I’ve been talking a lot about Ho’oponopono lately, the Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness, and funnily enough, I’ve had a quite a few opportunities show up to practice it.
I have just had a particularly challenging situation with a friend of mine and I have noticed that I want to really sit it the judgement of her and how can she show up like this to me. Does she not care about our friendship? I’ve just noticed the chatter mind wanting to be right and put her as the wrongdoer. I’ve also wanted to play the victim of her perceived wrongdoing. So I’ve just noticed, not judged myself, and then simply recited the Ho’oponopono prayer.
It really helps and has allowed me to not go into an angry response and, if I look at my situation with my friend, I don’t know fully what’s going on for her. So really, who am I to judge? As her friend, I can just love and accept her for where she is at.
To do this practice, you just say to yourself, while holding them in your mind:
Thank you, I’m sorry, I love you, please forgive me. (This is the order I choose to practice it, do what feels right for you.) Say it three times and again whenever you feel the negative thoughts about that person or situation.
Thank you = (Gratitude for what is)
I’m sorry = (Takes responsibility for your negative thoughts around the situation)
I love you = (Love is all that is)
Asking for forgiveness = (neutralises the situation even if you don’t feel that the situation requires your forgiveness)
In my opinion gratitude and love are our most powerful emotions.
This has got me looking at this forgiveness thing.
I have been reading the Disappearance of the Universe by Gary R Renard. In this book, amongst many great insights, it discusses forgiveness in great detail.
Renard believes that forgiveness is how we return to our connection to all. How we return to one-ness. How we move out of separation when we practice forgiveness.
Gabby Bernstein discusses similar belief in her book Judgement Detox. She talks about how we neutralise judgement by forgiving ourselves first, which paves the way to release the judgment of others. She also talks about how even when it’s so tricky to forgive someone, through our willingness to do it, it helps shift things until we are ready to fully forgive.
Am I willing to forgive this person?
You see when we are affected by another, it is only ourselves that it is affecting. It is only ourselves that is experiencing the resistance in our bodies and, as I have talked before, resistance is dis-ease and we know what that leads to.
You see, when we love and accept all for who they are (even when we don’t necessarily agree with them or how they may be showing up), it neutralises the situation. It brings us back into love, into connection, into who we truly are. It allows our being to be in flow.
The key thing is to not judge ourselves when we are judging another, just notice and accept what is and choose again.
So next time someone or something annoys you, try it out and see what happens.
Thank you, I’m sorry, I love you, please forgive me.
Love and light
Jason
I was blessed this morning to write this from the farm of a dear friend and mentor. What a beautiful place to write in!
