Shadow Work for Dummies XII
Every child growing up in a Christian household knows this line from what’s commonly referred to as, “The Lord’s Prayer.” And the line concludes, “…as we forgive our debtors.” Sometimes it is recited as, forgive us our trespasses.
Far from a nice platitude, this is a formula for spiritual awakening, prosperity and abundance, and freedom from fear and lack.
“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”
Volumes have been written about the need for, and the power of, forgiveness, and not just in Christianity, but in many other faith traditions as well. I cannot attempt to review and comment on all of the wisdom of the ages on this topic.
I can only tell what is presenting itself to me – and for me – today as we continue to explore, “Shadow Work for Dummies.” And we might as well begin at the extreme end of forgiveness….
Forgiveness is the scent of the violet left upon the heel that crushed it.
This quote appeared in a Dear Abby column many years ago. It is a variation on a centuries-old saying from India, which talks of the sandalwood tree. This tree has a sweet, beautiful, and long-lasting fragrance. The sandalwood tree forgives the woodsman by leaving its beautiful perfume on the very axe that is cutting it down.
Forgiving – even blessing! – the person or people who injure you – or who are even destroying you and your way of life…. Talk about radical acceptance and radical forgiveness!
This is what Jesus did when he exclaimed on the cross, Father forgive them for they know not what they do.
This is what the Dalai Lama does, wandering the earth in exile from his beloved homeland, Tibet, (since 1959!!) while its people culture are being crushed under the heel of oppression and occupation. Free Tibet!!
If these people in extremis can forgive these wrongs, what about we who “suffer” minor slights and neglects, temporary setbacks, or thwarted desires?
A Course in Miracles is all about forgiveness. It tell us that this world is an illusion. All of the wrongs, all of the bad and horrible things that seem to happen in this fever dream in which we individually and collectively participate. And, just as in a dream, these things are not happening, not in Reality.
The word, “forgiveness” appears in the text of the Course 696 times!! The reason that forgiveness is crucial in spiritual development is because (as the Course tells us) forgiveness is the only illusion that doesn’t lead us deeper into the maya of the world.
Forgiveness is the one illusion that leads us out of the illusion, to awaken in Reality.
Forgiveness is the only thing that stands for truth in the illusions of the world. It sees their nothingness, and looks straight through the thousand forms in which they may appear. It looks on lies, but it is not deceived.
The concept of maya in both Hinduism and Buddhism refers to the illusion of the world we see through our senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. The apparent reality of the material world is powerful, but completely unreal.
So, when we see our brothers and sisters through eyes of forgiveness, the illusion drops away and we see the light in them. The shadow of our resentments and grievances is lifted and the Light that is always there shining is revealed.
We are responsible for the darkness of the world because we are the ones dreaming in the darkness.
Lesson 91 says:
Miracles are seen in light.
The body’s eyes do not perceive the light.
But I am not a body. ⁵What am I?
In other words, with the body’s eyes we see through a glass darkly.
Forgiveness lifts our eyes up spiritually so that we can see clearly. The miracles that are all around us are blocked – or more accurately, our ability to perceive them is blocked – by our unforgiveness.
In the spirituality of the peoples of Polynesia, forgiveness is practiced through the Hoʻoponopono prayer.
Ho’oponopono means "to make right." This prayer brings deep healing and forgiveness – both to the one who recites the prayer and to the entire world.
These cultures believed (rightly, I would say) that anger and unforgiveness cause disease – in an individual and in the tribe or the society. Healing the illness involves not just a western medical treatment, but a spiritual aspect – which in my experience is more important than the physical correction. At the very least, healing spiritually makes whatever other healing methods one uses work better, faster, and more completely.
Psychologically, the weight of unresolved anger and unforgiveness must take a toll on one’s mental and emotional health. Our ills, and the ills of the world, can be healed through forgiveness.
The Ho’opononpono is a simple, 4-line prayer:
I love you.
I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
That’s it.
Saying these words as a mantra; saying them while thinking of or looking at a picture of someone who we have had cross words, who annoys us, who has hurt us, it does something very powerful:
It makes us one hundred percent responsible for the situation – and for the resolution of the situation.
We let go of shame and blame, the stories of, “who dun’ what to who” (which we secretly love to tell and retell) and puts the solution to the “problem” squarely in our laps, where we can heal ourselves and others.
Ihaleakala Hew Len co-authored a book with Joe Vitale called Zero Limits which uses his Hoʻoponopono teachings. Len’s main objective in using the Hoʻoponopono is getting to the "zero state — where we have zero limits. No memories. No identity."
Len calls this “Self-I-Dentity” thru the Ho'oponopono mantra. Len's idea is for us to take 100% responsibility – responsibility for everyone's actions, not just our own.
If one can take complete responsibility for one's life, then everything we see, hear, taste, touch – anything we experience – are one's own responsibility simply because of the fact that it has appeared in one's life.
The problem is not with our external reality, but with ourselves.
This philosophy aligns with A Course in Miracles and many other spiritual paths which assert that everything exists first in our own mind, and then is projected outward from our inner consciousness into the world.
So, we can change the world – by changing ourselves, changing our minds. When we forgive, we truly lose the blocks to our vision that cloud our sight and keep us from seeing behind and beyond the veil.
We see face to face. We see Reality. We see ourselves and each other as we truly are – spiritual beings disguised in physical bodies.
I love you!
I’m sorry.
Please, forgive me.
Thank you.
Happy Sunday (bon dimanche)
John
I am available to do Prosperity Now! individual or group sessions or general life-coaching, I Ching readings, dream interpretation or join us for our weekly Wednesday Course in Miracles group.Please contact me at prosperitynowlifeofdreams@yahoo.com or sign up on my website: http://www.johnafrederick.com
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