FORGIVENESS

& JUDGMENT

“In every person there is something precious which is in no-one else. And so we should honor each for what is hidden within them for what only they have.” Talmud

Especially now with the earth changes and now Covid it's time to clean the slate ...

“We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.” Chesterton

Tiferet - the center or heart of the Tree of Life - is balanced by the polarities of Judgment (contraction) on the left and Mercy (expansion) on the right. Tiferent is equivalent to the heart chakra and holds the qualities of empathy, compassion and  forgiveness.

"Giving opens, withholding closes." The Ancestors 

Even someone who has performed a heinous act is worthy of forgiveness, once judgement and retribution have been served. 

For those who have offended but done no physical harm it is much easier. 

"If a person does not keep pace with his/her companions perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." Thoreau

For those who have done real harm we also need to try and "walk in their moccasins."

When it comes to our prisons and our jails punishment does not always have to be excessively punitive. Taking away a person's freedom can be punishment enough. Redemption is possible and allowing for this is not only worthy but also cost effective in the long run.

“The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become.” Goethe

 “If we cannot embrace the other, do not think to embrace God." Jeremiah 

Research has shown that forgiving someone may be  even more beneficial to the giver of forgiveness than the receiver. Forgiveness takes the albatross one is carrying around, off of one's neck. AIDS patients who forgave the person who gave them the virus have higher T cell counts and do better medically than those who continue to harbor a grudge. 

In the words of the African American slave song;      "I'm gonna lay down my burden down by the riverside, ain't gonna study war no more."

Forgiveness has karmic merit and is healthful as well. Harboring a grudge in the face of a sincere apology or even without it leaves a stain in the heart of someone holding that burden. Releasing that burden is most powerfully done in ritual which not only has a powerful effect on the brain's limbic system and the subconscious but also in the spirit world as well.

For those in need of giving forgiveness, I suggest that you write a letter stating all the grievances that you are holding, no matter how petty and trivial they may seem. Go into the minutest details. Then burn it in a receptacle with a sacred plant such as sage or cedar. Take the ashes and wrap them in something biodegradable. Take the forgiveness bundle to the nearest body of water - preferably the ocean if available, preferably when no-one is there - there should be no distractions. Throw it away and let it go and let go. Tell yourself and your guides who will be there to help you that this is now water under the bridge, walk away and 

do not look back! 

Looking back is an indication to spirit that you are not sure. Free will, the cosmic law, demands clarity in order to act on your behalf.

When it come to parents or grandparents who have done terrible things it is a little different. The commandment says;

"Honor your mother and father that your days will be long upon the earth."

It does not say love them, like them or reconcile with them.

 The onus, however, is on the child to forgive because they gave us another chance at a sentient life. 

For the living you do not have to reconnect with anyone whom you have forgiven but they should know in the most effective way that it is water under the bridge. Some will not react kindly to being told that they are the ones that are being forgiven.

A lot of the work I do as a sangoma is releasing dysfunctional spirits that hang around the living in the hope of receiving forgiveness. This is best done before death - there should be no unfinished business before that person breathes their last. Skeletons in the family closet can be challenging to one's aura. There is nothing good about being haunted by a dysfunctional parent or grandparent. This "shade" following the living son or daughter or grandson or daughter gets in the way of one's life flow resulting sometimes in anxiety, depression, bad luck and difficulties with work and relationships. Forgiveness will release the perpetrator from that particular karmic sin only. The object of the ritual is to show that you are sure, to put it in writing so to speak, for the spiritual tribunal that person is now facing or will be facing in the afterlife. One should add before walking away and not looking back ... 

"I release you from any karmic consequences on my behalf for what you have done."

“When a deep injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive.” Alan Paton

Forgiveness is the most completing gift we can experience for we all have its sweet need…” John O’donahue

"Forgiveness is part of the treasure you need to craft your falcon wings and return to your true realm of Divine Freedom.” Hafitz

The remedy to the energetic imbalance caused by judging someone who has wronged us resides in forgiveness. Furthermore, graciously accepting and being receptive to someone reaching out to us for forgiveness not only has karmic merit but will clear away the rubble in front of our spiritual walk in life. Even if they do not reach out one should forgive.    

Ultimately

We should have compassion for the fact they have a longer way to go on their journey or worse still that they may not be redeemed in the afterlife.

              "I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am a decisive element: it is my personal approach that creates the climate; it is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated and a person is humanized or dehumanized. If we treat people as they are we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming." Goethe

“Be willing to give up who you are - the old familiar - for who you might become to reach that which is beyond you.” Rev N. of Braztlav

Since Google has introduced a new interface I have deleted the old comments but am grateful for them so please continue to comment. Sadly I do not have the time to respond but I do bear them in mind for the future blogs.