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| Image from "Grace Cards" by Cheryl Richardson |
We all hear that we need to trust; trust the Universe or our God; trust the process; and trust and let things unfold as they are meant to. I have had the chance to learn and practice this through my Art Journaling. Playing with my journal and layering paper, paint, and ink is a form of active meditation for me and provides a space for me to breathe and just be. It also provides many lessons on letting go and trusting the process. Invariably, any plan I may have had for a journal page will evolve into something completely new, and I have learned to accept and even embrace this. My Art Journaling practice has taught me to trust, and has shown me that letting go doesn't have to be terrifying.
Transferring this letting go into my every day life has been a slow and incremental process. I have gradually learned to let go of my need to control everything, and to learn to trust again: trust not only the Universe, but to place my trust in others, and most importantly in myself. Placing trust in others requires a certain amount of vulnerability, something that does not come naturally, and that takes courage. Trusting oneself can be even more difficult. We all have an innate wisdom, but learning to listen to and act upon that intuition takes practice and a strong belief in self. My self-trust is still emerging and is something that I will always need to work with. What I have learned through all of this is that in letting go of the expectation of a specific desired outcome, beautiful things can happen. And, contrary to what I once believed, life continues, and the world looks a much brighter place! Trust. Just trust.
