Aloha,
I am Reverend Cindy Palos and I thought I'd get back to one of the most important principles we deal with in life,
Which is forgiveness.
For any amount of time you've been on this planet,
You know,
You're going to somehow do something that you might be sorry for or someone is going to do something to you that you may really be hurt by and somehow close off your heart or build resentments.
And unfortunately those things can stay with you for a lifetime and there's many consequences that can come from those things like sickness,
Anger,
Resentment.
You can be shut off.
You can keep yourself from love.
And there's many reasons people ask for forgiveness.
Of course in the Catholic Church you have people going to confession to clear their sins out.
I don't like the word sin.
I think in Aramaic it's translated by missing the mark.
But we certainly have many situations that require forgiveness and I was a victim of sexual abuse and I was also a victim of rape and domestic violence.
And I don't even like the word victim because when you're a victim it sounds like you have something in you that is being hurt by someone else.
It puts you in a lower position.
And victimhood is one of the terrible consequences of abuse.
And it can cause as many problems as the abuse.
So I would really prefer to say rather than victim there I'll say let's call it.
I was someone who had experienced those things.
And it's very difficult to forgive someone for hurting you like that.
But I think the hardest thing is when you're in a relationship or married or with a loved one who hurts you with abuse.
And there's physical abuse and there's mental abuse and there's verbal abuse.
But some of those things are really hard because it's from the one person that you love so it can cause lots of problems.
But we can be hurt in so many ways especially if you're sensitive.
And so it's very important to try to get to the root of those issues and problems and bring them up to the light and take them out of the shadows and release them.
In Hawaiian practices there's a practice called ho'onopono pono and that's forgiving.
It's a practice of forgiving and releasing.
And it's often done in groups with people or face to face these days I don't know.
It's done by Zoom.
But the idea is to come to terms and make things right and then release it to share the fact that you love that person and you forgive that person and then you ask them to forgive you.
And unfortunately there's many things that we have in ourselves that we need to forgive because sometimes we can be the harshest judge of ourself.
And we can be hurting ourselves in many ways by our own judgments.
Of course Jesus said,
Father forgive them for they know not what they do.
So of course he understood that we really don't know what we're doing.
We're like children on the playground,
You know,
Stealing someone else's ball and running away with it.
We don't understand how that can hurt someone.
Bullies don't understand that they're doing something that's very damaging.
And forgiveness,
If we look at it in the right way,
Forgiveness can be our teacher.
And if you look at it in that way,
It's a very powerful teacher.
Because when we get to that point where we're really ready to forgive ourselves and others who have caused us pain,
We can go through this transformation.
It's almost like a total rebirth of energy that happens.
Of course it happened with some of the final words Jesus spoke on the cross.
And then of course it was his rebirth after he did forgive the people who hurt so much,
Did so much damage to him.
But this goes in many,
Many,
Many ways.
The hardest thing about forgiveness is that we must learn that this is not just a one-time easy thing to release.
You will often have to peel the skin of an onion and go deeper and deeper and deeper because sometimes the hurt is so deep that we aren't even aware of it.
It's ingrained in that shadow side of ourself.
We don't understand the domino effect of what that hurt has caused in our life.
And sometimes you're not ready.
I know I wasn't even ready to accept or understand that I had been abused when I was young by the guy that was the father,
Us babysitting for the father of the child.
I'd blocked it out.
And it wasn't until just about six or seven years ago that I finally felt strong enough to be able to go there and release it and experience it and let it go.
And there's so much that kind of is ingrained in us that we have to be strong enough to face when we're able to accept that these things happened and we must forgive.
And there are some amazing stories of forgiveness that happen out there and how they change people's lives.
I remember the story of a woman in Texas and her son had been killed by a man.
She went to the prison and she forgave the man who killed her son.
And it changed her and it changed the man in prison's life totally.
And they became friends when he got released.
So if you can forgive someone who kills your only son,
As indeed happened with Jesus and with this woman and her son in prison,
You can do it.
We're all playing different roles in life.
And for a reason,
And we don't even many of the times understand the roles that we have to play.
And it can be karma or it can be just the life path we've chosen to live to learn from.
But at the direction and behind the stage and in the higher script,
From the source we are all one.
So we are all one from that same energy field of love and light.
And then we come to earth and we're individuated into different realms according to our particular energy field.
And at some point we forget that we're one.
And if we can go deep,
Deep,
Deep within,
We can possibly see that inner connection of the oneness of all energy as one.
I'll do an energy exercise,
A forgiveness exercise now that is kind of based on the Hawaiian practice of ho'ono pono pono.
And also a spiritual vision that I had of Mother Mary coming with the chalice to help with forgiveness.
So first let's go into meditation and take some very deep,
Deep breaths.
Breathing in,
Holding our breath and just releasing and letting go and find that deep sacred place inside,
That wonderful place where you can be protected and secure.
Breathing in deeply,
Holding your breath and breathing out slowly and relaxing and put a beautiful white protective light around all of your body and extend it out so that you feel protected,
Maybe six feet,
Eight feet and surround it with a heavenly golden light so that you are now in a safe and sacred place and you can do your healing and forgiveness work in that place where you know you are safe and secure.
You're in the arms of God and the angels and you're being surrounded by this heavenly energy.
And breathe that feeling in that you feel as you're safe and secure and protected.
Breathe that in fully,
Breathe it into your head and your shoulders,
Your neck,
Your back,
Your heart,
Going deep,
Deep,
Deep into that sacred place in your heart,
In your heart of hearts where the love comes from,
The highest source.
Dwell there in that place within your heart.
Is there anything there that needs to be released and healed?
Do you sense any scars,
Any old pain,
Any suffering,
Any resentments that need to be let go of?
Allow yourself to let your energy travel on down your torso and into your pelvic region and see if there's any blocks,
Emotional blocks that are stuck there.
Do you feel anything in your stomach or your pelvic area that is stuck that needs to be cut free and released?
Any areas that feel darkness there,
Completely delve into that area and if it's there,
Cut it,
Cut the cords to that pain and suffering and just release it into this amazing chalice that's in front of you right now.
Any pain,
Just completely see yourself freed of that darkness and that pain and that anger from anything in your past and know you now can release it safely.
Going down to your root chakra,
Is there anything there that may have happened sexually,
Anything from your past that caused you pain that you wish to release?
Allow it now to come forth.
Know that you can free yourself from that old pain and that darkness and you can forgive yourself and anyone who hurt you and place that energy into the sacred chalice there in front of you.
Go back to your heart.
Is there anything in your heart now that you need to heal?
Do you feel anything in your heart that you need to let go of?
Any resentment,
Any anger,
Any fear,
Any hurt,
Surround it with a lovely light and breathe it out into that chalice in front of you.
Release it and let it go and cut any threads in that area that might have been attached to you and free those energies into that chalice.
Place anything you need in your mind,
Any old ways of thinking that are old and not useful to you that may not have a positive energy field,
Any negative thoughts,
Any judgments that you need to now release and put into that sacred chalice in front of you.
And send it out.
Any karma,
Any threads of negative things that have happened in this life or maybe in a past life,
Here's your opportunity to let that old baggage go.
And now take that chalice and lift it up,
Lift it up higher and higher and higher into the beautiful light of all lights,
The sacred light of God,
And allow that chalice to be taken and emptied and cleared out.
That chalice is now clear and filled with this beautiful nectar of energy,
Of pure love from the fountain of all life.
Allow that beautiful love to be pouring down into your soul and let it come down and pour into your crown chakra and your head,
Flowing down through your neck and cleansing you and baptizing your heart on down through your emotions and your base,
Surrounding all of you with this new beautiful purified energy.
You are now clear.
You are now open.
You are a temple of love and light.
And you are now able to forgive yourself and forgive anyone who may have caused you hurt and pain.
You are free.
Release that pain.
Release that anger.
Release that resentment.
Amama,
Amama,
Ua noa,
That prayer is free.
I'm going to read a poem I wrote called Forgive.
Deep so deep is the well of forgiveness.
Deep is the hidden pain and fear.
Trust that the light of love calls you to restore and heal you so you may regain the power to serve yourself and others here.
Be attuned to the truth and go to the source and the heart of all.
Offer yourself the option of choosing to let go of the past so you can be free and clear and know you can extend yourself to reach for that olive branch that the holy dove offers you to let go of your fear.
For there is great peace that is present when you forgive yourself and love others that are near.
You can be free of what is holding you back from happiness and your purpose in your life.
Deep so deep that well of forgiveness.
So go to that well of love and find that light.
In that well of love is forgiveness.
Release yourself from the pain and fear and pour the water of healing over you and find the solution needed for you waiting here.
Forgiveness is a everyday practice.
It's a very deep and powerful way to transform your life,
To heal yourself,
To let go of the old ways and begin again,
To be restored and redeemed and regain that beautiful pure love that you are made from.
I pray that you find that forgiveness for yourself and others.
God bless you for listening and please stay with that love that heals all.
