“There is no peace without forgiveness” - Marianne Williamson
Throughout human history, we have been divided by distance, language, cultural and religious beliefs, class and economic hierarchy. Whenever someone comes up with a perspective there seems to always be someone else there with an opposing opinion. This separation of people, communities and cultures can often bring up feelings of anger or hostility towards those with opposing beliefs to our own. Outside of this general brand of dissociation, we also hold onto anger or resentment from people within our own belief-systems based on a breakdown of communication, disappointment or conflict.
Holding onto anger puts stress on our nervous system, our adrenal glands, weakens our immune system and can manifest into chronic illness. Science has proven time and time again that stress is a contributing factor in all forms of disease and can be fatal if left untreated. We will all experience conflict throughout our lives. It’s impossible to believe that everyone, from all walks of life, all with our own stories and expectations - can get along all the time. It’s natural, and important for us to remain individual creatures with our own perceptions. So when faced with conflict, it’s important to be able to deal with it in a healthy way, learn from it, grow, overcome it and most importantly - let it go.
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong” - Mahatma Gandhi
If you find yourself carrying negative emotions associated with a particular incident or person, it’s important to know that these feelings are not hurting anyone but yourself. If you don’t let go and forgive, you will continue to carry this negative vibration with you until it manifests into another toxic form. The art of forgiveness will liberate you from the shackles of negativity and save your health in the process. Many cultures have different exercises for embodying forgiveness such as the ancient Hawaiian practice of Ho’oponopono - a mantra where one repeats the words ‘I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you’ as a form of mental and spiritual cleansing that could be compared to Buddhist techniques for clearing karma. It has been defined as a forgiveness and reconciliation practice, cleansing the ‘errors of thought’ – the origin of problems and sickness in the physical world, according to the Hawaiian worldview. The literal translation is ‘to put to right; to put in order or shape, correct, revise, adjust, amend, regulate, arrange, rectify, tidy up, make orderly or neat.”
“I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you”
As you begin to sit with this practice you may feel questions arise such as ‘what do I need to be sorry for? What am I grateful for? What did I do wrong?’ - these are all important questions to reflect and ponder on. The purpose is to allow suppressed emotions to come to the surface in order to release them. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but if you can move through the discomfort, the liberation will be intoxicating. Like many spiritual practices, such as meditation, it’s not the practice you do while you’re in the crisis, it’s the practice you do on a regular basis between the crisis that makes it effective when the storm hits.
“The Hawaiian tradition teaches that all life is connected. Ho’oponopono is, therefore, not only a way of healing ourselves but others and our world as well. – Timothy Freke, Shamanic Wisdomkeepers.
By liberating yourself from negativity, you are not only freeing yourself but also raising your vibration and therefore contributing to the collective consciousness of mankind.