I received a very clear message the other day from my spirit guides:
Forgive EVERYONE. Forgive YOURSELF. Then forget about it. It’s the only way you will be able to progress in this life.
I’ve thought about those words a lot since I heard them inside my heart a few days ago. I thought, “Sure, I’ve forgiven everyone.” Then I did a life review – looking back at the pleasant and not so pleasant experiences in my life – then with the best of intentions, I forgave actions by people I knew that I had not thought about for a while.
Great! I’ve forgiven everyone. I am ready to progress spiritually.
But did I forgive EVERYONE?
I had blocked one person’s name and actions out of my mind for many years. Then the name popped up in the search bar on my computer. Spirit was making a point. Let’s just say that forgiveness for that individual may take a little while, but I’m working on it.
You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. – Maya Angelou
Moving On
Enjoying the abundance of life that is available right now is easier if you are not dragging the weight of past experiences like a big bag of rocks behind you as you go. Dr. Wayne Dyer said your past is history, and it is no longer in your physical reality. It cannot affect you now. For better or for worse, our sum total of experiences brought us to where we are today, so embrace it all.
To forgive others Dr. Dyer also suggests the following:
- Agree to stay connected with Spirit/God/Your Higher Self so you can radiate at a higher energy level.
- Refuse to devote any time to issues that result in making you angry before you drift off to sleep each night.
- Feel your feelings about the experience without placing blame on yourself or others. It’s called self-mastery.
- Stop telling others what to do. Withhold judgement and listen instead.
- Practice tolerance for differing views. Become water – soft and yielding – so you can glimpse what that person is experiencing through their eyes.
- Take responsibility for the experience. Once you take away the blame for the (accident/assault/lay off/illness/bad relationship, etc.) you can come to terms with it, remove it and find peace.
- Let go of resentments and anger. Be the one to offer kindness, love and forgiveness.
- Depersonalize what you hear if it offends you. Send a higher vibration of love back to that person instead.
- If you feel the need to be right in an argument see it as your ego talking. Stop the chatter and start listening.
- Stop looking for reasons to be aggravated. It will just bring you down to a lower vibration level.
- Quit wasting energy assigning importance to the past. Look at the beauty around you instead so you can shift your attention to the present.
- You made it through the horrible experience. That’s great! Honor the experience for the personal strength it gave you.
- Observe rather than judge. Remain peaceful.
Don’t Let the Past Color the Present Moment
Many of us have had not so great relationships in the past, then we wind up in similar circumstances again. Acknowledge past relationships, forgive those you need to forgive, and be grateful for those relationships so you can stop repeating the lesson. NOW you know what you DON’T want. Instead, focus on what or who you DO want in your life.
Spiritual Advancement: Ascendance Beyond the Root Chakra
What Does Forgiveness Have to Do with Spiritual and Metaphysical Advancement? Everything. To develop higher consciousness, you need to let go and detach from the ego. Life’s experiences can be lessons. Try to determine what lesson you are meant to learn so you CAN evolve.
There is an old Cherokee proverb regarding the tale of two fighting wolves. One represents evil, and the other represents good. In the story, a boy asks his grandfather, “Which one will win?” His grandfather responded: “The one you feed.”
When you are feeling negative or bitter a lot, it can cause your root chakra to be out of balance, leaving you feeling fatigued, fearful, insecure and angry. Remaining in this state for a long period of time can also negatively impact your health. The root chakra, located at the base of your spine, is also where your fight or flight response is located. It’s your primal force of being.
The key to unblocking the root chakra so you can move forward is to become grounded. Get physical! Burn off that energy by going for a walk, working in the garden, or practicing tai chi or yoga. Tell yourself that everything is going to be OK until you believe it. Instead of focusing on lack, focus on abundance. If your bank account is low, focus on other sources of abundance in your life such as friendships or other things that bring you pleasure. Practice an attitude of gratitude. For other ideas on healing the root chakra please visit: http://www.chakras.info/root-chakra-healing/.
Forgive Others Forgive Yourself
No one is perfect. That’s what makes us human. Realize you thought it was a good idea at that moment. If you can forgive others, then accept responsibility for your mistakes and forgive yourself too. One easy way to do this is to put your hand over your heart, and tell yourself you are sorry and feel and send love to the heart that beats within you. There are other tools available that can help as well. The Time Line Therapy technique, demonstrated in this video and available in book form and through courses, allows you to approach forgiveness in a different way, by floating above it so you can move beyond it. Light therapy or hypnosis are other methods that can be used to depersonalize and move beyond past experiences.
Nature Knows
Watching hummingbirds interact this summer has taught me a lot. Hummingbirds are always aware of their surroundings. They live in the present moment. They fight with other birds over territory, but don’t take it personally when forced away from a feeder – they go to another food source instead. They don’t eat food that is not necessary for their well-being. Instead, they store food for energy so they can make their annual 500-mile trek to Central and South America for the winter. And, unless thrown off course, they know who their people are (they’ve actually looked in the window at me to see what I am up to) and come back “home” again.