One of the more challenging spiritual laws for me to grasp
is the law of detachment.
The law of
detachment states that in order to achieve our desires we must be willing to
let go of outcomes.
This seems
contradictory to the many teachings that suggest that we stay highly focused on
our desires in order to ensure that they are brought to manifestation.
I’ve always had trouble understanding this
law.
How can I stay focused on my
desires and at the same time let them go?
In his book The Seven Spiritual
Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra sheds some light on the law of
detachment. According to Chopra,
detachment means that self-identity is not based on one’s thoughts or desires
or on anything physical or external. In
other words, our happiness must not be tied to the fulfillment of our specific
desires.
When we hold on tightly to our goals and desires, we prevent
the universe from taking hold of them and formulating something far more wonderful
than we could possibly formulate for ourselves.
A state of detachment allows us to get out of our own way while the
universe goes to work on bringing us what is highest and best for us.
In order to cultivate a state of detachment, Chopra
recommends a regular meditation practice.
Meditation helps us to live more consistently from the perspective of
the “silent witness” or the Christ within.
The experience of the silent witness is an experience of fullness and
abundance regardless of outer circumstances.
The silent witness does not feel the lack of anything. In this experience, we are aware that
whatever manifests is in our highest interest.
When we live from the perspective of the silent witness, we are less likely
to create resistance that blocks the flow of abundance.
This is not to suggest that we shouldn’t have desires or
that we shouldn’t take action to fulfill our desires, but action for the sake
of action often leads to frustration and exhaustion. If we were to only take action after aligning
our minds with the forces of creation, our actions would more consistently
bring us closer to the fulfillment of our deepest desires.
Be clear about your desires, but consistently return to the
simple awareness of your silent self – this is the key to the law of
detachment.
Joel Osteen, a traditional Christian pastor and
televangelist with a gift for teaching the third Unity principle (the Law of
Mind Action), offers this kind of prayer as a way of practicing the law of
detachment:
“Dear God, I have this big
dream.
It looks impossible to me, but I
know that with you all things are possible.
I know that you can make a way where I can’t see a way.
I have faith that you can help me make it
happen.
And yet, I am open and
flexible.
I’m going to be happy no
matter what.
I trust your plan for me.”
Mary Manin Morrissey suggests that, in order to soften our grip, we phrase our desires as preferences:
- I would prefer to drive a newer car
- I would prefer different living room furniture
- I would prefer to be debt-free, but my happiness does not depend on it.
Walking that fine line between having desires and letting go
of outcomes is something I’m going to need to practice. My daily meditation practice will help for
sure. I’m already noticing a shift in my
capacity for living in an awareness of the Christ within. My challenge now is to stay clear about my
desires while reminding myself that my happiness does not depend on their
fulfillment.
~ REBECCA
During the meditation, it came to me to “Golden Key” the
whole thing. I often use Emmet Fox’ The Golden Key to Prayer. In this
essay, Emmet Fox describes this amazingly effective prayer practice as “a
practical recipe for getting out of trouble.” He writes: “All that you have to
do is this: Stop thinking about the difficulty, whatever it is, and think about
God instead.”
