Forgiveness: an act of courage
The mantra of ‘loving oneself’; the precursor to ‘loving others’, traverses the diverse teachings of spirituality.
What role does ‘forgiveness’ play in spiritual practice? How does forgiveness nourish connection with self and others?
The spiritual texts that have resonated in my ‘seeking’ have not always concurred over fundamental concepts such as ‘forgiveness’ and the ‘ego’. As these texts often suggest, I have sought inward clarity and guidance from my soul. Meditation is my preferred mode of communication. I trust my body’s capacity as tuning fork, receiver of confirming messages, the agreed markers of intuition.
This trust stems from accepting that our ego is an ‘aspect’ of our human selves. Our souls choose to inhabit the Earth realm for a human experience. Our human self is one (physical) divine aspect of our multidimensional, ever expanding, and eternal soul. Apparently our souls simultaneously dwell in other, timeless dimensions . Such is the wonder and mystery of the Creative Intelligence. It’s design calls for faith and trust in the energetic; vibrationally based; Universal Laws of the Quantum Field. I understand this as the anchor of Spirituality.
What does forgiveness have to do with any of this greater ‘mystery’, and what makes forgiveness an act of courage?
Western societies’ mainstream cultural conditioning nurtures practices that favour the development of individualistic identities. These form within the broader scope of communities. We become attached to our personal and collective narrative as it is the stories that reinforce our identity. Often, identity formation is premised on the fear-based teaching that all that we are is this one human life. Therefore, we heed the message that we ‘should’ be ‘do-ing’; collecting material wealth as an indicator of a successful life. This is a perpetual and dehumanising myth of capitalism. Separateness fosters comparison, which can lead to divisiveness and dis-harmony amongst, and within groups. We witness and choose to participate in conflict and dis-ease. The ego becomes entrapped in this deception because ‘we’ believe the conditioning; that our human self encompasses all that we are. This is what I recognise as the illusion, the great dream, the game of life.
Interestingly, the ego is a necessary aspect of our human experience. It unfortunately cops a thumping in some spiritual circles; for succumbing to external control; internalising the institutional conditioning and subsequently projecting harmful, fear-based reactions to self and others. The ego is left to choose from its kitty of attack; defence; victimhood; blame; self-loathing; abandonment; guilt and shame. In the manifestation and subsequent momentum of fear-based energies, the ‘intuitive voice of the soul - our gut-instinct’, can be forgotten and/or ignored. The human experience becomes detached from unconditional love; the expansive essence of the soul. Our soul, quiet observer of our human experience, patiently awaits our remembering.
Forgiveness is an act of courage because we first need to forgive ourselves before we can forgive others. We can only really love ourselves, and others, through forgiveness.
Forgiveness is a concept relevant only to our physical reality and therefore interconnected to the flaws in our human experience of contrast and comparison. Forgiveness in our human form involves challenging our own egoic stances and associated perceptions, those steeped in judgement of self and others. The practice of forgiveness; surrender; acceptance of ‘what is’, involves shifts that allow the inner space for ‘be-ing’. This requires both will and courage to trust the universal laws that function beyond the filter of our programmed brain. It requires compassion; humour; gentleness and grace. It is in these depths that the need to forgive self and others eventually dissipates.
Forgiveness is a non-dualistic, transcendent expression of love and oneness for all of humanity. Meditation can gift us lessons in forgiveness and self-love. In experiencing the ‘vibration of unconditional love’, you realise there is no need for souls to forgive.
I wrote this poem in November 2021. I no longer feel as harshly toward the ego, as expressed in this post. Regardless, the inner vigilance referred to in this poem remains a constant; daily practice, one which manifests in the emotion of gratitude – the human expression of unconditional love.
The Awakened Dream
Do you know who you are?
Are you yet to awaken from the dream ...
To surrender the Ego’s devious narrative,
Maker and keeper of the illusion?
A captive palace ... Ego’s prison of insanity ...
Its world of fluctuating, insidious perceptions.
Relinquish the materialistic attachment ...
To your time-bound thoughts.
Garner and harvest an inner vigilance ...
Locate and discover your true self,
Discharge and release ... with forgiveness,
No sacrifice, no judgement, no fear.
Recognise and greet ... the Oneness ...
In the quiet stillness of remembrance,
Welcome the loving nourishment of Source ...
Creator of our Eternal Being.