Forgiving others.
We get upset with other people because they remind us of what is unhealed,
Unforgiving in ourselves.
When this part of us is healed we will only have compassion for their behavior.
For example,
If you find another person's anger upsetting,
It could be mirroring a suppressed hostility in yourself.
The keynote for this exercise is People you have not forgiven are mirrors to what is unforgiven in yourself.
In this exercise you will be asked at one point to welcome the help that is ever-present for all people,
All the time,
But which we often forget is there.
This help may be known by many names,
Such as Higher Self,
Spirit,
Soul,
Holy Spirit,
God,
Jesus,
The Goddess.
I will use the term Spirit,
But please feel free to use whatever name or term you feel most comfortable with.
This symbol represents a presence that is all-wise and loving,
With absolutely no judgment of you.
It simply seeks to correct your errors of thinking and return to your memory the beauty of who you really are.
This presence sees what we call sins as merely nightmares,
Which it seeks to awaken us from.
We'll begin with some relaxation,
So please get comfortable,
Lie down if you wish,
But if you're feeling sleepy then it would be better to sit up.
Take some slow,
Deep breaths.
When you next breathe in,
Tense both your legs and then as you breathe out,
Release the tension in your legs.
Do the same with the buttocks.
As you breathe in,
Tense the buttocks and then release the tension as you breathe out.
Do the same with the stomach area.
Breathe in,
Tense and then release.
Now as you breathe in,
Tense both arms and make fists with the hands and then release.
Breathe in and squeeze the shoulder blades together and then release.
Check that your neck is relaxed and rotate your head if necessary.
Lastly,
Tense the face muscles as you breathe in and then relax.
Now finally count backwards from 20 to 1,
Feeling yourself becoming more relaxed as you count.
You cannot be healed unless you accept help from outside yourself.
Well I'm calling Spirit.
Send out a prayer to Spirit in which you welcome and invite its presence to be with you.
This help is always there,
Beneath your invitation,
As will never act against your free will.
As you make this prayer now,
If it helps,
Visualize this love,
This wisdom coming down as a ray of light onto you or perhaps as a felt presence that surrounds you now or some loving being whose hand you feel you can hold through this exercise.
Ask Spirit to show you someone who you need to forgive,
Someone where you still lose your peace when you're with them or when you think of them.
Perhaps you'll be shown someone who you had thought you had forgiven but still there is something there to look at and release.
Recall to mind the conversations and events connected with the person you feel disturbed about.
If strong feelings of anger arise,
Then say what you need to say to them,
Your unexpressed thoughts and feelings.
It's alright to feel angry or upset.
As you remember this situation and the feelings return again,
You'll become aware in your body of some area of tension or pain.
Where is the pain about this person located in your body?
And if it's convenient,
Place one of your hands over this area of discomfort and acceptance.
Say to yourself,
I accept these feelings.
They're part of me.
I accept these feelings.
They're part of me.
Repeat the sentence until you feel more comfortable with these emotions.
Don't try to change them.
Just work with acceptance.
They're your creations and you created them for a purpose.
Imagine the person is standing in front of you.
If this feels threatening,
You can see this person as a small distressed child who,
Like you,
Is trying to cope with life's challenges.
And as you look at this person,
They start to change into a full-length mirror.
As they disappear,
You see your own image there reflected.
Now turn to the help that's with you.
Ask spirit to explain to you,
In what way is my behavior similar to this person?
Am I capable of similar behavior,
Albeit in a different form?
As we mentioned earlier,
Someone's anger may be mirroring a suppressed hostility in yourself.
Part of you will resist strongly,
Seeing there could be any similarity between you and your apparent enemy.
But just relax and ask spirit to show you what similarities are there,
What this relationship can teach you.
Perhaps you'd never behave like this person,
But in your mind,
Perhaps you've wanted to.
Become aware of any remaining pain you may be feeling around this issue.
If you want to release this pain,
If you feel it's time has come for it to go,
Then turn back to the light of spirit and ask its help.
Imagine yourself opening that part of the body where you feel this pain to the presence of the light.
If you're tired of this pain,
If you're ready to release it,
The light will come.
Feel the light pour in and lovingly surround the pain.
With each breath that you take,
You draw the love of spirit into your pain.
Breathe in that healing.
Allow that area to soften.
It no longer serves you.
Release any judgment you hold about your pain.
Ask spirit to transmute it and heal it.
Your pain is your gift to spirit,
Which it will joyously take away.
It knows who you really are,
Like itself,
And it's only your pain that blocks your awareness of that.
And now see or feel the person that you wish to forgive,
That their presence return.
But this time become aware of their fear and pain and see it as a call to you for your love,
Your acceptance of them.
You understand better now how their fear and pain makes them behave as they do.
Say anything you need to them,
As if that person was standing in front of you.
If you can,
Say it out loud directly to them.
Share what you like,
Especially what you've learnt.
They may also have something to say to you.
If you want,
You can now become that person and speak out loud to yourself,
For they may well have a message to give to you now.
When you feel complete,
As far as you've gone with this exercise,
Then thank the person for being your teacher.
