This reminds me of an Aerosmith song that stuck in my head. Someone asked me to write about the past and letting go of it, so here is what I have to say. These are my perceptions and my truths only.   Letting go of the past is like swimming in the ocean trying to get to shore being attached to a buoy. The past IS gone.  But if it is gone, why is it still here?  It cannot be changed and it cannot be rewritten. The time and energy that is spent on wishing it was different can keep one stuck in it. Resistance to the past just brings and feeds more of that same energy to it. You want to let go of the past? Then don’t resist it. Embrace it. Accept that it happened. Hey, I may go as far as to say it was supposed to happen. It was meant to be for you to learn something or experience something from that.  Look deeper to see the whole picture of why it happened and how you have changed from it, not only for the worse, but for the better.  This is more of a spiritual point of view, so if it resonates then great and if not, please discard. Actually this philosophy of taking what you chose can apply to everything in your life, for everything is a choice! The past can be our biggest teacher but make sure that you see what has been learned because if not, the past WILL repeat itself until the lesson is learned.        Forgiveness, trust, truth, vulnerability, victimization and responsibility are all words that come to mind when talking about the past. What tends to happen with past “stuff” is we get stuck in our heads of who is right and who is wrong, why someone did what they did and the tape plays over and over and over again. Saying and knowing that you need to practice forgiveness is just that; conceptual. There is no feeling involved there, just thoughts it should be handled or how you should be able to move on. Let us please NEVER USE THE WORD SHOULD!  Let’s eliminate it from our vocabulary! My feeling about the past and through my own experience is those things that are still bothering you from the past need to be embraced. Picked up, hugged and put into the sacred chalice that is you. Before doing this, you may need to experience the feelings that you had from this experience to be able to pick it up and bring it into you. All of these past experiences are aspects of you; it is not the totality of you. Maybe you need to scream and pound your fists on the ground in anger. Cry so hard that you curl up in fetal position. Talk to the person with whom you experienced the pain with and tell them your experience. In telling them your experience, remember, it is your experience and your feelings. It is not to blame them or make them wrong. This is a healing for you. All you have is your perception and your feelings. The fastest way to heal is to experience it and move through it. Let the healing happen and the feelings to come to the surface. It might be very scary. Maybe even a brand new experience without a previous reference point. This is how you reclaim your power and freedom. Be vulnerable (with discernment of course). In that vulnerability is truth. In truth is freedom. Truth really shall set you free!! In freedom and truth is the highest form of love….loving yourself.