Self Empowerment Through Forgiveness

"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." -- Gandhi

As emphasized elsewhere, the process of Spiritual growth includes the process of overcoming our own weaknesses, character flaws, attitudes, prejudices, and all forms of linited and negative thinking. This, in turn, results in the freeing up of personal energy and the shift in consciousness closer to the Source. This, in turn, is accompanied by the development of "Human Bio-Mind Superpowers" or "Spiritual Faculties" or "Psychic" abilities which are an inherently natural part of all of us and an inherent attribute of our connection to creative forces.

The first and most essential step in this process is the science of forgiveness. Every act of forgiveness stops an energy drain. Every act of forgiveness enables us to manifest a self directed act of "soul retrieval". Forgiveness empowers us and those that we forgive.

Forgiveness does not mean choosing to be a victim. Forgiveness does not mean being passive in the face of agression in any form. Forgiveness doesn't mean that you are limited or inhibited from "taking care of business", or defending yourself when needed. Forgiveness does mean that you don't hold a grudge or act out of spite, resentment or revenge. Forgiveness does mean that you don't hold onto unresolved injury, resentment or fear. By freeing up the energy associated with resentment, fear, intimidation, injury, etc. one gains a greater clarity of mind and an increase in personal power.

One could even say that forgiveness is a hard core warrior's strategy.

According to the dictionary, to forgive means:

to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.

to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).

to grant pardon to (a person).

to cease to feel resentment against: to forgive one's enemies.

to cancel an indebtedness or liability of: to forgive the interest owed on a loan.

to pardon an offense or an offender.

Forgiveness frees one from the burden and energy drain of maintaining a connection to a past event or injury. Forgiveness is a bluntly practical act of self interest and simultaneously a benevolent act that aids and heals others and the collective. For many, it can be one of the most difficult things that they have ever done.

Forgiveness is also a warrior's strategy. If we hold on to past injuries, real and imagined, those injuries kick our asses over and over. If we forgive the offending party, we reclaim our energy, retrieve our fractured soul fragments, empower ourselves, and enable ourselves to move forward. Forgiveness is the difference between winners and losers. Losers cling to old injuries and grievances and disempower themselves. Winners extend forgiveness, recover lost energy, empower themselves, empower others, and move forward to victory.

"Whining makes really bad Karma .... " -- An Anonymous Biker Mystic

An Example of Forgiveness versus Hate

"When the war in Europe ended in May 1945, a concentration camp near Wupertal, came under allied control. The newly liberated prisoners, many of them Jews from Holland, France, and Eastern Europe were suffering from the effects of slow starvation".

"One of the prisoners was known to the allied soldiers as Wild Bill Cody. He was called that because he had long drooping handlebar mustaches like pictures of the old western hero, and his real name was difficult to pronounce. He was one of the inmates of the concentration camp, but obviously he hadn't been there long: his posture was erect, his eyes bright, his energy indefatigable".

"Since he was fluent in English, French, German and Russian as well as Polish, he became a kind of unofficial camp translator. The allies came to him with all sorts of problems; the paper work alone was staggering in attempting to relocate people whose families, even whole hometowns, might have disappeared".

"But though Wild Bill worked fifteen and sixteen hours a day, he showed no signs of weariness. While the rest of the soldiers were drooping with fatigue, he seemed to gain strength. 'We have time for this old fellow,' he'd say. 'He's been waiting to see us all day.' They were astonished to learn when Wild Bill's own papers came before them one day, that he had been in Wuppertal since 1939! For six years he had lived on the same starvation diet, slept in the same airless and disease-ridden barracks as everyone else, but without the least physical or mental deterioration. Perhaps even more amazing, every group in the camp looked on him as a friend. He was the one to whom quarrels between inmates were brought for arbitration. This was a rarity in a compound where the different nationalities of prisoners hated each other almost as much as they hated the Germans".

"As for Germans, feeling against them ran so high that in some of the camps liberated earlier, former prisoners had seized guns, run into the nearest village and simply shot the first Germans they saw. Wild Bill was a great asset, reasoning with the different groups, counseling forgiveness".

"One day Wild Bill told his own story; 'We lived in the Jewish section of Warsaw.' he began slowly, 'my wife, our two daughters, and our three little boys. When the Germans reached our street they lined everyone against a wall and opened up with machine guns. I begged to be allowed to die with my family, but because I spoke German they put me in a work group.' He paused, perhaps seeing again his wife and five children. 'I had to decide right then,' he continued, 'whether to let myself hate the soldiers who had done this. It was an easy decision, really. I was a lawyer. In my practice I had seen too often what hate could do to people's minds and bodies. Hate had just killed the six people who mattered most to me in the world. I decided then that I would spend the rest of my life - whether it was a few days or many years - loving every person I came in contact with".

Condensed and Extracted From: Return from Tomorrowby George C Ritchie, MD (Amazon Link)

Wild Bill not only survived but thrived in concentration camp conditions because he made the choice to direct his energy to forgiveness and love toward his fellow men without prejudice rather than give in to the natural reaction of fear, pain, and hate.

Guilt - The Necessity of Forgiving Self

The Kahuna have an interesting definition of sin. Sin is an act which causes or intends harm to one's self or to others. Remember that thinking is an act. If what you are doing or have done caused no harm ... then it cannot be a sin.

Guilt is an act of self judgment and self condemnation. To feel guilty is to condemn one's self. Self condemnation is harmful to one's self and is, therefore, a sin. Self condemnation sends a message to the subconscious mind instructing it to punish and harm the individual sending that message. It is equivalent to shooting yourself in the foot or beating yourself with a club.

An alternative to guilt, self judgment, and self condemnation is self forgiveness. To make self forgiveness real and acceptable to the individual, some individuals or circumstances may require atonement or corrective action for past choices or acts.

Ho'oponopono

Ho'oponopono is a Hawaiian word that was first recorded by Mary Kawena Pukui. It refers to a mental cleansing. The word Ho'oponopono means to make right, to rectify an error. In traditional form it was a family conference in which relationships were set right through prayer, discussion, confession, repentance, and mutual restitution and forgiveness. This term has been popularized as a form of family or personal therapy. In the 1980s, Morrnah Simeona developed a version of this practice that was to be practiced by the individual alone. According to Morrnah Simeona, Ho'oponopono is a Hawaiian healing process based on the principles of total responsibility.

Total Responsibility

Total responsibility, in this context, means recognizing that we are all connected, that at some high level we are all one, and therefore, that we all have some responsibility for each other. Taking total responsibility means recognizing that we each have a responsibility, at some level, through a collective consciousness for others choices and actions. We usually think of ourselves as separate from everyone else with each responsible only for his or her own individual choices and actions. On an individual level that makes sense. However, when we think of ourselves as part of a collective consciousness, then there is a bit of each of us invested in each individual's choices and actions. That is a sobering concept with profound implications. A few of those implications are:

It is more difficult to blame others when we think of ourselves as having some responsibility through collective consciousness.

We are no longer powerless to affect a situation when we see others making decisions and acting on really bad, mean spirited, greedy, and evil choices.

The strategy for altering a very non-constructive reality is not to try controlling it, but by taking responsibility for it and extending forgiveness.

From this perspective, solving our problems does not require analysis, management and coping in the usually understood definitions of these terms. Since the Divinity created everything, you can just go directly to Him and ask that it be corrected and cleansed. This does not imply that analysis is not useful. To the contrary, analysis facilitates understanding and enables us to learn from experiences and choices. Resolution, however, requires correction in the energetic relationships.

Grace

According to the Dictionary, the theological definition of grace is:

The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

The influence or Spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.
A virtue or excellence of divine origin.

The condition of being in God's favor or one of the elect.

Grace, by this author's definition, is: "The benevolent light and energy that emanates from the Source that can be accessed directly by everyone without the added limitations of human belief and religious paradigms." This is very important because it acknowledges an additional source of energy and empowerment that extends beyond what can be accomplished by human efforts alone.

"When ye enter into the inner self and approach the throne of grace, mercy, love, hope, is there within self that which would hinder from offering the best or seeking the best from that throne of grace"?

"Doesn't it then become necessary that such hindrances be first laid aside? Even as given of old? When thou bringest thine sacrifice, expecting to receive from that throne of grace the mercy and hope desired, hast thou shown mercy"?

"Hast thou shown love? Hast thou shown consideration in the activities, the associations of each and every individual, whether friend or foe"?

"For, God is no respecter of persons; but rather:"

"He that showeth himself forward, to him He is forward. He that showeth himself little, to him He becomes little (within his own self). In the same manner that an individual shows himself worthy or unworthy does the result come in the conscious activity of self. For, as given to self often, Know Thyself and what thou believest; and to WHOM thou wouldest turn for aid, counsel and guidance. For, a few years in this mundane sphere is little compared to eternity. Be not impatient with those even that would hinder thee, from gaining something of this world's pleasures; but know, he seeks to do the biddings of the Creative Forces in a manner that is constructive, gratifies that which is the SOUL development."

"For, the soul seeks growth; as Truth, as Life, as Light, IS in itself. God IS, and so is life, light, truth, hope, love. And those that abide in same, grow. Those that abide in the shadow of the night, or the conditions that become or make for the fruits of these, do not grow." -- Edgar Cayce

From this perspective, it is clear that we can expect forgiveness when we are forgiving. Forgiveness, grace, and mercy flows in both directions. It is also clear that our own "clarity" in our intent and ideals is also essential for any results that we hope to attain.

The Act of Forgiveness

The first step is to make a list. Include every person, institution or situation that you feel injured by and everything that you feel guilty about. Pick a single item from the list and set up an affirmation that follows along these principles:

I acknowledge that I am connected to all of life, all of creation and other individuals and they to me.

I acknowledge that I am my brothers keeper and that he is my keeper.

I hereby grant absolution and absolute forgiveness to (named individual) for (grievance or hurt). I release all debt and obligation that may be owed me.

I recognize and acknowledge that I am, on a higher level, connected with (named individual).

From Divine Grace, I ask forgiveness on behalf of both of us for (grievance or hurt).

Additional Reading

Feelings Buried Alive Never Die by Karol K. Truman (Amazon Link)

The Path is a book about the Spiritual journey that we all take. Who are we, why are we here, what is consciousness, what is enlightenment, how do we grow Spiritually? There are detailed instructions on basic and advanced meditation and the Kuji-In or nine syllables meditation from Hindu, Buddhist and Ninja traditions. There are also instructions on using forgiveness and recapitulation to recover energy and resolve karma.

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