Living in the Shadow of the Past and the Power of Forgiveness

Like your shadow on the sidewalk when the sun shines behind you,holding onto painful past memories darkens each forward step which could instead be filled with light.

The above statement may seem obvious, and simple, but it is most profound and warrants further thought and attention.
Holding onto the past is probably the most universal of all human behavior patterns. It is the rare individual who lives his life entirely in the present, unburdened by influences from the past. At the same time, it is one of the main causes of worry, tension, pain, sadness, depression, anger, grief, hate, jealousy, discontent,even physical illnesses – just about everything and anything that each of us would be much better off without.
So, how can we rid ourselves of this terrible burden? There is only one way.

Forgiveness!

Forgiveness does not necessarily mean condoning things that happened to us or that were done to us by strangers, and even more difficult to deal with, by those close to us. It means reaching a point in life where we simply decide “Enough!”. I will no longer allow the past to rule my life and take possession of my thoughts, feelings, reactions and dictate the way I live each day. The burden of the past is heavy enough to weigh us down until we are bent over and unable to move, stuck in a place we do not wish to be but which we do not have the energy to move out of. Only by dumping this terrible burden can we again feel light, joyful, fresh, young, energetic, enthusiastic, creative, loving, caring, compassionate, patient and tolerant, content, vibrant and full of peace and tranquility.
I am attaching some wonderful short statements, dealing with the power of forgiveness…and how our past effects each step we take in the present.

There are also many wonderful techniques for releasing the past, and I will explain at the end of this article the one which I find most effective. This is from both personal experience and the experiences of many of my clients who have moved on to wonderful new places in their lives after combining the technique with other subtle forms of energy work such as Reiki and Bach Flower Remedies-but it is a technique which can work entirely on its own if taken seriously and done properly and with full intent.

Look for it at the end of the article!!

• ‘We have converted our wounds into a type of relationship currency that we use in order to control situations and people.’
• ‘Healing means getting over the pain, not marketing it.’
• ‘Therapy is a boat to cross the river, we just have to remember to get off on the other side.’
• ‘Master your responses to external events–don’t attempt to control them.’
• ‘Forgiveness is like a rough diet with no payback — you won’t like it until it’s over.’
• Just let go. Let go of how you thought your life should be, and embrace the life that is trying to work its way into your consciousness.’
• ‘Forgiveness doesn’t look attractive until we get to the other side.’
• Present time energy is its own transformer. The more energy you have in present time, the more voltage you can move through you.
• ‘Call back the energy you are wasting on events of the past.’
• ‘It goes without saying that not every healing crisis will have a ‘fairy-tale ending,’ but every effort you make, regardless of how insignificant it may seem to you, will always bring you closer to a state of spiritual and physical health.’
• What is wrong with us that we have to have yesterday’s grief with us today?
• Forgiveness is a path to my inner laboratory.
• Get bored with your past, it’s over! ‘
• Never look to another person to make you happy–happiness is an internal, personal attitude and responsibility.’
• ‘Practice forgiveness of others.’

‘Positive energy works more effectively than negative energy in each and every situation.’ ‘
• ‘Nothing empowers our ability to heal as much as our love and forgiveness.’
• ‘The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.’
• ‘Spiritual teachings encourage us to grow past and through painful experiences, each of which is a spiritual lesson.’
• ‘Illness can develop as a consequence of behavioral patterns and attitudes that we do not realize are biologically toxic until they have already become so.’ ‘
• I am forgiving not for you, but for me. I am forgiving because I want my power back.’
• ‘Get over it.’
• ‘Feeling victimized only adds to your illness, and should it become a full state of mind, would qualify as an illness in itself.’
• ‘We are addicted to the power of the wound.’
• ‘Release victim consciousness and embrace forgiveness.’
• ‘We cannot seek to heal an illness without first looking into what behavioral patterns and attitudes need to be altered in our life.’
• For every time zone that we are in, other than here, we drain our life energy.
• A forgiving heart is an honest heart.
• Blame is a form of energetic cancer.
• If anyone tries to complicate your life – turn and walk away from them
• If it’s not about you, it’s not about you
• You can’t understand what you can’t understand
• Don’t make simplicity hard
• Your task is to learn the lesson that the teacher has for you rather than to resent the teacher
• Seen symbolically, our life crises tell us that we need to break free of beliefs that no longer serve our personal development
• View every experience as a blessing and a remedy that serves your well-being.
• Become mindful of your reasons to stay angry
• To be unable to forgive is to live in hell, burdened, miserable, angry
• Get in present time and forgive the people who have hurt you
• We are not meant to stay wounded
• To blame the other players in our drama for helping to teach us what we need to learn is the height of foolishness
• Understand that all experiences either make you bitter or better
• Become mindful that remaining in a conflict is a choice
• Learn that the way to set change in motion is to bless and appreciate even the most difficult parts of our life
• Realize you choose to stay angry when you can choose to heal
• Sometimes the strings to our past are burned because we need a new beginning

FORGIVENESS EXERCISE

1. Using a full size notebook or pad (A4, letter size), take a page and fold it in half lengthwise.
2. Number each line from 1 to 70.
3. Choose a person you wish to begin forgiving. This can be as simple as a teacher in the first grade who made you stand in the corner or as deep as an abusive parent. It can be yourself (but this is better left until later on in the forgiveness work) or even God! You may want to begin with something small and move on to the heavier duty things once you get the hang of the exercise, but there is no reason why you cannot “jump right into deep water” if you so choose.
4. On the left hand side of the page (remember, there is a fold line down the middle of the page), start on line one, and on each line up to 70 write: ” I (your name) completely and totally forgive (name of other person).”
5. You will write this 70 times.
6. While writing this short but powerful sentence, thoughts will begin to come up into your head “Why the hell am I doing this?” “This is silly” “There is NO way I will forgive this person”> “Look at what he did to me when he….” Etc., etc. Every single thought, without censorship and without comment or contemplation, you simply write down on the RIGHT side of the fold. As they come, as they flow, just write and then immediately go back to writing the other sentence 70 times. DO NOT STOP TO READ OR THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE WRITING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FOLD LINE.
7. Once you have written this 70 times, take the piece of paper and BURN IT.
8. Do this for a full 7 days FOR EACH PERSON. And burn at the end of each day.
9. At the beginning of a new week, choose someone new to work on.
10. As the days go by, the thoughts that immerge from the depths of our subconscious will become less and less. There will probably be no more left by the end of the week regarding the person involved.

If there ARE still many thoughts, do the same person for a second full week! But this RARELY happens.

Once the person is taken care of and the papers are burnt, you will feel an enormous lightness overtake you. It is quite remarkable. It really does work!

If something is unclear about the above, please feel free to contact me directly and I will explain further.

I wish you all wonderful new days filled with the relief of “dropping” the weight of the past from your shoulders, and standing tall of joyfully embrace each new day.

With much love, light, health, tranquility and laughter.
Jane

Author's Bio: 

I have been a Reiki practitioner and instructor as well as holistic counselor for 10 years, after receiving my Masters Degree from a Traditional Japanese Reiki Master in India. I still spend part of each year in further practice and studies in India. I received further attunements from other International Reiki Masters as well. I run a successful private Center in Raanana, Israel where I work with clients using Reiki as well as a wide variety of other healing modalities,(bach flower Remedies, crystals, chakra balancing through color and sound, channeling through the use of various Tarot cards, QT, massage) run workshops in all levels of Reiki, as well as yoga, meditation, pranayama. I have a background in counseling with over 30 years of experience in family counseling, lactation consultation and childbirth education and have a particular rapport with women and helping to guide them through their life journey.
My Center provides an open, safe, supportive and interactive environment in which to embark on your healing journey. The healing sessions offered facilitate awareness and integration of the Mind/Body/Heart/Spirit connection. The results can be life-changing and transformative helping you with:
• Reducing stress and anxiety
Making successful life transitions
• Discovering your life's purpose and work
• Changing addictive patterns and behaviors
• Dealing with grief and loss
• Facing chronic or terminal illness
• Healing relationships
• Connecting to your higher self
• Working with your guides and angels, and Spirit
A variety of healing energies and techniques are used to stimulate powerful yet gentle healing at the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. This allows the creative process of self-discovery to unfold, while encouraging and empowering you to find your own answers within. Methods are chosen to suit your individual needs based on your unique purpose, readiness and individual preference
If you are simply seeking help in reducing stress in these most difficult times we live in, or seeking more intensive energy work in order to release various deep-seated blockages (fear, worry, anger, jealousy, etc.) which prevent healing, both physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, all can be addressed according to need and readiness.

You will also be taught techniques which, in most instances, will allow you to continue the processes at home and over a short time learn to help yourself heal and remain healthy, with only occasional future visits for “tune-ups”.

Healing is an active process by which you take responsibility, vs. “curing”, which is passive and places responsibility on the therapist/doctor and on medication.
A session can act as a simple release from tension, anxiety and stress and leave you with a feeling of deep relaxation and renewal of energies. Or it can treat a specific chronic or acute physical ailment by healing it from the source which, in many cases is emotional or mental in origin and is simply manifested via physical symptoms.

You can also choose to learn Reiki yourself in a short, fun and experiential workshop. What better way to to give you and your family the wonderful gift of Reiki so that you can lovingly care for each other in the comfort of your own home.
You can learn more about me and my work, as well as more about the wonders of Reiki, Mindfulness, Channeling etc. on my blog: http://mindfulnessjournal.wordpress.com

or by contacting me via e-mail: janetrip2001@yahoo.com or by phone: 972-54-5572300

You might also be interested in some my other blogs:
http://janesindiajournals.wordpress.com
http://indiajournal2006.blogspot.com