Forgiveness Knows No Exclusion

How can I tell when I have forgiven?

I have truly forgiven when I exclude no one from the gift of love I accepted for myself; so I must accept forgiveness for myself first.  On a practical basis, I accept forgiveness for myself by bringing all my thoughts of exclusion, hate, annoyance, attack, separation, specialness, and seeing guilt in others to that thought of perfect peace and love that I have obscured in my mind

Forgiveness: Letting go of Judging our Judgments

Forgiveness can be simply defined as:


Looking at the ego without judgment


But what does that really entail at a practical level?  It simply means that we begin the process of letting go of our ego (special self identity) by not judging ourselves when we have thoughts of condemnation.  As long as we continue to condemn ourselves for judgmental thoughts of others (which are really condemning thoughts of who we think we are -- the tiny special ego self that separated from God) then forgiveness is not possible.


Parting thought:  Today I can forgive by simply choosing to look at my judgments without judgment (guilt or condemnation)

Forgiveness: A Gentle Process

Forgiveness can only be achieved in the mind -- not between people as all relationships are in the mind, not between bodies; and I learn to FORGIVE -- to see the innocence in you -- by withdrawing the guilt I projected on you -- I withdraw the guilt from myself

So then, practicing forgiveness becomes a gentle melting away of guilt from the mind, a journey leading you to a point where you see EVERYTHING as either a call for love or as an extension of love (no matter what the other person has done in terms of behavior) -- so, over time, my only response becomes extending love to all, where no one is excluded from that love that radiates from my mind

To Forgive But Not Forget Is Not Forgiveness

How many times in my day do I forgive someone else or myself, but I do not forget?

It is that NOT FORGETTING that makes forgiveness an exercise in futility.

Forgiveness is a relinquishment of any perceived attack to myself or others.  Forgiveness and not forgetting are mutually exclusive, so I cannot forgive until I see that it is my unwillingness to forget that keeps me in the illusion of attack revenge cycle -- i perceive attack from you or against someone I love or hold dear and I then I get my true 'revenge' from your attack by not forgetting.  In my wrong mind, I get the best of both worlds -- i get to 'forgive' but I get to hold onto the attack as well...ah, self-righteousness -- it is the goal of perceived separation.

Happily, this internal bargaining I make is all an illusion -- attack is only a wrong minded idea.

It is only when I can begin to see your 'attack' as your fear and nothing else (and fear is not real) then true forgiveness is possible -- I realize I am outside the illusion looking in and I gently smile -- I know I have forgiven myself; for I am the only one I can forgive -- and in that moment, I am awake.

How Do I Practice Forgiveness?

I look at you and see myself and remember to gently laugh at it ALL

Forgiveness Required As Long As I Perceive Needs

When I can step back and look at the "life" that I seem to be experiencing; only then can I see that my need for forgiveness is only "required" because I perceive that I have needs other than being that perfect expression of peace and love -- in two words -- GOD IS

Any other my 'perceived needs' which include my need for self love, or the need for love and companionship from others, moreover, needing anything or anyone in the world to "be" a certain way; or stated another way -- that anything needs to change in the world before I can have peace of mind, requires only forgiveness to undo that thought

Parting thought:  At any time, I can step back and  change my mind's purpose -- forgive -- outside of the dream, to see things as they really are; not how I want to see them; only then will I experience real peace

Forgiveness: Changing the Goal/Purpose

Been thinking about my peace of mind and particularly my lack of it and its causes.

Could one of the possible "causes" of my lack of peace be my unconscious pre-decision that I really do not want peace?  That I would not know how to navigate in my world without the constant undercurrent of fear, pain, victimization, discomfort, discontent, and disappointment?

Perhaps one option could be to 'wipe the slate clean' or 'lay aside' my unconscious goals.

One way I could practice consciously is when I notice that I am experiencing the effects of 'my unconscious goal' to remember that I have another choice and to recognize that I am just too afraid in this moment to let it go; nothing more.


Just by acknowledging what I am REALLY doing may be enough to take away any 'guilt' from my thought and what will be left will be peace.


Parting thought: just admitting to myself that I am just too afraid to give up my investment in specialness may be all I need to open up the door to lasting peace