that's a good thing: she has a much broader audience than I, and she is always generous in giving credit where it is due).

Here is a description of it.

Begin with your hands open, held to your chest, hands one on top of the other with palms toward you.

Then, bring your arms outward as if preparing to hug someone.

Finally, move your hands upward as if signaling a touchdown.

Words go with this mudra. You say, "I" when hands are to your chest, "Give" at the point that you open your arms, and "Up" as you raise your hands upward.

I give up.

For me, this exercise is one which prompts a vital feeling and energy we all can benefit from. It is the exercise of surrender, and, at the same time, the expression of joy and faith which one can garner from giving one's issues over to the universe, or to God, or to whatever you recognize as the greater power which you can ask for help.

I'm all about allowing now. That seems to be a way of expressing surrender which everyone can get behind, as there is still a hint of control one can feel when one 'allows', versus the total loss of control which 'surrender' seems to connote. It is all illusion, of course, but I'm in favor of any innocent illusion which allows one to become focused on the path I believe is the one to sanity, peace, and empowerment.

It's a path which is zero inches long, and we breathe its air with every breath we take, so close are we to this path. Step on the path, and your journey is already complete. Simple enough?

I allow miracles to occur all around me. I allow health to be one of my trademark traits. I allow my children to be strong, smart, happy, and of good character. I allow my world to be one in which fair play is not just the name of a town in the middle of a spectacular high-country plateau some 70 miles west of here--it is commonplace in my life. I allow people of all faiths, all persuasions, all proclivities, to live in peace and respect each other and the boundaries we are entitled to create for ourselves. I allow disagreements to be settled by common sense, common courtesy, and common ground discovered through discourse. I allow the people I don't like to have their voice in helping me learn that they are not so bad, after all.

I allow, always, for life to go on, for love to flow through me unimpeded as it seeks to enlighten us all, and for joy to rest itself in my heart.

I give up.

UPDATE: here is a video my lovely wife made a few months ago which includes a demonstration not only of "I Give Up" but of other frequency-raising techniques. It's well worth the 7-minute investment to see if you can find tools which resonate with you! We all need to learn conscious vibration-changing techniques--when you are feeling down and low energy, don't dwell. Change it!

6 comments:

Olivia said...

What a powerful ritual for expressing something so important, Rick. I love this, and will use it. Sweet surrender...I need this today...love, O

xxoo

Rick Hamrick said...

Recently, I happened upon a sort of related movement which is specifically for those times you are holding things to you so tightly that nothing is flowing.

Start with the arms in the same place as in "I Give Up" only this time, clench your fists tightly. So, you are holding two balled-up fists to your chest. Then, the second step is very much the same: open your arms, hands now relaxed and open.

This one is "I Allow".

Thanks for your regular visits, Olivia, and your always great comments.

Jane said...

Thanks for these words today Rick. Lately, I've been feeling off balance because I've neglected my spiritual time in the mornings. I've neglected honoring my higher power and I really feel the effects lately.

Angela said...

I love this, Rick. I have a similar one (I never thought to call it a mudra, but it is) where I cross my arms over my chest and give myself a little hug, then up to the touchdown V, inviting that power to fill me up so I may respond to my environment in the most compassionate way moment by moment - then back to the hug. I also visualize my legs and feet sinking into the ground like a tree with many roots, solidifying my connection with this life-giving earth. Thanks for reminding me of it! I haven't done it in a while.

Also, loved the posts on the lilac tree and the pansy volunteer. Good writing!

Julie said...

I am glad for the video because I wasn't quite understanding the movements as you described-:) Thanks!

Rick Hamrick said...

I'm grateful to you all for sharing how this helps!

Jane--you are an inspiration in how well you do, even as you wonder if you are doing well at all...You are!

Angela--so cool, that you both request the filling up, while also rooting into Mother Earth.

Julie--I knew it was a good idea to add Julia's video! Glad it proved helpful. Best to you and Victor, and the clean stream in your vicinity!