Autonomous life began by cutting the cord so we could take our first breath.

We have become accustomed to accepting we are who we are, certain things are how they will always be, and nothing can alter them. Ways of being, once ingrained, stay with us throughout our lives unless we break free of our energetic connections with what established them. When the soul yearns for something more, we may question what we consider trustworthy. This is when our inward journey begins.

Nothing in the shadows can be released; until we illuminate it. Shining a light happens when we consciously pay attention to it. It is here where we can change. We must first identify the energetic cords bound to ideas, beliefs, patterns, behavior, and people that no longer serve us. Then we decide which ones to cut loose and let go.

Let’s look at ourselves as a newborn infant.
Our first energetic connection is with our mother; the umbilical cord physically attaches us. Our first breath comes when the line is cut. Cutting the cord launches us into our future autonomous selves.

The umbilical cord is the first of many energetic attachments and detachments that we will make in our lifetime.

As an infant, we grow daily, learning new things about the world. As we explore, we reach out with our hands and senses to touch the newness of our reality, processing, and filing away this valuable information. Imagine we have cords of energy stretching from our core just like our umbilical cords once did, stretching out like our hands and attaching to those things we find beneficial.

Our energy cords initially may reach out and attach to things for survival. Something as simple as holding on to our baby bottle sends to our physical self the feeling of being nurtured by the warm milk, so our energy cord  ‘attaches’ a pleasant association to the bottle.
We do these thousands of times as we grow up. These attachments may be positive, as with warm milk, but we also attach negative feelings to situations and things.

The negatives may be experiences we learn to avoid. An example of a negative association could be being bitten by a dog as a child. That may create an ‘attachment of fear.’ Even though, as an adult, we may rationally know that not all dogs bite, the energy cord is rooted in our psyches. Depending on the reinforcement we put upon this attachment, this energy cord will grow stronger or dissipate with time.

We have attached and let go of thousands of energy cords over our lives without realizing it.

As we grow, many of the superficial cords detach. Imagine they are attached by tiny suction cups that pop loose when they are no longer relevant to our needs. Other cords barely connect before they separate and pop off.

Each of these energy cords has varying degrees of elasticity. Some are thin and break easily. They are the ones that barely take root and are the ones that pop loose easily. Some are thick and strong. They are the attachments that we believe we need to hold on to. These stronger cords are the ones that hold the most energy. Power is generally synonymous with what we label as necessary. And these are the cords that take root deeply.

Another quality of elasticity that the energy cords have is slack. For some important ones to stay attached as we grow, they need to stretch so they won’t pop off.

The considerably thick energy-filled cords can come from many situations. Some of these energy cords will be with us for a lifetime. They are lifelong attachments such as to family or values. Others may develop from something that happened in our lives, possibly caused by trauma or a belief system hammered into us repeatedly. Self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth are often attached to cords, and the negative programming of being told that we were a certain way, “You are not smart,” “You can’t do anything right,” or “You need to be more” become who we think we are.

Energy cords take root most profoundly in our psyches, so it doesn’t appear easy to discern that they are not a part of us. The more they are reinforced, the deeper they are ingrained. When something exists for a long time and is firmly established, it becomes challenging to change.

Then, one day, we realize we feel stuck. We are making the same choices with the same outcomes,  which are no longer desired results. It could be in our jobs or relationships. It could be that the “funk” we got into occasionally is now more frequent.

Now comes the time to understand why we feel stuck.
Some cords that have taken root from our past have lost their stretch. They have become rigid. They no longer allow us to move forward in exploration. Little by little, they have begun to control our lives. We may not have realized it because it happened so gradually. But now, it is how we are, rooted in behavior. We have forgotten how it even began.

Life began by cutting the cord so that we could take our first breath.

We cut the cord when we moved out of our parent’s home to spread our wings and become adults. And now, as adults, and seekers of self-awareness, we must again cut the cords. Just like the umbilical cord needed to be cut to become independent or leave the comfort of our parent’s home to create our own lives, there comes a time to cut the cords of past attachments that are no longer necessary for our lives. To grow, we need to cut these cords.

Everything we have any attachment to has a cord tied to us. Yes, everything: every friend, relationship, belief system, trauma, and experience has a link to our energetic body.

To cut the cord, we must first identify which one(s) we want to let go.

Not all energy cords need to be released. Some of our attachments are necessary. However, some energy cords that were once lifelines we deemed required may no longer be. They have become obsolete.

The cords we need to release come in many faces. Some will feel heavy; they may make you feel like you are being held back. Others may feel toxic. It could be a situation that makes you continuously uncomfortable, fearful, or depressed. Once identified, is when we can let it go.

Cutting the cords is as simple as deciding to do so. You may do a ritual or not. Yet the only way it works is to do it. My method is easy and direct. It starts with the desire to break free.

Put yourself in a relaxed state, lying down. Close your eyes and focus on your breath; take 3- 4 deep with relaxed inhales and exhales. Place your intention firmly on what you want to release, then move your hand over your belly button area up and down. With each pass, imagine your hand cutting the cord of that which you hold with intention. Continue the cutting until you feel clear and light.

Your next breath will be the breath of your new life, your new self. Enjoy and breathe deeply. And bask in the freedom of the let go and see your life grow.

What we are taught as children does not always hold true as we grow into adults. Expanding who we are is a continuous process of detaching from those old learnings.  There comes a time to let go of those attachments that are no longer needed for who we are becoming. Letting go will set us free.