Does surrender feel like a pretty useless thing to you? I can understand if you feel that way. It took me a long time to really understand what surrender is, and why it has value. I went through years of pondering this question.
So, What Exactly is Surrender?
The common perception is that surrender has to do with simply giving up. This point of view is so common because we often hear surrender used in situations that has to do with losing a battle or giving up. But, the kind of surrender the Tarot represents, has nothing to do with giving up.
I think surrender has been associated with giving up because if you surrender to an enemy, your life is pretty much over from that moment on. Either you’ll be tortured and then die, or they’ll just kill you right away. Either way, surrender used in this context means that your life is over and all is lost.
This is too bad, because the spiritual meaning of surrender has to do with your ability to have faith in a higher power. In this context, surrender doesn’t end your life or finish you off, it actually has the exact opposite effect. It opens your life up to the power of being in the flow. It means that the Universe to has your back. It allows your intuitive guidance to show you the way, and everything will just fall into place with very little effort needed.
When Would you Ever Need Surrender?
Normally, we can get along just fine without surrender. We can pretty much manage with intention, will power and good, old fashioned hands-on effort. There isn’t much we can’t do if we set our minds to it and follow up with well planned action. So what is the point of surrender?
You need surrender when your actions hit a dead end. When things can’t go any further, and you have tried everything you can think of. That is when you realize that some things are not in your hands, and you’ll need to surrender to a higher will if you want to go further.
It is not the same as giving up. It is saying: “I have done everything I can. Now the rest is up to you, for the highest good of everyone involved. I trust, that what happens from this moment on, is exactly what is supposed to happen. I have faith in the Divine plan and my destiny.”
Here is a Story that Beautifully Illustrates Surrender:
The river was happily moving towards the ocean, but one day, it hit a huge desert. The water was sinking into the sand, and the river couldn’t get any further. How was it supposed to reach the ocean now?
Then the wind came in and whispered words of guidance to the river: “You have to try something new! A leap of faith! You have to allow yourself to evaporate, and the wind will carry you across and drop you as rain on the other side of the desert!”
This was new to the river. It had never evaporated before! In evaporated form, it could no longer call itself a river! And, the rain would also be a different identity! What if it completely lost itself in the process?” The river was in anguish. But, the alternative wasn’t any better. Without evaporation, the river would be absorbed by the sand and disappear anyway. So, the only option was to take a leap of faith. This is what spiritual surrender is.
The example illustrates beautifully why surrender is not the same as giving up. Giving up would have lead the river to disappear into the sand. It would have been the end of the river and it would have never achieved its goal. Surrender was the only way for the river to reach the ocean. By allowing the wind to carry it across the desert, it could easily keep going. But it had to go through transformation for that to happen.
Transformation is a Consequence of True Surrender!
Transformation is always an indication of surrender to Divine will. In comparison, giving up never leads to transformation. So, if your surrender requires transformation before you can get to the next level, then know well that your sacrifice benefits your spiritual evolution.
When you find yourself in a situation that requires surrender, know that the Universe is generously offering you an opportunity for spiritual expansion. Therefore, we are advised to say yes when surrender is required, because the outcome is always a secret gift that will take you to a whole new level of understanding.