Creating Forgiveness

It’s been said that when you’re angry, you create a loop of negative energy that does the most harm to yourself, physically as well as emotionally. But, you might say, some things are impossible to forgive!

Well, anything is possible if you break it down into manageable pieces. So let’s bring in two powerful self-help tools to harmonize your energy and allow forgiveness. Used together, they can help you scale the insurmountable, free your “stuck” energy, and maybe even reverse the course of dis-ease welling in the discontent of your body and mind.

Jin Shin Jyutsu is a Japanese hands-on energy medicine practice used to address health imbalances in body, mind and spirit. It is based on the principle that to heal your body, you must strengthen and harmonize the flow of life energy within.

I’ve talked about how simple it is to harmonize anger by holding your middle finger while breathing deeply.

Now add the potency of the Hawaiian practice of Ho’oponopono to focus on forgiveness. That is, speaking four simple sentences, out loud, to yourself, while focusing on a particular person in a particular situation that brings up anger for you:

I'm sorry.
Please forgive me.
I love you.
Thank you.

Hmm. Not as easy as it looks, is it?

Still holding your middle finger, break this down some more. You’re not addressing a lifetime of resentment here. Pick one incidence where a person (an ex, a parent, a sibling may come to mind) did some thing you just can’t forgive. There are three aspects to this:

1. The situation:
This may include place (“I’ll never go there again!”), time (“You knew I was too busy for this!”), and event (“It was my birthday, damnit!”).

2. The person:
You may have years of baggage with this person. Concentrate on just this one thing, and ignore the rest.

3. Yourself:
How much guilt, shame or regret does this one incident bring up for you? Can you forgive yourself for feeling this way?

Pick 1, 2 or 3—start with whichever feels easiest for you. Take a deep breath, and drop your shoulders (which may be tensed up around your ears by this point). Remember yourself in that fraught situation, and feel all the feelings that come up.

Hold your middle finger, and repeat the Ho’oponopono phrases until you feel a shift in your energy.

It may be that you can finally take a deep breath without a hitch. Your finger may be tingling. You may finally be able to release the tears that have been held back.

You’ve now brought forgiveness to one aspect of the situation / your relationship with that other person / yourself. There’s more to do.

Creating forgiveness is an ongoing process. But it does get easier the more you practice.

Photo courtesy Uplift Wellness.

I love you, and thank you.