When you say, “I forgive you.” but it doesn’t work.

How do we forgive an atrocity dwelling in our psyche?

It has been suggested to me by some spiritual healers with whom I sought advise that in order for me to heal more deeply, I needed to forgive the abuse I suffered in childhood. I thought I had done this years ago. From high school on, I never saw the purpose of carrying around resentment. So why were these healers saying this? Apparently, the more spiritual activities you do, the deeper you go into yourself. You can find parts of yourself that have yet to be healed. So the forgiveness I offered years ago only went so far. Why is this? It would seem my forgiveness was incomplete. No matter how many times I say, “I forgive you,” something is missing.

I’m sitting in traffic and a path to forgiveness comes to me. However, this idea only works if everyone has a higher spiritual body.

Do I believe this? Does every person have a higher spiritual body? For this discussion spiritual body can be defined as the part of a person that understands the oneness we share, that we are extensions of one being. The higher spiritual boby understands when we deliberately hurt another, we hurt ourselves. So do I belive this? Do I believe that every person can achieve this in this lifetime or some future lifetime?

The traffic is heavy on the 405 freeway northbound near LAX. I am surrounded by thousands of people isolated from each other by metal and glass. I never had a problem with the concept that every person has a higher spiritual body, but this was the first time I truly put it to myself whether I really believed it. It is easy to believe with the Dali Lama and difficult to accept with (put your bad guy here).

I waited,

thought,

and felt.

Finally, looking around I could honestly say, ‘Yes, I believe everyone has a higher spiritual body.’

So I was able to continue.

I say this to the being I seek to forgive:

“I am speaking to your higher spiritual self. It is you who I forgive. Earth is a place we dwell to learn and grow. I understand that the pain you caused me was an essential part of your growth. Of all the options open to you at the time, you felt the path you chose was the best for all involved. All of us always choose the option that seems best at the time. We must remind and forgive ourselves and others of this when hindsight gives us pause. I hope I have been a valuable part of your growth. I understand it is not for me to decide whether you have finished what you need to learn. However, I invite you as I invite myself to look to a lighter way of being fueled by the illusion of our experience.

In addition, I realize the hardest person to forgive is myself because I now see so clearly the many ways I could have avoided the pain and suffering that I endured. I now forgive myself and on top of that I commend myself for making the choices I thought were best no matter how they appear to me today.

As a species we have been tricked and bullied throughout time into behaving in a manner that contradicts our nature. A theme of forgiveness now permeates the planet. As we cross the threshold of a new age, referred to by many as the Age of Aquarius, we realize we must forgive each other for all the past behavior that no longer serves us. We are being called to cleanse ourselves of regret and anger. And by forgiving we point the way to a lighter frequency of being.