I'm sorry. please forgive me. thank you. I love you.

You may or may not agree with the idea that you are responsible for everything in your reality. Personally, I rather like the idea. (Though I will confess that the "everything" part of it is still awfully hard to wrap my head around.) The reason I like it is that unless I can take responsibility for something, it is very easy to feel like I have no control over it. Like I am powerless. A victim.

I may not know how I am responsible for something, or how to change it, but there is always something I have control over - my own thoughts. That, however, is easy to forget. If I take responsibility for something, it is easier to remember that I can always change my thoughts about that something.

I watched a video today in which Joe Vitale talks about Ho'oponopono. From what little I know of it, it seems to be a Hawaiian healing process in which you take responsibility for everything in your reality (and they do mean everything), and attempt to make things right by talking to God about it - offering up the following petition:

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me. (Meaning: I don't know what role I played in this event, but please forgive me for any role I had.)

Thank you. (Meaning: I know you are listening and will heal this.)

I love you.

While I was listening to the video, I had an emotional response. (In other words, I cried, which is what happens whenever I hear something that my body knows to be true.) I stopped the video and sat and meditated while silently saying the four phrases over and over. I cried harder. Huge gulping sobs. Lots of tears. Hard enough that the pup came over to see what on earth was wrong and sat there looking worried while offering me his paw to try to cheer me up.

After about a minute, the storm was over. I was light and refreshed. (Yes, crying can be very cathartic and a great emotional release.) Interestingly, I didn't even look like I had been crying (and if you've ever seen me after a tear-fest, you will know it's not a pretty picture).

There is definitely power in this.

Comments

[Julie M.]

A close friend and I were talking about forgiveness the other day. I asked her what she thought forgiveness meant and at what point does it truly happen? She wouldn't consider herself wise but her answers are always honest and real. She said she heard somewhere and believes that when it seems as if someone has wronged us (others, God or even ourselves) deep down we feel they owe us something- a debt, if you will. We may withhold love or generousity from them because of it. Forgiveness happens when you can completely release that debt back to them. Sometimes we can't do this until we've learned and accepted what we needed to from the situation.

I prefer harmony and will quickly try to make things right if they're not but I think I hold many tiny debts in my heart. A lot of them I owe to myself.

I'm so glad you're finding a way to let go, Elizabeth... peace is a beautiful thing. Thanks for sharing the link.

[elizabeth @ the blue lotus]

@julie: i think sometimes we may also hope that they feel a bit of the pain we felt, or worry that forgiveness means we have to forget or pretend like it never happened. when in reality, forgiveness really means that we are releasing the hold they have on us. as your friend wisely put it.

Interesting that I don't actually know what I was letting go, but I guess that really doesn't matter!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! And I do hope you find a way to release the debts to yourself. We should be quickest to forgive ourselves. :)