I love this quote, because damn it - forgiveness is not for the fainthearted, right? When you agree with yourself that it's time to embark on that epic pilgrimage towards the mythological state of forgiveness, you're already setting aside the insistent voice of your ego and the primal drum beat of your fear. That's already a great display of courage, and although the road is rocky from then on, you keep going. Impressive!
My latest video offers some musings on the big, daunting theme of forgiveness. Although it's something which comes up over and over again throughout my content, it isn't something that I have consciously dedicated a whole video to before. You could argue that it's well overdue, considering the amount of people who are wrestling with a forgiveness process at any given time. But better late than never! In the video, I talk about the benefits of forgiveness, some of the biggest reasons that people tend to avoid the process and, perhaps most importantly, I approach the question of whether or not forgiveness is always possible or necessary. You can check it out here:
I have also come up with fifteen sturdy journal prompts which could be helpful to you right now if you're struggling to forgive someone or wondering if you should..
1. What will your inner and outer life look and feel like in a couple of years time if you don't forgive?
2. What's the most difficult thing about considering this forgiveness process?
3. 'You owe it to yourself to forgive those who have wronged you so that you can get on with the rest of your life.' Write down your emotional response to this statement.
4. Write about a time when you wanted/asked to be forgiven by someone but they refused. In particular, consider how it felt at the time and what, if anything, you ultimately learned from it.
5. Whereabouts have you experienced anger towards the person you are now considering forgiving (and what form did it take)?
6. Write about your earliest experience of forgiving someone.
7. Write down as many key words as you can think of to express how you're feeling about the possibility of forgiveness at the moment. Then, take the key word which seems to be the most fitting and write a poem in which each line begins with that key word.
8. 'In a perfect world, there would be no transgressions and no need to forgive.' Write about your emotional response to this statement.
9. Should you forgive someone out of pity? Explore your answer in depth.
10. Which adult figure in your life taught you the most about forgiveness when you were growing up and why?
11. Write about the first fairy tale, myth, song or story you recall from childhood which featured forgiveness and then write about how it may have shaped your ideas on the concept.
12. Can you forgive someone and still feel angry with them? Clarify your answer.
13. Write about the top three reasons that you are currently considering a forgiveness process.
14. Write a letter to forgiveness itself. Tell it anything, ask it anything..
15. When have you felt the least inclined to forgive someone in your life and why?
Happy journalling, fellow travelers and psycho-spiritual outlaws on this strange, swirling path..
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Stick around and make it count!
- Forgiveness, Acceptance and Reconciliation
- The Soul is Your Receipt
- Making Peace with the Past
- Walking with the Queen of Cups
