Forgiveness - A Perspective

From a perspective of right or wrong, there will never be forgiveness. Therefore, we will never be freed of punishment or fear. Maybe it is time to look at changing our perspective.

"A funny thing about 'that which came before' is that it does not exist - unless YOU want to keep it alive. The incredible power of Your consciousness is what keeps it alive. With the beginning of the new millennium, it is a good time to take inventory. What are You keeping alive, the wonder of your experiences or the wonder of your fears? Your memory is another part of You that We recommend You nurture carefully. Your current physical life is culmination of experiences and HOW YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO PERCEIVE THEM!" says Esprit.

"The magic of Your destiny does not lie in Your experiences. The magic of Your destiny lies in Your PERCEPTION of those experiences."

So, if we wish to practice forgiveness and loose our fears, the easy way is to - simply, CHANGE OUR PERSPECTIVE. To do that, we need to realise some things. For example, that there is no thing outside of us. As Esprit says,

"After all the grinding of teeth, dollars spent on seminars and therapists, opening your heart and focusing on 'them' out there, it still comes down to YOU. The only one that You have to forgive is You for how You have CHOSEN to see life. Open your heart to that!"

We will not experience the full freedom of forgiveness by focusing on our past experiences or the people in our lives. To forgive, is to let go. Let go of blame. Let go of rights or wrongs. Change your perceptive. Think about this - we do not get to choose how other people perceive life. This means that regardless of what others choose, we can have our own perception. This is part of forgiveness because it is acceptance.

Changing our perspective. Hmmm. How about this - how about challenging the old 'truism' - "You think, therefore you are"? How about the thought that WE ARE NOT WHAT WE THINK! We are not EVEN what we feel!

Please consider this. Ron Urquhart recently posed this question: "How many thoughts have you had today? A hundred, a thousand - and where are they all now?? Those thoughts that seemed so real [and no doubt, so important] as you thought them, where are they now? A thought that meant so much 20,000 thoughts ago is now dulled and mostly forgotten."

Thoughts only ever have the power that WE give them. In other words, the perception we allow ourselves to endow the thought with. We could even narrow it down to single words! Michael Atma, at a seminar, asked 100 people how they felt when he spoke the word LOVE. The general feeling was positive with feelings of warmness, happiness and peace. The energy in the room was highly charged and alive.

Then, he asked them to close their eyes and feel what happened when he spoke the next word. As silence descended on the room, in his deepest tone, he filled the room through the microphone with the word RATE! The energy in the room changed instantly It was almost as if an icy cloud had descended on everyone People fidgeted in their chairs and previously smiling faces turned stone-like on the outside. Michael said: "After a few more minutes of letting the impact deepen, I asked for anyone in the room that enjoyed the word 'hate' to put their hand up. No hands. I then asked for feedback on how people felt and the responses ranged from anger and discomfort to heaviness and blame. This simple exercise demonstrated to everyone in the group how conditioned they were to approve of one half of their life and disapprove of the other half."

To me, it demonstrated the power we GIVE, the power we CHOOSE to give, even to words, never mind thoughts. Yet the words have no power. They are just words. Thoughts have no power. We just demonstrated that we have tens of thousands of thoughts daily yet - can we even remember more than - what? Ten?

The only power words and thoughts can have is the MEANING WE GIVE THEM! This then clearly means that if we are not able to place these words and thoughts in their proper PERSPECTIVE. we are really not in charge of our lives.

If we ALLOW words and thoughts, PERSPECTIVES that instil and foster fear, that is our choice. So, why do we not choose otherwise? Mainly due to a lifetime of fear conditioning. Some would say many lifetimes. What I am suggesting here is that it is time to understand that it is ONLY conditioning and it is not real!

We have talked of judgement forgiveness and perception or perspective. Now I am aware, very well aware that we simply change overnight. We cannot simply STOP judging or forgive ALL totally and immediately. We are not yet SAINTS. Well, speaking for myself anyway. But I know from personal experience that, knowing and understanding what we have just discussed, HAS enabled me to judge just a little bit less and to forgive a lot more. Understanding it means that I am able to discern for myself, more and more, that I am being judgemental.

Understanding it means that I am more and more able to forgive - often instantly and without hesitation. Being no saint, sometimes the forgiveness is less than perfect. If someone cheated me, stole from me or hurt me in any way, I find that yes, I have forgiven them and I appear to have no grudge towards them BUT would I greet them like a long lost brother, with a hug and a kiss and open my heart to them? Like God would? I am not sure that I am ready for that yet.

Nevertheless, the understanding of all this has meant that there is little fear left in my life. Whenever a fearful thought raises it's ugly head in my mind [as it will!], I am able to immediately discern that IT IS NOT REAL and 'send' it away, not allowing it even a moment to 'take root' in my mind. It works and without fear, as I have often said, there can be only love in my heart. Now I do know, that feels REALLY GOOD! So, that makes my choices relatively easy.

I am not sure - have I been able to show you how to forgive, not to judge, practice discernment and perspective? I think perhaps forgiveness is the major key here. And forgiveness starts with US! If we can forgive our self of all past pains and experiences, including the ones buried deep within our subconscious and soul, then powerful healing forces can transform every cell of our body to a higher state of consciousness. As Michael Atma said, "God doesn't happen to those who are only good at heart, meditate, pray or practice any number of rituals or beliefs. GOD IS ALREADY WITHIN EVERY HUMAN BEING!"

There is nothing we can do 'to get God' it IS more a matter of forgiveness. Unless we can drop all judgements and guilt of our own past, present or future, then God will always remain separate from us.

Interesting - as I was writing this, the current issue of ELOHIM magazine arrived. It's main theme? FORGIVENESS.

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