"The past is not dead, it is not even past"  Wm Faulkner

 We hear a lot about the past and how to deal with it.  A few common observations are:

                        The past is always with us.

                         Let go of the past.

                         The past is a foreign country, they speak a

                          different language there, the borders are closed.

                         Learn from the past.

 What should we do, carry it around like an albatross, or just erase it.   There is a middle ground.  While it is unwise and unhealthy to dwell on negative aspects of the past, there are memories that serve us and should be brought forward.  Reminiscing about the old days is usually a harmless adventure; an easy walk down memory lane.

 It is when a past event rules our lives or overshadows the present that we are in trouble.  We can’t be in the present moment if past regrets, recriminations or guilt invade our thoughts.  We can’t keep beating our- selves or someone else for a past transgression.  Feeling guilty for something we did or did not do serves no purpose in the "now".  Forget it, move on.  See the post "Meditation for Releasing Negative Emotion" for an exercise to help you get past it.

 If we are harboring feelings of remorse for actual wrong doings, we should try to make amends, forgive ourselves and move on.  Continuing a dialog of "If only... or I should have" is wasting energy.  Maybe what we thought was an error was the only option at the time and may be just what was needed to get to this stage of evolution.

 It is good to remember lessons from the past so that mistakes are not repeated.  This is useful.  If something that occurred in the past relates to a present situation, take it out and use it.  Much has been written about being in the present moment.  If we truly are we should have fewer regrets to look back upon.  Unless the past serves a positive purpose, leave it there.

 From Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now":

 "Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now.  Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now.  What you think of as the past is a memory trace, stored in the mind.  When the future comes, it comes as the Now.  When you think of the future, you do it Now.  Past and future obviously have no reality of their own"

 Recommended reading for those on the path.

Article by Judy Struna