Knowing the importance of letting go helps us avoid a common trap. We use our mind to avoid our feelings, especially our feelings of vulnerability. In fact, we trap ourselves into our mind forged manacles. In other words, we focus on our stoicism and sense of extreme responsibility.

William Blake’s famous poem, “London” describes the misery he sees all around him. In 1794, Blake’s poem was published, a time of great disruption and industrialisation. (See Enclosure Acts for more information).

One verse caught my eye, particularly the last line.

In every cry of every Man,
In every Infants cry of fear,
In every voice: in every ban,
The mind-forg’d manacles I hear.

In England, back in that era, some clients have recalled past lives there. It was tough. From the vantage point of the twenty first century, I understand what Blake means by “mind-forged manacles.”

Noticeably, many of the people who come to see me are bound up with mind-forged manacles. During the industrial revolution around the time Blake wrote his poem, some of those manacles were first formed. Let me give you an example.

Jake came to see me because he was struggling. Recently, he felt weighed down trying to achieve his dream of being an airline pilot. Even though, he was a competent commercial light aircraft pilot, his sense of responsibility and fear of failure was undermining his self-confidence. He just wanted to feel safe and free.

Jake’s past life

During his regression, he accessed a past life as a man living in a village with his wife and children. At the time, it is winter and they are hungry. Common areas in the village have disappeared and hunting in the forest is no longer allowed. Despite this, he goes out to hunt and is discovered. Sadly, the manor’s huntsman fells him with an arrow. While in the chair in my office, he reports how he, as the huntsman, feels:

Now, I am cold and numb and cannot register what I am feeling. I am almost gone. People walk past. Although I call out, no one hears.

Realising what has happened, I suggest he may have died.

Well. I want to die but I don’t want to leave my family. However, I know I am going to die anyway. I want to get it over and done with.

Now, I suggest he let go and then tell me what happens.

I feel relief. There is a weight off my shoulders. There, I can see my body slumped against a rock. But, I am feeling concerned. Unfortunately, ,my family were relying on me to get some food. I want to go back and see them.

Now, I am back at our place. Happily, my wife is bouncing our son on her knee. She is strong. At this time, I am giving her as much of my love as I can. Suddenly, she gets a sense of my presence. But, I can feel her doubt that I will ever come back. She is shocked that I might be gone.

Releasing his mind forged-manacles

At last, I am slowly drifting through the trees and upwards. Now, I am closing my eyes and letting it happen. I am enjoying that feeling of being withdrawn from the earth sphere. It is familiar. Looking down, I see the earth. It is beautiful, like a giant colourful marble.

In this past life, Jake had not passed over. As time went by, he was stuck, not wanting to leave his family because he felt responsible for providing for them. Once he passed, he felt immediate relief.

I felt the weight of the responsibility of four people to look after in the past life. Dying relieved the weight off my shoulders. It was a hard life. I was meant to feel that helplessness and vulnerability for some reason. Oh! Because I enjoyed being in control. I needed to learn what it was like to not be in control. To let go. It was meant to end that way.

The importance of letting go

The heavy sense of responsibility he felt in his current life was coming from his need to be in control. Without consciously realising it, in the past life, he had been avoiding feelings of vulnerability, preferring to feel in control, even after bodily death. During his regression, he finally got the message and accepted his death. This experience contained an important message: You cannot always be in control.

We cannot always be in control when we are physical. Surrender is needed sometimes and the feelings of vulnerability it entails.

Jake’s mind-forged manacles were his fear of vulnerability and his subsequent need to be in control. The regression confirmed something else important. He realised that physical death is not the end of life. This knowledge helped him accept his human vulnerability and inspired him to trust his path—whatever happens.

As he realises the importance of letting go, his mind-forged manacles slip away.