Forgiveness

(Picture is "Heart Path" angel by artist Heidi Kujat)

Is there something in your life that you are holding onto and have been unable to forgive or forget? Is it a forgiveness of another person that hurt you or is it something you did that you are unable to forgive in yourself?

Forgiveness has deep rooted emotions that are held onto such as hurt, pain, sadness, betrayal, guilt, and anger. TO be able to be fully the person you deserve to be one must work through these feelings in order to forgive an lead a life of peace and joy. The Law of Forgiveness states that whatever you cannot forgive holds you in bondage. This repression holds on tight and prevents you from truly living an enlighten life. Whether the forgiveness is related to another person or an event, or related to something you specifically did, it is important to understand why it is held onto so deeply and why you are unable to release these emotions. The feelings related to forgiveness can be a result of triggers from past history or to your religious upbringing.

If forgiveness is related to something you did to another or an event, holding onto these strong feelings may be a result of your religious background. Many religions instill fear into people as a way to ensure right from wrong. Therefore, when one does something that is not congruent with being "right" then that person is a "bad" person, a sinful person. Is God going to forgive them? When a religion does not truly show compassion for an individuals predicament and bans them from their community, does this really show forgiveness? This can then scar an individual so that they then hold onto this feeling of shame or guilt for the rest of their life.

After understanding some of the responses to forgiveness, start with being kind to yourself and know that to get beyond the emotions of forgiveness will result in bringing your power back to you in a positive way. An exercise that can help is to spend some time in silence in nature or some other place that provides you the quiet time needed. Write down what forgiveness is all about for you. Is it about losing a job, a betrayal of a spouse or friend, a betrayal you did to someone? Write down all the feelings that come up related to this in a journal or piece of paper. Give yourself the time to express any and all feelings related to this situation. Then place the piece of paper/journal in a secure space for a couple of days. Let it just be. After a couple of days or as long as you would like it to be, take the paper/journal and release it back to the universe through ceremony or a ritual. You can burn it, rip it up, bury it or whatever else you would like and imagine it being surrendered to the universe. Know that holding onto these emotions prevents you from fully being in power, the emotions have a hold over you. Repeat as you destroy your paper the words, "release, surrender, letting go." Then as you end your ceremony, be grateful for the lessons learned from the Law of Forgiveness and trust that God loves you and your unique humanness. The closure you will experience will bring you the peace of harmony and help you move forward to the future full of possibilities without the limitations of the past.