September/October 1999
Articles on the theme "Attachment & Detachment"
Life's Parade
by Bob Gonzalez
Of death, meditation, possessions and
true detachment.
Responding Resourcefully to Criticism
Cydné Battreall
Learning to detach or disassociate
to create new ways of responding to criticism.
The Ultimate Release
by Constance Felos
Forgiveness: the conscious, energetic
release of debilitating attachment. Death of the body: the ultimate release
of physical attachment.
You and Your Thoughts
by Patrick Plaskett
The problems of identifying ourselves
with our thoughts and emotional responses.
Cultivating Detachment
by Dr. Neil Cooper
Detachment as part of a spiritual practice.
Its role in connecting us with Source, Spirit, Energy, Qi, Consciousness.
In The Heart of God
by Ron Graham
How attachment and detachment can be
good or bad. Sorting out which is which.
Attachment & Detachment - Their Hidden Meaning
by Magzcha Westerman
The numerological significance of the
words Attachment and Detachment.
The Rewards of Release
by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis
The rewards of releasing losses to
the universe. Releasing others from the bondage of our thoughts.
Transcending Attachment
by Rev. Pat Cross
Using attachment and detachment to
help us reach a higher spiritual level - a connection with our true Source.
Detachment Brings Joy
by Rev. Nancy L. Buchanan
Of going with the flow to achieve a
positive lifestyle.
Other Feature Articles
Natural Health Q & A
by Dolores Puterbaugh
A discussion of some of the physical
and emotional changes and challenges women face going through menopause.
2000 and Beyond!
by David Findlay/ Patricia Diane Cota-Robles
What is . . . Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)?
by Sam Jarcynski and Greg Stanek
Mineral Kingdom
by Judy Power
Featured stones for September and October:
Peridot and Natrolite.
Detachment Brings Joy
Rev. Nancy L. Buchanan
Life is a flow. Sometimes we just have to let go to bring joy. Beware, holding anything too tight could cause damage. Attachment may cause pain, restriction, disappointment and stagnation. Letting go can be magnetic. There is a saying, "If you love something, let it go. If it returns to you, it belongs to you." In relationships, if we attach ourselves to other people too tightly, they may feel restricted and want to go away. No one likes to feel possessed. However, people like to feel free so they can choose and follow their hearts.
Maintaining our individuality in love relationships may be very tricky. However, it allows us to grow and be creative. Relationships let you get to know a lot about yourself. For example, if you are a people-pleaser, you may need acceptance. The best solution is to love, accept, appreciate and respect yourself more. Then love will automatically come to you from others. People tend to treat us the way we feel about ourselves deep inside. If we have trouble letting go and detaching, we may need to turn our attention to the Infinite Spirit within. Developing a relationship with the Infinite Spirit and learning to trust will free us up to let go. Know that the Infinite Intelligence will always provide the right relationship for us at the right time.
We may also need to look inside and ask ourselves, "What am I afraid of?" or "What do I need to learn?" or "How does this experience remind me of my childhood?" Louise Hayes says, "If you can feel it, you can heal it." Pain is usually a messenger and an opportunity to heal something. If you feel that it is a childhood issue, simply imagine the child part of you. Hold it as if you were its parent and give it what it needs: love, reassurance, safety, acceptance, and approval. Do this until you feel peaceful. This exercise can release an old experience that is still affecting us as adults today.
Taking responsibility for our lives and our experiences takes courage and awareness. However, it gives you your power back. Some people are not aware of where their power comes from, so they attach themselves to other people to feel good. This attachment often backfires, and the other person feels drained and moves away. When we meditate and go within to the real source of our power, we can easily detach and everyone is free to be joyful and creative.
When we attach to events or how things must be, we spend a lot of unnecessary energy and make our lives unhappy and stressful. Spirit is the only power there is. The secret to more joy, happiness, health, abundance, and loving relationships is to attach only to Spirit, not people or things.
Some people live with the fear of lost love. For example, Mary meets Billy and likes him a lot and they're having a wonderful time. However, Billy goes into his cave, like many men do, to work out their problems without the woman's help. Mary feels the loss of attention and her fear of lost love kicks in and, instead of working on her own inner self, she tries to attach strongly to Billy. This often drives him away. If she could only trust in the Divine and detach from Billy, he will return, if he is right for her. Always detach with Love because no one can really take your Love from you.
Love is an expression of what and who you are. Some people put us in touch with that Love. Love is not painful. It is joyful and unconditional. When we experience pain, it is not Love, it is attachment, possession, control or fear. We can generate Love feelings by thinking of Loving experiences. Being in the presence of a baby often helps us to resonate with the Love that we are. A baby knows that it is pure Love.
Attaching ourselves to another is a form of putting our Love outside of ourselves. This is called objectifying. When we objectify our Love, we may create fear, for we have an illusion that our Love could go away. Power is inside of ourselves, Love is inside of ourselves. It is always and forever there. Knowing this makes detaching much easier.
When I had a storage unit filled with stuff, I thought about it a lot. The longer I left it there, the more I outgrew it. When I finally detached myself from it, I felt freer and lighter. Learning to trust and detach has taught me that Spirit will always provide for me. Even the lessons can be called good because they teach us to grow and let go.
Namasté.
Nancy L. Buchanan is a Science of Mind minister, counselor
and teacher, lecturing every Sunday in Carrollwood, FL. (727) 897-6981.
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