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Forgiveness by Patti Helsten Petrella
We achieve inner health only through forgiveness.
The forgiveness not only of others but also of ourselves
Joshua Loth Leibman
Virtually all of the lack of inner and outer peace of this
world might be attributed to non-forgiveness and
attack on others.
True forgiveness does not allow the wound to be real.
It undoes the injury, or at least, the illusion of the
injury. Forgiveness removes all fear, anger, and
distrust, and transforms you, and possibly, the person
you forgive.
If I say, I will forgive, but not forget, then, am I
really forgiving at all? Is that we can't or won't
forgive. We have the ability to transcend the
thought that forgiveness is condoning a wrong. Being
unforgiving does not protect us from future attacks.
It merely keeps us a prisoner in a cycle of pain and resentment.
Forgiveness is the key to peace and happiness.
Forgiveness lifts us into the grace of God.
Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for
the other person to die.
Malachy McCourt
If we perceive the attack as real, and hold hostility in
our hearts, against others, we will probably see
ourself with that same lack of sympathy. If we treat
all others with forgiveness and love, we will likely treat
ourself with the same reverence.
A change in perception can remove the illusion of the
wound that seems so real. If they can't be released
through forgiveness, then the illusions may multiply.
If we condemn others, we may find a lack of love for ourself..
If we can forgive all others without even a wisp of the
memory of the imaginary offence, we can have
peace, a sense of purpose and all the beauty in the world.
The most loving act you can do for yourself is to
forgive others. The gift, that forgiveness grants you,
is to see yourself without guilt, transformed in a faultless light.
Never does the human soul appear so strong as
when it forgoes revenge, and dares to forgive an injury.
E H Chapin
How to forgive is easier said than done. After all, we
are usually not asked to forgive Mother Theresa.
Remember, on the other hand, there may be just as
many people wondering how to forgive us.
Look at the control that you give to others when you
don't forgive them. They have the power over your
health and happiness, as long as you hang on to the
anger and bitterness..
Start by saying that you forgive them. Then allow yourself to do just that. You start with the sincere
desire to forgive, and then release any judgments that you have. When
feelings of anger and hostility arise, consciously let go of them.
By praying for the strength and resource to release any
negative feelings that you may harbor, you may gain spiritual currency
needed for a healthy body, spirit & mind.
Everyday, sit quietly, and consciously forgive anyone, for whom you have
animosity. It is empowerment.
Ask yourself what lesson you learned through your
experience with that person. Then thank them,
silently, for the lesson and forgive. If you are
earnest in your desire to forgive, the pain will recede
into peace. Sincerity and intention are the keys to this practice.
Through forgiveness, we have learned a valuable lesson and have been
given an opportunity to speed up our spiritual
evolution. It is extraordinarily empowering when we are able forgive.
Remember that the divine is in them, just as it is in us.
Sometimes this innocence is obscured by our
erroneous perception.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
St Francis of Assisi
If we give up judgment and criticism in others, we
release ourselves from the same self-disparagement.
Condemning others is merely a distraction from the peace
and love that is our true reality.
The ego continually fortifies itself with fear and guilt.
Forgiveness is the solution, which unravels our
perception of separation from God. The ego
needs this separation to survive.
The ego holds on to our past mistakes by personifying
them in other people. The guilt that we project on to
others is the same guilt that we ascribe to ourselves.
It has no reality beyond what we assign it. We can
choose to see someone's behavior as an insult, or you can
see it as an expression of ones fear, and need for love.
How we react to fear can escalate the pollution
of fear and distrust in this world, whereas willingness to
offer forgiveness and peace, can stop the cycle of conflict.
Does this mean you have to stay in a disruptive and destructive relationship
with someone because you forgive him or her? Not unless you want to. You
don't keep hitting your head against a rock if it hurts, but you don't need to
hold any malice against the rock, either. You can send someone love,
and mean it, without remaining in a painful relationship.
When we respond with anger, it is our ego reacting.
We can choose to see innocence in everyone.
Sincere forgiveness is the realization that there is nothing to forgive.
While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one is for yourself
Old Chinese Proverb
What is our motive, conscious or unconscious, for not
forgiving? Is it not a subconscious form of revenge?
Forgiveness is not only vital to your spiritual health,but to physical health as well.
Negative emotions can eventually harm you biologically.
Thoughts are forms of energy and negative thoughts
produce negative energy. If we spend our spiritual
energy funding unforgiving thoughts, then we can
lose emotional and physical energy.
In Caroline Myss's book WHY PEOPLE
DON'T HEAL, and ANATOMY OF THE SPIRIT, she details power, energy
and healing systems of the body and spirit. For anyone searching for in depth,
I highly recommend her books and CDs.
Forgiveness can be a constant state of mind. To forgive
constantly, sincerely and unconditionally. We can
choose not to dwell on the faults of others. We can release
ourself from the turmoil of judgment and anger, and
choose to live in a world in which forgiveness
illuminates the shadows of resentment into peace.
True forgiveness is not an action after the fact, it
is an attitude with which you enter each moment.
David Ridge
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