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Forgiveness- Here's a tool to help you clear the decks on your old sludge before you take it into another NEW YEAR!

By
Real Estate Agent with Five Star Real Estate

     Yesterday Karen Webster, wrote a very timely and powerful post about the act of forgiveness and hoKaren Webster, Five Star Real Estate, Active Rain Blogw important it is to leave your baggage behind as you enter an new year!  It was a great post, and has been very well received.  It's also some of the truest words ever written on Active Rain, or anywhere else for that matter.

     She and I have kicked around the whole concept and practice of forgiveness of others and ourselves for a long time.  It really is not optional (unless you really like your life EXACTLY as it is at this moment).  One of the rules is, keep doing what you're doing, keep getting what you're getting.  (and that is NOT only about money).

     I think my favorite comment in response to Karen's post was from Joeanne Fossland  who wrote: I always loved the saying "unforgiveness is like swallowing poison and waiting for the other person to die!"

    As my wife and I were kicking around the whole forgiveness thing again last night and today, I was reminded of a wonderful meditation/exercise that was given to me by good friend, author and amazing numerologist John Davis. It's called:

The Theatre of the MIND:  A proven technique to self-transformation.

I know that John would be happy that I'm sharing this with you, and I can say that I've used this meditation and have experienced some wonderful (and amazing) results.  Today is 12/31, a day of celebrations, of planning and of making new year's resolutions.  I would suggest to you that it could well be one of the most powerful traditions you can begin today, if you take a few minutes and knock off the top 5 (or 10, or 100) parts of your life that are in need of forgiveness.

 Find a quiet place for contemplation. Create a sacred space within your self.  Remember: this procedure doesn't have to be done perfectly; your intention is the most important factor.

By jimschley on Flickr.comVisualize yourself approaching a beautiful theater in your mind.  As you approach the theater entrance, you notice you have been carrying a rope over your shoulder.  You mentally look over your shoulder and you see that you have been pulling a huge rock on a sled and you have been pulling it for your entire life.  On the rock is inscribed in large letters, "IF ONLY". All of your woulda, shoulda and couldas aer all stored in that heavy rock.  All of your negative attitudes about yourself kept this lifetime are also stored in the heavy rock.  You know intuitively that you have to mental release this rock before entering the theater of your mind.  Visualize yourself taking a mental pair of scissors and cutting the rope, immediately releasing your IF ONLY rock.  This life's personal condemnation is over for you- you have instantaneously moved into the ancient inter-dimensional space the Buddhists call Dharma, where karma is forgiven. Accept this marvelous personal gift- you deserve it!  Only you have the right to forgive yourself for the mistakes you have made this lifetime.


Techniques for Forgiveness:

Enter into your "Theater of the Mind". You are the only one in this theater. In the center of the theaBy SNWEB.ORG Photography- on Flickr.comter is a stage with a spotlight focused on two chairs.  You walk onto the stage, sit in one chair and bring the person who hurt you the most in this lifetime to mentally sit in the other chair, facing you.  Immediately move into your heart and mentally create the circumstances surrounding your relationship with this person.  Emotional responses like crying are encouraged since a goal of a superhighway from your advanced mind to your beautiful heart is one of the major purposes of this life.

After you have gone through the creative visualization of your challenges with this individual, mention their name and state that you totally forgive them for what they did to you.  You forgive yourself for drawing this person into your life and thank them for bringing you into your heart. If you accept this declaration of your complete forgiveness of this person, the gift of Dharma is yours.

Go through this same procedure described above with each person who has hurt your and you will be transformed into a new person, finally free from the subconscious burden of betrayal that you have carried throughout your life.  At that moment of your personal forgiveness declaration, you are resurrected into a new person on multi levels of expression.

I understand that there are many people for whom this exercise may feel a bit 'out there'.  Please understand that it may not be for everyone.  I share it today, because the end of THIS YEAR is an especially good time to clear the decks on all the bad old stuff, and I've found this to be an amazing way to accomplish that in my life.  I use it regularly (but not nearly as often as I used to have to).

For me, the ability to let go of old anger, sadness, disappointment, hurt feelings (about myself and about others) has left me with a lot more energy to do the things that are fun, that serve me well.  I guess it's because I'm not dragging that great big rock anymore.

Hope you can leave your old boulder in 2007!

Happy New Year!


Boulder photo by: By jimschley on Flickr.com

Fox Theater photo: By SNWEB.ORG Photography on Fickr.com

Comments (14)

Bonnie & Terry Westbrook
Westbrook Realty - Ada, MI
Grand Rapids MI Real Estate
I'll have to try this, Eric, it sounds like a powerful tool. Maybe tomorrow, I'll have a few minutes to myself. Thanks for posting this.
Dec 31, 2007 08:21 AM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News
Eric-it is so easy to take a negative path and your words should be heard by more!  Happy New Year!
Dec 31, 2007 09:07 AM
Karen Webster...Grand Rapids, MI Realtor
5 Star Real Estate, Grand Rapids MI - Grand Rapids, MI
Great post, E.  Helpful and timely.  Here's hoping many people use it.
Dec 31, 2007 03:27 PM
Eric Webster
Five Star Real Estate - Grand Rapids, MI
Grand Rapids, MI, Five Star Realty

Bonnie:  Caution: When used as directed the side effects could be a clean slate, much more joy, loss of the pain in the shoulder from the rope burn that comes from dragging the boulder.  But none of the bad ones you hear in the drug commericals.

Cindy:  Thanks for stopping by.  Forgiveness is so important, so powerful and so overlooked by so many.  But I'll forgive them their oversight!  :)
 

Karen: Can you imagine the difference if everyone would just forgive THEMSELVES?  It's really all about themselves anyway... as Dana was saying, we all are writing our own book, and we've written into our lives, the characters we find there.  I'm betting that also means all the opportunities to be forgiving were part of the story line we are writing.  And if we find that our storyline is not pleasing... we can delete a section, re-write it and have a different outcome.  WHAT FUN!  Happy New Year Sweetie!

(She's my wife, I get to call her Sweetie!)

Dec 31, 2007 10:16 PM
Peggy K.
Grand Property Virtual Tours - Buffalo Grove, IL
Illinois Virtual Tour Provider and Real Estate Photographer
Eric, I love this post.  I believe forgiveness is key in so many ways.  People don't realize how much this act helps you more than the person you are forgiving.  Just let it go and move on!  Happy 2008!
Dec 31, 2007 10:40 PM
Eric Webster
Five Star Real Estate - Grand Rapids, MI
Grand Rapids, MI, Five Star Realty

Peggy: It's obvious that you 'get it', way to go.  Forgiveness is definitely something you give to your self... even if you think it's about someone else, it's really more about you.

Happy 2008 to you!

Jan 01, 2008 06:02 AM
Jan Wood
None - Gallatin, TN
Eric:  Forgiveness is the only way to set yourself free.  I'll have to try these techniques... thanks for sharing.
Jan 02, 2008 01:12 PM
Eric Webster
Five Star Real Estate - Grand Rapids, MI
Grand Rapids, MI, Five Star Realty

Hey Jan, You are right!  Hope the meditation helps you in your process.  I'd love to hear the results!

Jan 04, 2008 12:46 AM
Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher
Eric, What a beautiful meditation to share.  You're right, you set yourself free when you can totally forgive.  Thank you for this, it's a wonderful exercise in release.
Jan 05, 2008 01:42 PM
Eric Webster
Five Star Real Estate - Grand Rapids, MI
Grand Rapids, MI, Five Star Realty
Carole: Thanks.  It's a beautiful meditation and used as intended it can have amazing results.  I've had some surprising and fantastic healing results using this process. 

Enjoy!
Jan 05, 2008 01:56 PM
Therese VanderMeer
Midwest Properties of MI - Grand Rapids - Jenison, MI
Realtor-Greater Grand Rapids, MI area communities

Hi Eric, I so enjoyed this post...being able to forgive yourself and others is definitely one of the most difficult and ultimately most rewarding feelings we will ever experience.  I know, for it took me 6 long years to figure out the only person in agony over a past experience was me. I found once I was able to move through it and beyond it and forgive I truly did feel like I had cut away a huge boulder of burden.  I was able to go through the holidays feeling relieved and stress free along with beginning this new year in having left "My Boulder" behind.  

I really enjoyed reading the comments you have received above and couldn't agree more!  All the very best to you and thanks for sharing!  I plan on giving your Forgiveness Technique a try...another learning experience for me.  :-)

Jan 06, 2008 02:25 AM
Eric Webster
Five Star Real Estate - Grand Rapids, MI
Grand Rapids, MI, Five Star Realty

Therese,

I'm glad you were able to leave your boulder behind!  You  must be feeling like you're travelling light now!  Congratulations!

Dragging that big boulder around every day can really wear you out!

 

Jan 13, 2008 01:50 PM
"The Lovely Wife" The One And Only TLW.
President-Tutas Towne Realty, Inc. - Kissimmee, FL

Eric...

Wow. This is really deep.

That's all I have to say after reading all of that :)

P.S. It would help if my subconscious would put down the gun :) 

TLW...ROAR!  

Jan 23, 2008 09:12 AM
Eric Webster
Five Star Real Estate - Grand Rapids, MI
Grand Rapids, MI, Five Star Realty
TLW- thanks for the comment.  Just remember, my way isn't a felony in any of the 50-states.
Jan 23, 2008 11:17 AM