We are always dying and being reborn over and over again during our time on earth. And we always fail to perceive this death and rebirth.
For example, just within these few seconds that you are reading this sentence, a part of you has died - every second, two million cells of your body have died. Every few years, all the cells in your body are replaced.
So, in that sense, you are now actually no longer the same person you used to be. Your body has gone through death and rebirth without you noticing it in the slightest.
There are also little deaths that are often hard for us to perceive,
- The dreams of childhood we abandoned.
- Those friendships we once had faded away.
- School and teachers we've forgotten.
- Ideas, obsessions, and interests we've thrown away, too.
- Someone we once knew is forgotten.
- The part of myself that had fought against it was conquered.
- The problems that once plagued us have disappeared.
We seem to feel the departure of these things, but we don't stop to wave them goodbye.
When we feel like it's time to let go of the past and move forward into the future, we must find our own way to say goodbye to the past, honoring who we once were, while still being free to move forward with renewed hope and optimism.
In our attempts to begin life anew, we must throw away what no longer serves us into the fire within.
For example, our pain, disappointments, attachments to things that have caused us so much suffering, shattered dreams, that part of ourselves that we need to release, those roles that no longer fit the present, the grief, the guilt, the anger that we once felt. We also vow to shed all of our unhappiness and pray to God to set us free.
Place what you are ready to give up into that sacred fire. This fire will take away what you have offered and turn all the old things into new things - new life, new love, new freedom.
Endings are an essential part of growth. Without endings, there are no new beginnings. Remembering this, we will find the courage to unclench our fists and to let go.
When we finally release what we once felt sad about, we will find a part of ourselves that has been completely transformed.
Grief will carve us into beautiful shapes. Like jewels, we are carefully cut and carved to give off that wonderful, mysterious glow that was once always buried within.