- Part One of a Series
by Steve O’Sullivan
If you’ve never hear the expression “Let go and let God” before, well, now you have. Think about that for a minute. What exactly does that mean and what does that have to do with meditation? Let’s answer those questions.
But first, let’s talk about the Ego a bit. From a spiritual perspective, the Ego is the part of your thinking mechanism that judges you and others, compares you against other people or some set of standards, evaluates you and your performance and tries to control your world. It’s your inner critic; also know as ‘The Committee’. The Ego creates a false sense of being separate. It is this perception of separateness that separates you from God.
That’s right; it’s your perception of being separate that makes you separate!
Just to clarify, I am using the word God for the sake of simplicity. You may substitute any word for your concept of a higher power. Be that Buddha, Allah, higher self, ‘the force’, spirit, source energy, or what ever term that works for you.
Now, back to the question of what does the statement ‘Let go and let God’ mean? It means to move your Ego out of the way of your connection to God, and allowing the perfection of your being to work without interference from The Committee. I know, that sounds kinda weird, and it may take some time to digest the concept, but I’m telling you it’s true.
There’s a saying that EGO stands for Edging God Out. It’s your Ego that constantly engages your mind in a dialog or monologue keeping you separated from God. So by learning to get quiet or set aside your Ego, you can begin to connect with your source. This is where meditation comes in!
So, think of yourself as a toaster, and God as electricity. When the toaster is plugged in (and it always is), you can have instant access to ‘toast’, but you have to drop in the bread (meditation) and push down the lever first. The lever is letting go of the Ego, and meditation is the process for doing that. Does that make any sense?
Great! Now sit down and give The committee the next 30 minutes off. Yeah, right! Not that simple is it? There are a few tips you need to know if you are just starting. First, it takes practice. Sort of like playing the piano. You don’t sit down to the keyboard and crank out Beethoven’s 5th symphony, a better approach is learning ‘chopsticks’ first.
Begin with finding a time and place where you won’t be disturbed. It should be a quiet spot, and most people find it easier in a darkened room, but it’s your choice. Get in a comfortable position in a chair, on the floor or on some pillows. Don’t worry about assuming the ‘Lotus Position’ or how you hold your hands yet. Stick with being comfortable so you aren’t distracted with the ache in your back or whatever.
When learning meditation, you have to start small, say, with 5 minutes. Next, you have to be consistent. Do it every day. Then go to 10 minutes a day and so on until you are practicing 20 to 30 minutes each time you meditate. Then once in the morning and once in the evening. Look, you are going to have to put some effort into it first before you get the awesome benefits. Get it?
During your daily practice, focus on your breathing. Observe your breath going in and out. If you find your mind wandering you can make a statement to yourself like ‘thinking’, and get back to paying attention to your breath. Keep it simple for now.
The next tip for you is to not judge your meditations. I don’t believe they’re good or bad, the just are. Each time you make the effort, you build up the mental muscles that allow you to get quiet. Don’t worry if you couldn’t slow down or eliminate the chatter in your head, just acknowledge it and continue to work at setting your Ego aside. Like the piano, you will hit some bad notes on some days and play like a master on others.
So for now, just get in the habit. Be dedicated. I promise it will be worth it. In the next part of this series we’ll get more into ‘proper’ technique, some tools for pushing that darn Ego aside, and achieving the mindset you need for manifesting the life of your dreams.
Until then,
Namaste!
Author, speaker, and teacher Steve O'Sullivan has been studying and practicing meditation for over ten years and is the creator of The Chi of Love Meditation CD
by Steve O’Sullivan
If you’ve never hear the expression “Let go and let God” before, well, now you have. Think about that for a minute. What exactly does that mean and what does that have to do with meditation? Let’s answer those questions.
But first, let’s talk about the Ego a bit. From a spiritual perspective, the Ego is the part of your thinking mechanism that judges you and others, compares you against other people or some set of standards, evaluates you and your performance and tries to control your world. It’s your inner critic; also know as ‘The Committee’. The Ego creates a false sense of being separate. It is this perception of separateness that separates you from God.
That’s right; it’s your perception of being separate that makes you separate!
Just to clarify, I am using the word God for the sake of simplicity. You may substitute any word for your concept of a higher power. Be that Buddha, Allah, higher self, ‘the force’, spirit, source energy, or what ever term that works for you.
Now, back to the question of what does the statement ‘Let go and let God’ mean? It means to move your Ego out of the way of your connection to God, and allowing the perfection of your being to work without interference from The Committee. I know, that sounds kinda weird, and it may take some time to digest the concept, but I’m telling you it’s true.
There’s a saying that EGO stands for Edging God Out. It’s your Ego that constantly engages your mind in a dialog or monologue keeping you separated from God. So by learning to get quiet or set aside your Ego, you can begin to connect with your source. This is where meditation comes in!
So, think of yourself as a toaster, and God as electricity. When the toaster is plugged in (and it always is), you can have instant access to ‘toast’, but you have to drop in the bread (meditation) and push down the lever first. The lever is letting go of the Ego, and meditation is the process for doing that. Does that make any sense?
Great! Now sit down and give The committee the next 30 minutes off. Yeah, right! Not that simple is it? There are a few tips you need to know if you are just starting. First, it takes practice. Sort of like playing the piano. You don’t sit down to the keyboard and crank out Beethoven’s 5th symphony, a better approach is learning ‘chopsticks’ first.
Begin with finding a time and place where you won’t be disturbed. It should be a quiet spot, and most people find it easier in a darkened room, but it’s your choice. Get in a comfortable position in a chair, on the floor or on some pillows. Don’t worry about assuming the ‘Lotus Position’ or how you hold your hands yet. Stick with being comfortable so you aren’t distracted with the ache in your back or whatever.
When learning meditation, you have to start small, say, with 5 minutes. Next, you have to be consistent. Do it every day. Then go to 10 minutes a day and so on until you are practicing 20 to 30 minutes each time you meditate. Then once in the morning and once in the evening. Look, you are going to have to put some effort into it first before you get the awesome benefits. Get it?
During your daily practice, focus on your breathing. Observe your breath going in and out. If you find your mind wandering you can make a statement to yourself like ‘thinking’, and get back to paying attention to your breath. Keep it simple for now.
The next tip for you is to not judge your meditations. I don’t believe they’re good or bad, the just are. Each time you make the effort, you build up the mental muscles that allow you to get quiet. Don’t worry if you couldn’t slow down or eliminate the chatter in your head, just acknowledge it and continue to work at setting your Ego aside. Like the piano, you will hit some bad notes on some days and play like a master on others.
So for now, just get in the habit. Be dedicated. I promise it will be worth it. In the next part of this series we’ll get more into ‘proper’ technique, some tools for pushing that darn Ego aside, and achieving the mindset you need for manifesting the life of your dreams.
Until then,
Namaste!
Author, speaker, and teacher Steve O'Sullivan has been studying and practicing meditation for over ten years and is the creator of The Chi of Love Meditation CD
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