“Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.”
-Tony Robbins

Welcome Spiritual Warriors to a week of forgiveness…a topic near & dear to our heart – and yet something that we are challenged with on a daily basis. Sometimes we tell ourselves in a convincing way that holding onto our grievances feels better. This is an illusion. Letting go feels better. I have often quoted the New Testament, “When we forgive, we free ourselves from the ties that bind us to the one who hurt us.”

Forgiving is a liberation! To hold onto something that doesn’t actually serve us – only constricts us and leads us into deeper pain.

Studies show that forgiveness can lower our blood pressure, lessen the flow of stress hormones, strengthen our immune system, and reduce physical and emotional pain. While getting into forgiveness mode may be challenging – especially when your grievance is filled with emotional charge – starting today will gift your life with greater understanding, deeper awareness, a lightness of being, and a way for you to move on.

Let’s take it deeper this Thursday at 11a PST/2p EST on hayhouseradio.com.

There are three directions of forgiveness: Forgiving another person; being forgiven by another; and forgiving ourselves. Here are a few remembrances to help begin your journey of letting go – or at least loosening our grip on our blames, regrets, grievances, and resentments.

Remember: Forgiveness is for you; not for anyone else. Forgiveness does not mean that you have made peace with the person that hurt you, or that you bless their action. We can define forgiveness as the understanding that comes from blaming that which has hurt you a little bit less. When we do this, we take the event & action of the other less personally; and this allows us to change our grievance story.

Remember: Your primary distress is coming from the hurt feelings, sad thoughts and physical upset you are suffering now, not what offended you or hurt you. Forgiveness can act as a balm on those painful emotions.

Remember: Your story of what happened and your relationship with the offender has been played over so many times in your mind, that you have started to define yourself through it. You can change the story, write a new chapter, and shift yourself from where you are to where you want to be.

The process starts with you giving yourself permission to loosen your grip on the hurt. Can you do that? – Just release the emotional charge you have over the incident or event? How about in this moment – breathe in the unconditional love of the divine – and allow the universe to sweetly kiss your soul. Practice this self-love – self-forgiveness process throughout the day, and you’ll start to feel a bit better. The rest will start to unfold automatically. Take your time…it’s okay to visit the land of hurts and wounds once in a while – but no one is served by living there.

In the meantime, keep meditating! I’ll see you in the gap! Peace. -davidji