Embracing Loss: The Path to Acceptance and Freedom

An interesting situation and a profound question were posed to me recently. A person shared the ongoing grief of losing a parent, as well as a sorrow compounded by the perplexing challenge of their sibling choosing to sever their relationship upon the parent’s passing. In that moment, with the loss of a parent, the bond with the sibling completely dissolved.

This individual finds themselves mourning two profound losses: the loss of a parent and the loss of a sibling. As a result, they grapple with feelings of isolation, rejection, and loneliness. The struggle to cope manifested in various forms—insomnia, stress, fatigue, and relentless headaches. Overwhelmed by these burdens, they asked, “How can I move into acceptance? I am having a very hard time accepting the fact that my sibling will not have anything to do with me. I’m experiencing a whirlwind of emotions: pain, resentment, and ultimately, it is just pain. I am deeply hurt. How can I move into acceptance?”

In response, I gently advised, “You must accept this as two deaths in your life.” There was silence. This statement then seemed to usher in an eye opening new dawn of an awakening for them. Shortly after, they reported that their symptoms had diminished by 50 to 60%, and the headache that had plagued them was nearly gone.

This existential reflection highlights key impacting factors inherent to one’s inevitable mortality: isolation, loneliness, rejection, fear, meaninglessness, loss, and death. Coming to terms with these truths is essential, as it moves you into Freedom of Will, and liberates one from the weight of constriction and oppression.

As for the sibling, who knows what the future holds? Hope, in this case, is perhaps best left surrendered. Should the sibling choose to return, what a wonderful surprise that would be. Yet, between now and then, why linger in agony? Acceptance is “the” path forward, and the grieving process is the journey ahead.

Embracing one’s inevitable mortality leads to the freedom of a self-transcendent immortality, and a release from the chains of grief and fear that bind us.

(c)2024 John Piedrahita