Articles

Forgiveness ― Portal to Freedom
by Karen Johnson
Copyright © 2006 

Greetings to you all.  We are here today to begin the process of assisting you to release the unnecessary burdens from the past, be they couched in grief, anger, self-hatred... whatever the package, the solution is to release them through the process of forgiveness.  At this time in the evolution of the planet, we have entered the phase where people are more and more awake, some gently and others with a great thump, to the possibility and the potential that lies within us all.

Although many of us want to feel enlightened, that we have moved beyond; unless we have gained a Buddha-like consciousness level, unless we have attained a state of enlightenment; to some degree or other we continue to struggle in our daily existence.

Peace and joy to all!  Wouldn't this be a wonderful way to live your life each and every day on this planet?  But alas, that's not the way the majority of us live now.

DIRECTIONS
There is a powerful consciousness upon the planet.  Forgiveness is a path that some of the visionaries our time have taken to release humanity from bondage.  We are all here to help balance the energy of the planet. 

Man is smart.  Man is innovative.  Man can be a visionary.  Many can also be hard, rigid and unforgiving.  We need to understand that by forgiving others we begin to forgive ourselves.  If we start by taking a very small slice of this very big pie, beginning to incorporate some of the fundamental principles of forgiveness into our lives, we can allow this to build into the framework of the bigger picture.

In our own lives we are experiencing what is happening in the macrocosm, which in turn is being mirrored back to us in the microcosm.  We are seeing more wars, strife, famine, environmental disasters, chaos and uncertainty.  Until we learn to deal with conflict in another way, the cycle will continue.

Forgiveness is one way we are able to give back to our planet releasing it from the bondage of war, pain, and anguish.  Throughout time these cycles have continued and have for some, now developed a mighty life force.  We long to live in a society, a world, free from war, free from animosity, free from hate.  We hunger for a planet that is governed and balanced more in harmony than in conflict.  In our civilization, we have yet to experience this.

We need to bring in more peace, harmony and acceptance on an individual level as well as on a global level.  One way to do this is by exorcising old demons:  by practicing forgiveness.  In doing so, we release stagnant energy and stop adding to the current climate of warfare on this planet.

PRIMAL URGES
Man has always been governed by his primal urges and this harkens back to the beginning.  As our consciousness continually evolves and as we reach higher, questioning the paradigms we have created, we can still fall prey to some of these primitive patterns or survival skills.

At this stage of the game, we are bidden to step into our roles as spiritual warriors.  And as the Warrior we are, part of our responsibility is to defend freedom.  We do this on a personal level by choosing to stop engaging in adversarial or combative relationships, where we have a need to win.  Our need to win means that someone needs to lose.  It pits man against man... nation against nation.

OBSTRUCTIONS
What lies at the root of this inability for some to forgive either themselves or others?  Lack of forgiveness creates many division in our Society, our communities, and even within our own families.  This could have its roots in shame, fear, guilt, pride, a lack of confidence, blame and so on and so forth.  One huge deterrent to letting forgiveness in is pride and our need to be right.

The inability to forgive, for real or imagined transgressions, deflates your power.  Instead of utilizing 100 percent of your power this can bring you all the way down to accessing only a tiny part of it.  Although you can always harness this power, all of a sudden it's become mediocre... a fraction of what it could be, of what it's supposed to be... of who you're meant to be.

The releasing process is organic and cannot be forced.  It always happens when you are ready to release it and not a moment before.  If you think that you're ready, yet you're unable to shift no matter what you do or who helps you, perhaps you not really ready yet.  There may be an underlying fear program, self-sabotage, some sort of restriction that is not letting you move beyond this current reality you have made for yourself.  Or you don't have to be successful because this person or organization thwarted you and THEY are responsible for the ill in your life.  Perhaps you feel at some deep unconscious level, that it will keep you safe, that you won't need to venture out.  Is there a payoff here for you?

THE PROCESS
There is a process to forgiving:  it's not a linear process, and it's not a sequential process.  There are many steps to moving through forgiveness and it is important to allow yourself to move through the different stages and not get caught in the trap of recycling where many of us get stuck.  Forgiveness is allowing yourself the space to let go:  releasing the need to be right.  You can't pretend your way to forgiveness, you either forgive or you don't.

Why do we need to forgive?  And what do I have to forgive you for?  Is my anger at you truly anger, or are you mirroring back something that I lack, or perhaps something that I don't want identified with me?

Remember, you will only forgive when you are ready.  Don't lie to yourself.  Allow yourself to honour your own healing process.  This is all about you and not the other person.  It is about releasing and forgiving yourself.  The other person involved is out in the world living life, moving forward and yet somehow you are stuck back in that moment, that old energy.

Forgiveness does not discriminate; it comes to those who ask for it.  It is simply a right for all who dwell here.  Whatever religion, spiritual philosophy or dogma of any type that you follow, forgiveness will come if you ask for it.  So, if it's that easy, why is there an issue at all... if all you need to do is to ask?

PATTERNS
Many of us find ourselves being pulled back into the past, or at the very least taking a peek over our shoulders at what might have been, what should have been, how dare they, instead of living firmly in the present... all those misdemeanors or transgressions that have hurt us, caused us pain, anguish, deep resentment. 

Why would you keep yourself in a holding pattern, being so angry with someone that you are unable to move into the space of forgiveness?  Some level of the personality might feel this is a way to exert power over this individual, make him pay, make him suffer for what he did to me or someone I love.

What you are in actuality creating is a world, an internal world, where this person reigns supreme.  They are in effect controlling your life.  Are they doing this from a conscious or unconscious place?  No, in fact, you are doing this to yourself:  it is as if you have created and erected bars all around you, over you, under you, completely entrapping you.  You have created a prison and you've done it by yourself.  that is the hardest part to grasp, what's done has not been done to you, it has been done by you.

If we take this and examine it under a microscope, would the patterns still show as the same?  Could you now see what was breeding beneath the surface?  Would you allow yourself to regain your freedom, no longer living life as a captive of another?  Step into the space that has always awaited you, residing in this universe as a free citizen who desire to reclaim their personal freedom.

RELEASING 
Forgiveness cannot be forced.  If I forgive you before I am truly ready to forgive, I will only have to go through the process once more.  It is a very natural process and we must allow it to unfold.  Some will find themselves getting stuck in recycling.  Instead of flowing through the process, it is as if they are caught up  in a never ending loop, going over and over reliving it, putting so much energy into it, giving it more power... this has a really adverse effect on the individual.

Someone says or does something that diminishes or offends you.  If you're not careful a hardness can grow inside:  a resentment, an inability to let something go, to release it.  This can continue to grow and before  you know it you are being stymied.  Where before it was easy for you to access your creativity, innovativeness, inventiveness, now you feel blocked.  Where before it was easy for you  to express yourself, now you hold back.  Where before it was easy for you to trust yourself, others, the Universe; erosion has begun... there is a crack in the armor.

We call many times to the Universe for help, and sadly, almost as many times we do not heed the answers.  The answers may come wrapped in many forms; they may comes as questions, images, symbols, thoughts, impressions, people or situations.  The answers are all about getting us to see the possibilities, to move, to  get back in the flow of things, back on track.

Forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves or others.  It releases us from the chains that bind us and allows us to move into the space where we are free again to make choices from an unbiased place without unduly being influenced by residue from past, unresolved issues.  We no longer need to magnify or permit things to get out of proportion.

Forgiveness changes our molecular structure; it allows us to step into a new dimension.  We are entering into the next phase.  More and more become awake to this internal power force and limitless potential that beckons to all individuals... becoming aware of the power that is housed within them.

ADOPTING FORGIVENESS 
You have abdicated your power.  You have given it away making yourself powerless in this situation... but that is only a myth.  The truth is that you always hold your power within you.  You merely need to realign yourself to get back on course in your own life.  It is simply an adjustment.  Remember, you are a powerful creature who holds within yourself the power of the Universe.

Forgiveness is the process of releasing our attachment to whatever emotion or situation we are caught in.  Instead of providing you with the escape hatch of blaming someone else, forgiveness is moving away from the old paradigm where someone else controls you or makes you do things.  Forgiveness is taking responsibility  for your life and your choices.

There are many levels to forgiveness and in moving through these various levels the main ones you encounter are anger, releasing and then acceptance.  Forgiveness encompasses all.  While is not solely focused upon releasing it, it's important to remember that your anger is not a lifelong commitment and acceptance is not giving up.

Be it a small petty squabble or an all out war with someone else, is it really 'them' you're angry with?  What on earth could another individual do to you that would make you want to relinquish your power to them?

We need to release others and in doing so we release ourselves, eliminating the need for the self-punishment cycle some of us have chosen to live in.  We need to remove the chains that binds us to the past.  How can I withhold from you if you and I are truly equal:  forgiveness is believing that we are all equal.  We no longer relinquish our power to others.

Do you feel you are unable to effect change, to stop the chain reaction that is now cycling around this planet and gathering up speed?  You are wrong.  We now know better so it's time to do better.  You being by looking around your own world, your own community, even your own family connections.  Are you holding onto any grudges?  This is about how you handle your thoughts and your energy.  This is about personal responsibility.

ACCEPTANCE 
We are all here to help balance the consciousness of the planet.  When you continue being at war or in conflict with someone, that then is mirrored out into the planet and adds to the consciousness of war.  By cleaning up your debris you are releasing energy back to the planet.

Another way we can contribute is by addressing any of our strands that may be holding onto anger, fear, hatred, and to relinquish them, then we can move into the state of forgiveness.

It has taken as long or as short as you've needed to get here, but once you arrive you are embarking on a new phase and you're able to stabilize because you're building a new foundation.  By this point you have accepted your responsibility in the situation and the need to release any obstructions.  You have accepted that you have no control over others and this allows you room to grow, evolve and develop at this new speed.

REWARDS 
What are the benefits of forgiving someone?  There are many gifts to forgiveness... as we learn to forgive others... we learn to forgive ourselves.   You cease to carry that other person or situation around with you.  Living as a victim you are not fooling anyone, the only person you are deceiving or you are trying to deceive is YOURSELF.

You stop living like a victim who has no power and you become the conscious creator that you are.  Instead of living in a diminished, isolated or withholding place, you can express yourself fully.  You are no longer living in stuck energy and stagnating, you begin to live fully in the present instead of living like a shadow in the past... as you release, compassion and understanding light the way.

We are partaking in the new revolution that is beginning to reach its  stride.  This revolution is simply another step in our own evolution.  We can run near and far looking for external solutions, or to find just the right guru, or the right philosophy that will fix us.  In order for us to fully participate in a self-actualized way in this new phase, we must begin at the ground up and build in a solid foundation from where we can fly if we choose.

The structure of life as we know it will change.  In fact, it has already begun with individual people gathering into small groups, with communities coming together to effect change upon our planet.  With the awareness that thoughts have power, a power to be harnessed, people can begin to understand the power of their own thoughts and that they can harness this  voltage  and use it to create change and effect positive growth for the planet.

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For more information:
Karen Johnson, CHt. MHt.
The Carrot Common
320 Danforth, Suite 202
Toronto, ON  CANADA M4K 2N8
416 466 6225
karen@awakeningheartandsoul.com

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