Once again, we find ourselves in the transition from one year to the next. Once the end of the 12th month is reached, everything starts again with month number 1, January.
The first month of the year takes its name from Janus, the most ancient divinity of the Italic traditions, associated with thresholds, portals, passages from one point to another, both physical and subtle, such as the transit from one dimension to another, and the beginnings of new ventures.
The transition from one year to another can be the repetition of the same cycle or a radical shift into another dimension. Perhaps, more realistically, it is a combination of both. Transition phases are most delicate healing processes. Luminous parts take shape and prepare to be born, however their gestation takes place in the darkness, while dynamics from the past continue to dominate in the external environment.
In moments of transition, a useful practice is recapitulation. Its premise is that past events block vital energy until they are finally processed and released. Otherwise, the past continues to be retained and recycled in the present. As human beings we are inclined to invest enormous energy in cultivating memories until, just like in a computer, memory runs out, and lives collapse, crumble or freeze.
Letting go of the past is no easy task. Many people justify their lives based only on the past. They say things like, “I was abused,” “They abandoned me,” etc. They use them to validate what is happening in the present. Other people take a totally different position. Being aware of how the past limits their freedom, they decide to erase it with an instant cleansing. They begin a careful task of eliminating everything that refers to the past: people, things, places, situations, etc.
The relationship with your partner is over! Then you burn all of their gifts, delete photos, emails and messages, and so on, until you can say you’ve finally cleaned up your past. Since the past as we perceive it is an illusion, erasing it can be as easy as trashing computer files. The moment you wake up from the dream, it will all be over. And yet, unless you have mastered the art of not falling asleep again, the past will leak out again and the only difference will be the actors and scenarios.
Letting go of the past does not necessarily mean erasing the past. Far from being erased, the past first of all needs to be recognized and honoured, then healed and, if it really isn’t needed, released. Releasing is not throwing the past into the dustbin and then trusting the local authority to get rid of it. Release is liberation, it is allowing the past to flow into the present, erasing fear and supporting bright elements, to bring blessings to the present and the future. Release is forgiveness, and as A Course in Miracles says, “Forgiveness is simply remembering only the loving thoughts you have given in the past and those that have been given to you. Everything else must be forgotten. Forgiveness is remembering selectively, not based on your selection.” (UCIM, T378).
The problem isn’t in the past, it’s staying stuck in the past. And this happens when you only consider the past, as well as when you deny it. You can pretend that a hostile person never existed, and erase all evidence of their presence. This can be effective temporarily if you are unable to cope with the situation, however if there are unresolved issues with that person they will recur in one way or another unless you choose to truly let them go. And if you don’t release those problems during your lifetime, well, those problems will likely be carried over into your “next life” or picked up by subsequent generations. I highlight these two options because I believe that the main obstacle to releasing the past is not the nature of the past itself, but how we perceive it. You can see yourself as a separate individual who faces personal problems throughout your life, and even in past and future lives, or you can recognize yourself as part of the collective, a larger planetary being, which includes all humanity, past, present and future.
In shamanism there is the notion of “erasing personal history”, but this is not the past, it is the illusory past created by our separate minds. Erasure then applies to the ego’s involvement with the past and its separate reality. The perception of separation from others and the world is the arbitrary configuration that needs to be abandoned in order to experience your true identity and access a much larger reality.
And it’s not an instant clean; it is a continuous and enduring process, gradually allowing the collective past to emerge, a realm in which all minds are united. In this case, personal thoughts, being separate, do not exist or are mere hallucinations. Shamans, more or less universally, receive most of their guidance from that realm and work intensively with the ancestors. They experience the past, present, and future as a temporal continuum through which they travel to gain knowledge and pursue their shamanic intentions. In many traditions, the whole life is based on this temporal continuum, in which the ancestors represent the main reference in cults and social practices. Any type of conflict that develops in the present is recognized in relation to the past, which is the matrix level. May we all be blessed by the bright past that shines into the most joyful present, radiates into the ecstatic future, and returns to the past, in an eternal circle of bliss and love.
Happy New Year!