Bernadette Petrie tells us that embracing surrender can lead to acceptance and inner peace.

Brought up as a Catholic in a predominantly Protestant community in Northern Ireland,  the word surrender was associated with giving up – losing. Although the word ‘surrender’ is often associated with a loyalist stance – all people in Northern Ireland, regardless of their religious or political stance, absorbed its meaning in the same way.

I am often asked; how I became more at peace with who I am and how I learned to love myself compassionately. If I trace the essential steps in that process – surrender is one of them.
I really do mean it when I say; “the sweetness lies in total surrender.”

First comes acceptance. Acceptance of who you are and whatever the situation you find yourself in. Next comes trust – the only step you can take is to trust the surrender. So – acceptance, trust and surrender – three magical steps to your liberation. We can apply these steps to every situation, again and again, and in my experience, they come in this order. Yet, many of us have been programmed differently; it feels counter-intuitive to take these three steps – it feels alien.

Animals have a very different view of life and death from ours. If you watch an animal of prey being hunted you might notice that at the moment of death, the animal has totally surrendered. Its first reaction is to take flight or fight but if this is not successful, it will show a level of acceptance and surrender to its hunter. They know when the game is up, they relax and let go. In this way they are not afraid of the transition that death provides.

As humans, we are hard-wired to fight death to the bitter end, particularly in the Western culture, where we are taught death is final and our life has a final destination. There are, however, many stories about humans finally surrendering to inevitable death and feeling at peace when they do – they are getting a glimpse, in that moment of surrender, that there is, in fact, more. Regular readers will know that in 2010, I was admitted to the Glasgow Priory, suffering from what doctors called a manic episode. Because of this experience, I believe the death of the human body does not signify the end of our life force but we will go onto another creative experience. What if we are eternal? Perhaps animals have always known and trusted this, so they easily surrender to death. 

But as beings with consciousness, perhaps we don’t necessarily have to die physically to experience a new perspective, to experience a new life. We can let go of our old thoughts, beliefs and fears and surrender – trusting that a new way of living a new life is possible.

Surrendering isn’t something you can do verbally. You can not simply say ‘I surrender’ and experience a new way of being. The power of surrender lies when we have no alternative because it’s triggered by a deep acceptance which in turn is triggered by a decision to finally trust that you can not do this alone. At that moment, you surrender to the light that you are – and you are letting go of the controls.

It’s time to embrace a new alternative to the fight or flight paradigm – when we surrender, we become the light.

You can buy Bernadette’s book from: NØRDEN 82 High St, North Berwick.