This week while in my meditation and Reiki practice, my mind has been musing about the past traumas of my childhood and how they have in some way, brought me to the person I am today. I was leading a meditation class this week, and towards the end, I had this epiphany. When we forgive someone, a lot of the time we have this expectation of how they will receive said apology and how they will behave afterward. We spend so much time focused on that person either filling guilty and never doing what they did again, or worse, we wait around for them to be punished by the law of karma. I don't know how many times I've heard someone say, "Oh, I forgave them, but karma, karma will get them." That very thought process is counterintuitive and isn't how forgiveness works. When we hold on to the hope that they will be punished, or that they will behave differently, we aren't truly operating in the Spirit of Forgiveness. We are actually operating in the energy of vindictiveness and control.
When we forgive someone, we do so to release the attachment and pain associated with the incident, so we can make space and room in our heart. We must rememember that in order to forgive someone else, WE must forgive OURSELVES. Healing and advancement take place when we stop throwing the responsibility of actions and reactions onto others and focus on how we can heal and move forward. I challenge you to try and imagine any enemy or person you may have a grudge with and envelope them in good thoughts of love, healing, abundance, and success. Try to step out of your comfort zone to extend love and kindness where none was shown to you. Only then can we truly experience forgiveness