The Many Tone of Forgiveness Part II

Welcome to The Many Tones of Forgiveness Part II

This week we will approach some very serious questions with a light graced Heart. We'll take a deep dance with the Holy That You Are.

What is the first thing to give up in order to forgive?

Our excuses... the mind can try to come up with an excuse to hold on to whatever excuse it has. "I'll forgive once my father stops treating me like that." "I'll forgive when my brother agrees to end the argument." "I'll forgive when I get the time to find some peace of mind."

The mind performs quite a song and dance, but fortunately, it is a masquerade.

This week I have been gifted in meditation, conversations and was again gifted in our President's inaugural address references to 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verse 11: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

Once we stop the excuses, we can walk up the mountain.

No one excuse is better than any other. No excuse is bigger, no excuse is more powerful, no excuse has more money, no excuse has more clout. Big or little, weak or strong, some just last longer because we let them last longer.

You can stop making excuses

First, be willing to stop making them.

Second, have Faith.

Faith is an on-going blessing. It is an unending-resource. Take a drink and know it is there.

Third, sing or whistle a new and loving tune.

Help your mind. Sing it a song. Kind support helps us make powerful changes. One of the songs that inspired my mind to give up excuses is, "Gonna lay down my sword and shield down by the river side, down by the river side, down by the river side, Gonna lay down my sword and shield down by river side. I ain't gonna study war no more. I ain't gonna study war no more."

Have trust, have faith, there is a better dance. A holier, whole dance, one you actually know the steps to by Heart, one you're waiting to come to on the other side of your excuses.

And, this dance is about Unity

Three Steps To Forgiveness, Lord

(How Do We Forgive?)

Your First Gift:
Know you are open to forgiving.
That is the treasure,
And, you already have it buried within your chest.

(Believe You Can Do It)

Your Second Gift:
You are invited to ask for help from Love.

“Knock and the Door Will Open.”

(Ask For Support From Love)

Your Third Gift:
You are answered.
You were answered

before you started this prayer.
You were heard by Love.

(Believe It Is Done)

Forgiveness Prayer

Dear Love,

Here I Am.

I Have Come Here with the Intention to Forgive.

I Open my Heart for I Know it is possible to Forgive.

I Allow for this Possibility and I invite and accept the help and support of Love.

I Am here for this change and transformation.

I Give myself to this process,

to the journey,

for I know it is what is meant to Be

for the highest Good of what I AM

Thank you,

Amen.

How Do We Forgive With Our Whole Heart?

It’s going to look like I turn this question upside-down, but have patience, this is a good one.

This is a great question. When I speak of the Heart, I speak of the part of us that connects us the quickest to the Soul, our Heart of God, our Whole or Holy Heart. Our Heart is a very lucky part of us because it is so connected to the Holy. It doesn’t exactly need to forgive; it is in league with the Whole and is fighting the Good fight to let us know that Love is Here. The Heart I speak of is not our emotional heart. That kind of heart is more tied in with our mind. This is great news because we can change our mind.

How often have you been in a situation when you have a quick change of mind? Made a rapid decision? Remember how versatile your mind can be, how adept it can be at changing. When you have something you need to forgive, it is likely your mind is running over the same ground – looking to the past and making you feel sad about things that have happened. Meanwhile, you have a great big Holy Heart waiting to engulf your mind to rock it and hold it and take away its fears.

We are lucky our Heart is here, because at the Heart, Love (Heaven) can meet Earth. So, the way to forgive with our Whole Heart is to emphasize, to know, that our Heart is capable of being (and in fact already is) a friend and partner to the Holy. Our True, Holy Heart is a friend, a divine friend to Love, and a helper of what helps us to forgive. Our Holy Heart can wrap around our mind and be the reminder that Love is Here. That is how we use our Heart to Forgive. We have an ingenious Heart.

How Do We Know Forgiveness Is Complete?

This is a funny question. We have a loophole here. Once you have forgiven, don’t knock on a door you have closed. Take a breath, take a bath, go on, go on and go on… in a way, I know it sounds like the opposite of what we want to do. We as humans want to make sure a door is closed. We want to make sure we did it right, "Did we batten down the hatches? And were they the right hatches? Did those hatches come from K-Mart or should I have bought them at Home Depot? Maybe I should re-do the hatches."

I know that sounds kind of silly, but forgiveness and any part of spiritual practice can be like that, we can over-do it. There is a time and place for each thing. Take it slow; take it whole, do it earnestly and with heart. Trust you are doing it right, there is no other way.

I know that sounds funny too, but it is actually True. Part of the spiritual journey is to make “mistakes.” They are more like learning steps, just keep stepping, the right direction is forward, not heading back down the path to see what you just did and trying to check and see if you did it right.

Another truth about this process is that if something got missed on the last step, you will learn it. Take a deep breath; it will come around, perfectly, for your learning at the right time. What you need to know is actually ahead of you. The path is sometimes seen as a spiral headed upward. As you head upward, sometimes you pass by a similar lesson, but when you do, you are further along, just keep stepping.

Forgive, be done. Smell a flower. Life is sweet.

God is here.

Remember

When you stay in the past, we cannot fully meet. But when you leave the past, when you step from your suffering and your shadows, I Am grateful; for now I can truly meet You. I can bow in gratitude because an angel has come to me, a saint has graced my playground, God has come to my banquet and I have laid a table before God.

Thank you.

Love,
Atala