Go with the Flow: Surrendering to the Path of Non-Resistance

By Beki Howlett

Aspiring Unity minister Beki Howlett shares her journey of confronting inner resistance, surrendering to her soul's higher purpose, and harnessing non-resistance as a gateway to inner peace and spiritual evolution.

Resistance is a natural part of being human. But so is our power to choose peace. Let’s talk about that choice today.

Confession time: for the past several years, I’ve felt really discontented. I’ve felt this inner urge to expand my sacred work of elevating consciousness far beyond the legal field. So I’ve been trying to figure out my next steps for several years now.

A year ago, the opportunity to speak at Unity presented itself. And this felt like answering an internal call. And after I spoke for the first time, several folks asked if I’d ever considered ministry. So I allowed myself to lean into that and started taking Unity SEE classes.

And the more I continued my spiritual studies in Unity, the stronger this inner urge to lean into Unity ministry became. And at the same time, the stronger my inner resistance to answering the call became…

So despite this inner desire to fully embrace spirituality in my professional life, I had allllll the rationalizations as to why I couldn’t do that.

I’m being called to minister in practical christianity? I don’t even own a Bible! Nor have I read it. How can I be a Unity minister if I don’t self-identify as Christian?!

And this experience has brought to the forefront of my mind how POWERFUL this inner state of resistance can be when we contemplate making any change in our life, but especially those moments when we are face-to-face with a decision to live out our soul’s purpose on earth.

So what IS this force that tries to keep us from fulfilling our sacred calling and how can we successfully overcome it in order to realize our heart’s desire?

An easy way to spot resistance is to examine our excuses, our intellectual rationalizations for why we’re doing or not doing something. As author Stephen Pressfield teaches, “Resistance is a mini-refusal of the Call,” The War of Art.

We suppress that little inkling in our heart, that small voice whispering our dreams and continue forging down a path we know deep down doesn’t serve us. And instead, we keep fighting to swim upstream—and then wonder why we’re so exhausted!

And while resistance is an internal phenomenon, we can externalize it and even weaponize it against others. Anyone here ever criticize or speak ill of someone? Just me? Welcome to being 100% human! Reminder, we are spiritual beings learning to have a human experience. Key emphasis on learning. 

Inevitably, in this human experience, we will think things and take actions not in alignment with our Christ consciousness. As Jay shared last week, we are going to mess up! We are going to “sin”—which really means, missing the mark, making an honest mistake.

A perfect example of “evil”—the concealment of good—is humanity’s insistence on perpetuating division, strife, and war, all of which are outward manifestations of our resistance to the Truth of our oneness. To the Truth of our innate Divinity and Goodness.

Our culture falsely tells us it’s a zero-sum game: there have to be winners and losers, it’s a “dog eat dog world,” we must scrap and fight to get ahead. So in this system of competition, we are innately pitted against each other. But the Truth of our physical evolution as humans is not competition, it’s cooperation! Sorry not sorry, Mr. Darwin.

When we recognized that we were greater than the sum of our parts and started working together to hunt for big game, that’s when we took a huge jump in our evolution as a species. And this same principle is true for our spiritual evolution as humans.

Despite outward appearances, the Truth of our spiritual beingness is unity and interconnection.

Indeed, our Unity principles and every major religion teach us this spiritual Truth:

We are not separate.

There is no “other.”

There is no enemy.

There is only one of us here.

And we are all on the side of Love.

And I know many human egos just sprang into action. Maybe you’re holding particular individuals in mind, thinking how can you say that those people doing these atrocious things, are on the side of Love? Those are fighting words!...see my point about the resistance?

Unity principle #2: Human beings have a spark of divinity w/in them, the Christ spirit within. Their very essence is God, & therefore, they are also inherently good. So don’t shoot the messenger.

In The Revealing Word: A Dictionary of Metaphysical Terms, Charles Fillmore doesn’t mince words. He defines resistance as “The greatest disintegrating element in the human consciousness.” WHOA. “Beware of every form of fighting, and of all thoughts of a destructive character. Thoughts build or destroy, and they will work in your mind and body in an adverse way and tear down the good you desire to build up if you do not form them with care.

“A mental state of resistance indicates an unyielding personal will. Evil has no power except that which humans give it by our thoughts. Resisting evil is a way of affirming its power. A positive, fearless, attitude in facing the appearance of evil overcomes it, and this attitude comes from the understanding that evil has no power.”

Have you ever noticed that what we resist, persists? When we struggle and attempt to use force, this only strengthens and expands whatever it is we are rallying against.

Where your focus goes, your energy flows. So when we try to muscle our way through life—when we swim against the proverbial current—we reinforce the illusion of separation between us, others, and all that is. And that separation is the very root of our own suffering.

So the inverse of resistance, non-resistance—this energy of allowing, permitting, openness, surrender—is a gateway to the unfoldment of our spiritual evolution. Unity metaphysics invites us to practice non-resistance in the face of adversity as part of this ongoing process:

“The only ‘adversary’ to our spiritual evolution resides within our own consciousness. This adversary is called resistance. As we learn to accept the situations which are part of our process of self-discovery, we will find the strength to move through them with poise and inner resolve. Through nonresistance we will find the courage and peace of mind to meet our challenges victoriously.” Metaphysics I, The Fundamental Teachings of Unity, pg. 105.

To quote Unity minister and author Eric Butterworth on non-resistance:

“‘Agree with thine adversary quickly,’ remembering that the adversary is not the person or situation that stands before you, but your reaction to or feeling about it. It has been said,

‘Things may happen around you, and things may happen to you, but the only things that really count are the things that happen in you.” We can’t always control what happens to us. But we can control what we think about what happens – and what we are thinking is our life at any particular moment.” Discover the Power Within You, Eric Butterworth, pg. 87.

Choosing to practice non-resistance in our day-to-day lives is stepping into our spiritual power. It’s the moment we choose to flow with the river instead of swimming against the current. Indeed, water offers us the perfect example of how to be.

Water is a sacred teacher showing us how to be in a flow state and follow the path of least resistance.

Water yields. It flows. It follows the path of least resistance. No matter the circumstance, it always finds a way. And in doing so, it does “the impossible”—carving unfathomably deep canyons into granite, and connecting and sustaining all life on Earth.

So what if we remembered that we are water? That is truth! On average, humans are ~60% water! What if instead of resisting, we soften, soothe and allow as is our true nature?

And allowing doesn’t mean being passive. It means being receptive, opening ourselves up to consciously connect to our inner Divinity and receive the flow of the Infinite. You must unclench your fist to accept blessings.

I had to allow myself to be open to new ways of thinking and being in order to ultimately surrender to my higher purpose and walk the Unity ministerial path. I was the only one standing in the way of my spiritual evolution. My resistance was standing in the way of my growth.

Despite being a certified meditation instructor, Unity has clarified what I’m focusing on during meditation—it’s that I AM Spirit. And Spirit is Love. Ultimately, practicing non-resistance allowed me to come back to my true self.

If we are to raise our consciousness and embody our Christ ideal—our greatest potential—we must practice non-resistance to the Truth of our being REGARDLESS of external appearances: we must choose understanding over being “right;” we must choose compassion over condemnation; loving presence over criticism.

As Buddhist philosophy on the Tao teaches: “Negativity comes from holding onto things in a world that is constantly changing. When we let go, we begin to flow.”

Love is surrender. Accepting the Truth of our oneness, and doing the active work of removing any blockages or limitations, any false, negative beliefs, and allowing our Christ nature—loving awareness—to flow and express through us as unique, individual expressions of God. That is true freedom. 

In closing, I want to emphasize that practicing non-resistance doesn’t mean you give up being active in social and environmental advocacy. The fifth and final Unity principle: Knowing and understanding the laws of life, also called Truth, are not enough. A person must also live the truth that he or she knows.

Engage. Dissent. Be Persistent. But do it from a place of Love. Not hatred. Not fear. Not anger. Love. Compassion. Forgiveness. 

In The Golden Key, Emmet Fox sagely counsels, “Stop thinking about the difficulty, whatever it is, and think about God instead.” 

Source cannot lead you astray from your path, but our resistance can and it will. Remember to be still and know. To look inward and ask “what is mine to do now?” And to surrender to whatever the answer may be, with love. Thank you.

Meditation: Let Love Flow

I invite you now to gently close your eyes…

Take a slow, deep breath in—and let it go.

Again—inhale… and exhale.

Feel your body arrive. Right here. Right now.

There’s nowhere to be but this present moment.

Let your shoulders drop.

Allow your jaw soften.

Let your breath be your anchor.

Now bring your awareness to your heart center—the space in the middle of your chest. Noticing. Feeling. Softening. 

You don’t need to do anything. Just be.

What if nothing needed to be fixed right now?

What if all that was required… was your presence?

With your next breath, imagine your heart as a door.

And in this moment—you open it. 

Open to Love.

Let the energy of unconditional Love gently enter.

Let it fill your heart.

Let it move into your torso… your belly… your arms… your legs…

Filling you. Flowing through you. No resistance. Only peace.

Now imagine this Love is a river.

Flowing easily… quietly… steadily…

This river knows where it’s going. It needs no map. 

It simply follows the path of least resistance.

Can you let go just a little more?

Can you trust the river to carry you?

Whatever you’ve been resisting—see if you can place it into the current.

A burden… a fear… a judgment…

Place it in the water—and watch it float away.

Carried. Loved. Transformed.

And in its place—receive.

Receive the deep knowing that you are Love. 

Let that truth echo in your heart now:

I am Love.

I am Love.

I am Love.

And so is everyone I meet.

And allow yourself to bask in this knowing for a few moments in the Silence…

Take one more deep breath in…

And as you exhale, feel yourself return. Gently. Lovingly.

Wiggle your fingers… your toes…

Lift the corners of your mouth into a gentle smile,

And whenever you’re ready,

slowly blink your eyes open and come back.