Forgiveness is the ultimate release; the greatest gift you can give yourself and others. By forgiving and releasing any negative energy, you transform judgment into acceptance and make the past powerless over your life. It brings you fully into the present moment, free of anything that holds you back from living a soul-hearted life.
Ultimately, there is no hurt that cannot be transformed by forgiveness. Above all, the more you forgive yourself the easier it is to forgive others. To forgive takes an open heart, loving-compassion, and a healthy detachment from any outcome. The greater outcome is that forgiveness severs the flow of negative energy toward yourself or others so that positive energy is returned to you, creating space in your heart to love and be loved.
Forgiveness, as a spiritual practice, is an act of love. You can focus your energy through your heart center and bless and release anyone or anything that does not align with who you truly are. The heart becomes an energetic clearinghouse that transforms grievance and resentment into love and compassion, and dissolves any emotional injury attached to a person or situation.
You can make forgiveness a daily practice. Through this daily practice, you can heal and grow spiritually. Like the fresh vegetation that emerges from the ashes of a forest fire, you can create yourself anew each time you release an old grievance, resentment, or past hurt.
Here are 5 forgiveness practices to support you:
- Create a sacred ritual of release: Possible rituals may include a private prayer service; the burning of items related to a specific person or situation, the creation of a picture scrapbook or journal for release, or the designing of a collage that reflects your future intentions.
- Be forgiving of your mistakes and imperfections. When you react negatively to situations, bless yourself, and release blame, resentment, and judgment. Coach yourself by using supportive self-talk to clear negative thoughts and reactions, replacing them with encouraging phrases such as “Open and let go,” and “Let it be.”
- Let go of past grievances and grudges. Consciously refrain from bringing up a friend’s or partner’s past mistakes when interacting with them in the present.
- Pink light exercise: When you want to forgive yourself or someone else, imagine the yours’ or person’s processes in pink light (such as pink bubbles, pink clouds, or pink cotton candy) while at the same time visualizing yourself and the other person bathed in radiant white light. This practice seals the physical negativity away from you because the vibration of pink light governs the physical universe.
- Journal questions to facilitate forgiveness: With whom in your life do you have “unfinished business? What questions arise for you about this person or situation? What unhealed aspects of yourself do they show you? How can you forgive those in your life who have hurt you, intentionally or unintentionally?
To release your unhealed pain, you must find the courage to forgive yourself, the strength to suspend judgment, and the compassion to release your suffering.
