“To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it.” —Confucius
Miraculous Forgiveness
Today our meditation and discussion focus on the gifts of forgiveness. If we want to experience loving, life-long relationships, we need to be able to let go of grievances, hostility, and anger. These feelings keep us mired in the past and weighed down with emotional pain. Ultimately, forgiveness is a gift we give to ourselves. It is an act of grace that restores the memory of wholeness.
It’s important to remember that forgiving is different from condoning an action that created pain for us or for others. Healthy relationships require healthy boundaries and are an important part of loving and honoring ourselves and each other. We can practice forgiveness even when we have chosen to discontinue a relationship due to unacceptable behavior. Sometimes we have to forgive someone many times before we finally let go of all the emotional residue of the past. Once we take steps to restore peace in our heart, we will feel a shift. We will feel lighter as we expand our capacity for love, compassion, and healing.
Our centering thought for today is:
“Forgiveness is for me. Forgiveness sets me free.”
Our Sanskrit mantra for today is:
“Om Vardhanam Namah.” I nourish the universe, and the universe nourishes me.
MINDFUL MOMENT
Is there someone in your life you that you have not forgiven? In many cases, the person we most need to forgive is ourselves. Today have the intention to practice forgiveness. Encourage even the slightest hints of forgiveness, release, and compassion. If feelings of hurt and anger arise, tell yourself, I am willing to see this situation with love. I am willing to let go. Be gentle and patient with yourself as you hold the intention to heal and forgive. — Deepak & Oprah
Forgiveness is freedom. Let go, and set yourself free.
Notes:
Begin with recognition of what has happened to you.
Hug your ego.
Don’t worry about righting a wrong, vengence, or seeking personal justice with a vendetta.
Your higher self works with the universe to take care of a wrong against you.
Karma is good like that.
Your ego’s view or hurt feelings is less than the whole of the universe’s design.
Live love in the present moment. There is beauty here. As you are choosing to forgive you are choosing freedom for your soul. Freeing from attachments to the past and the binds we have put around our heart. This is an essential natural process. Each time we let go, we let in peace, we let in well being, we let in love, we let in new happenings, we let in new people, places and things into our lives. We let in liberation.
We let in healing for our mind, body, and soul. Forgiveness is a key instrument in our holistic tool-kits.
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.” He also said,
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”
It takes courage to forgive. And it takes strength to walk away from a situation that is only damaging to your psyche.
Today, access how you forgive, if at all. How can you open up to the healing benefits of forgiveness? Is there someone in your life who is deserving of it? Is there someone whom you could forgive that would be deserving to yourself?
Forgiveness is for me. Forgiveness will set me free. Namaste.
Healey Institute for Healers 