Open Your Hands

Open Your Hands

I always find that when I am in need of a bit of inspiration or a different perspective, just the right thing will come along to remind me of what I need to know. That happened today as I realized I was holding unto something that I needed to let go of. I opened a book and this story appeared as if it was just waiting for me. Maybe some of you have heard it before; it is simple and yet powerful. The story goes like this...

In China, traps were set for monkey's by hollowing out a hole in a coconut the size of a monkey's open hand. Rice was put inside the coconut and left in a place where they would surely find it. Hungry monkeys could smell the rice and would put their open hand inside to get the rice. When they grabbed the rice in their fisted hand, it would no longer fit through the hole and they became trapped. The only way they could free themselves was to unclench their hand and let go of the rice.

As I read this again, I wondered what the motivation was for me to hang on so tightly and what it was exactly that I was holding on to? It may not be as important to get the answer, as it is to ask the question. The process of that opens your heart and mind to new possibilities. The story suggests that you open your hand to let go but I also know there is more. When you open your hand to do this, you are also opening your hand to receive what comes back to you. We tend to think of it as a one way movement, but in reality it is reciprocal. When we loosen our grip and set free what we are holding we put in motion the possibility of receiving. The native Hawaiian people have a ritual they practice each evening of letting go of the events of the day. This process opens the pathway for them to receive.They know and trust this two-fold process as a powerful way to embrace possibility.This is an invitation for you to imagine what the power of this process might look like in your own life. Blessings to you as you practice opening your hand to this reciprocal process!

Sandy

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