Regret: (v.t.) & (n) to be distressed about or sorry for (event, fact); grieve at
Oxford English Dictionary (1964)

Take your power back from the past.
You cannot change it.
Live free and unfettered by things you cannot change and focus on changing those things that you can, which are all in the here-and-now.

Now is the only moment that exists.
Be here now.
This is where the Divine is.
Now.
Be here now.

If you want to take your power back from the past, you’ll need to name the things you regret. You can’t release things without acknowledging them first. What do you regret? Make a written list. Date each instance, as best you can. How long have you been carrying these things around with you? Have you allowed yourself to learn from those experiences, or have you repeated them?

If you haven’t learned from them, why not? What can you do differently moving forward? How can you stop repeating that particular past mistake? Get into the solution.

If you have learned from them, let them go! They served their purpose.

Take the blessed lesson for what it is, and let go of the regret.

Here are some ideas on how to let go of any regret:

Write them each on their own piece of paper and burn them, feeling the release

Picture yourself giving them to an angel, and feel them removed

Write out your intention to release the regret. “I release my attachment to that particular incident,” or “I release my attachment to regret,” or even “I release the pattern of behavior.”

Walk a labyrinth and release each thing verbally as you walk to the center; then you can sit in contemplation at the center to see what you have learned; and open yourself to receive new information and new feelings, maybe even new power, as you walk back out

Continue to release them every time they come up – the ego is a nurturer of habit, and will try to get you to pick them back up.

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This post is part of a series called Monday Message, based on that day’s reflection from 365 Days to Enlightenment (authorized versions are currently out of print, working on a new edition). Check back next Monday for another one! You can also sign up for the Daily Message on my mailing list if you’d like to receive a new reflection every day. I also often post them to Instagram, if that’s a medium you enjoy.