Surrender To Yourself

I sat and anxiously waited for my name to be called. I was at my teacher Jeffrey Yuen’s wellness center in Chinatown for my final herbal consultation before he retired from his practice. We had worked together for the previous five years—through old traumas that had risen to the surface to be released, with sandalwood and crystal amulets to protect my heart as I opened to the spirit world, through tears and revelations, hope and despair.

He knew my life story, the experiences that had brought me to this point. As I sat in the familiar space of his waiting room surrounded by statues of deities, crystals and books, I wondered what my final question to him should be. What was left to work on? What remaining part of me still needed to be fixed? What wisdom could I garner from him in the last of our intimate, one-on-one conversations?

He stepped out from behind his closed office door and called my name, “Holly, I’m ready to see you.” I followed him into his office and sat across from him, his wooden desk between us. He asked how I was, and what I would like to work on. I paused for a moment and then spoke, my voice filled with hope that his response would tie all the pieces of my life together, bring a sense of completion, propel me forward into a new state of being: “I want to access my full potential.”

He sat in quiet contemplation, head tilted slightly to one side, someone who has cultivated the art of deep listening. In the gentleness of his face I saw my mother, and also a child, radiating infinite possibilities and unfolding dreams. In that instant he understood my essence—the current of my heart, my path, my purpose.

“I have gotten to know you well over the last years. All of your many gifts are right here, waiting for you. You simply need to surrender to them. Surrender to yourself.”

His words echoed through my heart—simple, powerful and clear. He had given me permission to stop seeking, searching, striving, reaching for more, believing that I wasn’t enough, that I needed to be more.

He took my hand and led me into the depths of my soul, gleaned light on the hidden treasures that had been there all along waiting for me to claim them. Gold gathered from the bottom of the sea and carried to the surface.

Surrender to yourself. Give yourself permission to claim the amazing being that you already are. You are a gift to the world. Allow your light to shine, brightly.

You are beauty.

You are courage.

You are wisdom.

You are golden.

You are love.

You are goodness.

You are compassion.

You are forgiveness.

You are strength.

You are power.

You are light.

You are Divine.

Remember who you are, who you’ve always been. You are all you’ve ever longed for, from this world to the next.