Spiritual Solutions

The following is an excellent article by author Louise Hay that highlights the very important principle of forgiveness. The article has some very simple yet effective exercises you can use. I encourage you to put them into practice.

 Held Back By Your Past? – By Louise L. Hay

Many people come to me and say they cannot enjoy today because of something that happened in the past.

Because they did not do something or do it in a certain way in the past, they cannot live a full life today…

Because they no longer have something they had in the past, they cannot enjoy today…

Because they were hurt in the past, they will not accept love now…

Because something unpleasant happened when they did something once, they are sure it will happen again today…

Because they once did something that they are sorry for, they are sure they are bad people forever…

Because once someone did something to them, it is now all the other person’s fault that their life is not where they want it to be…

Because they became angry over a situation in the past, they will hold on to that self-righteousness…

Because of some very old experience where they were treated badly, they will never forgive and forget…

Because I did not get invited to the high school prom, I cannot enjoy life today.

Because I did poorly at my first audition, I will be terrified of auditions forever.

Because I am no longer married, I cannot live a full life today.

Because I was hurt by a remark once, I will never trust anyone again.

Because I stole  something once, I must  punish  myself forever.

Because I was poor as a child, I will never get anywhere.

What we often refuse to realize is that holding on to the past, no matter what it was or how awful it was, is ONLY HURTING US.  They really don’t care. Usually, they are not even aware. We are only hurting ourselves by refusing to live in this moment to the fullest.

The past is over and done and cannot be changed. This is the only moment we can experience. Even when we lament about the past,  we  are experiencing our memory of it in this moment, and  losing  the  real  experience  of  this  moment  in the process.
 

Exercise: Releasing

Let us now clean up the past in our minds. Release the emotional attachment to it. Allow the memories to be just memories.

If you think back to what you used to wear in the third grade, usually there is no emotional attachment. It’s just a memory.

It can be the same for all of the past events in our lives.
As we let go, we become free to use all of our mental power to enjoy this moment and to create a great future.

List all the things you are willing to let go of. How willing are you to do this? Notice your reactions. What will you have to do to let these things go? How willing are you to do so? What is your resistance level?

Forgiveness

Next step, forgiveness.  Forgiveness of ourselves and of others releases us from the past. The Course in Miracles says over and over that forgiveness is the answer to almost everything.  I know that when we are stuck, it usually means there is some more forgiving to be done. When we do not flow freely with life in the present moment, it usually means we are holding on to a past moment. It can be regret, sadness, hurt, fear,  or guilt, blame, anger, resentment, and sometimes  even  the  desire  for revenge. Each one of these states comes from a space of unforgiveness, a refusal to let go and come into the present moment.

Love is always the answer to healing of any sort. And the pathway to love is forgiveness.  Forgiveness dissolves resentment. There are several ways in which I approach this.

Exercise: Dissolving Resentment

There is an old Emmet Fox exercise for dissolving resentment that always works. He recommends that you sit quietly, close your  eyes,  and  allow  your  mind and body to relax. Then, imagine yourself sitting in a darkened theater, and in front of you is a small stage. On that stage, place the person you resent the most. It could be someone in the past or present, living or dead. When you see this person clearly, visualize good things happening to this person, things that would be meaningful to her. See her smiling and happy.

Hold  this image for a few minutes, then let it fade away. I like to add another step. As this person leaves the stage, put yourself up there. See good things happening to you. See yourself smiling and happy. Be aware that the abundance of the Universe is available to all of us.

The above exercise dissolves the dark clouds of resentment most of us carry. For some, it will be very difficult to do. Each time you do it, you may get a different person. Do it once a day for a month, and notice how much lighter you feel.

Exercise: Revenge

Those on the spiritual pathway know the importance of forgiveness.  For  some  of  us,  there  is  a  step that is necessary  before  we  can  totally  forgive.  Sometimes the little kid in us needs to have revenge before it is free to forgive. For that, this exercise is very helpful.

Close your eyes, sit quietly and peacefully. Think of the people who are hardest to forgive. What would you really like to do to them?  What do they need to do to get your forgiveness?  Imagine that happening now.  Get into the details. How long do you want them to suffer or do penance?

When you feel complete, condense time and let it be over forever.  Usually at this point you feel lighter, and it is easier to think about forgiveness. To indulge in this every day would  not  be good for you. To do it once as a closing exercise can be freeing.

Exercise: Forgiveness

Now we are ready to forgive. Do this exercise with a partner if you can, or do it out loud if you are alone.

Again,  sit  quietly  with  your  eyes  closed and say, “The person  I  need  to forgive is ___________ and I forgive you for ___________.”

Do this over and over. You will have many things to forgive some for and only one or two to forgive others for. If you have a partner, let him say to you, “Thank you, I set you free now.”  If you do not, then imagine the person you are forgiving saying it to you. Do this for at least five or ten minutes.  Search your heart for the injustices you still carry. Then let them go.

When you have cleared as much as you can for now, turn your attention to yourself. Say out loud to yourself, “I forgive myself for ___________.”

Do this for another five minutes or so. These are powerful exercises and good to do at least once a week to clear out any remaining rubbish. Some experiences are easy to let go and some we have to chip away at, until suddenly one day they let go and dissolve.

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About the Author
Excerpted from You Can Heal Your Life, ©1999 by Louise L. Hay. Louise L. Hay is a metaphysical lecturer and teacher and the best selling author of 27 books, including You Can Heal Your Life and Empowering Women. Her works have been translated into 25 different languages in 33 countries throughout the world. Since beginning her career as a Science of Mind minister in 1981, Louise has assisted thousands of people in discovering and using the full potential of their own creative powers for personal growth and self-healing. Louise is the owner and founder of Hay House, Inc., a publishing company that disseminates books, audios and videos that contribute to the healing of the planet. To learn more, visit Hay House: www.hayhouse.com
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Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-eight years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

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Letting go is one of the most powerful self-development skills you’ll ever learn.

It’ll grant you the super-human ability to let go of troublesome emotions at will, enabling you to control your fear, anger, pride and ego – all in one fell swoop.

Now, we all experience emotions every single day.

Emotions are what make us human. And more often than not, they help us. Evolution has selected our basic range of emotions to be the best for our survival.

We experience grief after death. We experience fear when confronted with danger. We experience anger when we’re rubbed up the wrong way. These are essential to living.

But sometimes emotions run riot.

They go wild, and lead us into doing things we don’t really want to do.

Emotions cause us to fear public speaking, our words drying up and our bodies freezing in terror the moment we stand on that platform. Emotions cause us to continue ignoring once good friends, because we’re still angry at what happened, and can’t reach forgiveness. Emotions keep us yearning for our addictions to things such as bad relationships or gambling.

So, emotions aren’t always good for us. Logically, they don’t make sense.

But here’s something to remember:
You are not your emotions!

This is a core mistake almost everyone makes. You experience your emotions, yes. But you are not your emotions. They’re just “feelings” passing through. They’re not you.

Right? Think about it. You are not your emotions.

And that’s not all.

Because emotions are not you, you can actually “let go” of unwanted emotions – on demand. You can switch off fear and anger, as easily as you’d switch off a light.

Almost every type of therapy out there has the ultimate goal of helping you to let go of your unwanted emotions.

From psychotherapy to tribal screaming therapy, the ultimate goal is the same. To help you let go of the emotions you don’t want. To release, to let go of your attachments. To move on.

But these types of therapy can be a little long-winded. Letting go of emotions directly is really the quickest, easiest and most straight-forward personal growth technique.

So, how can you let go of your unwanted emotions?

Well, it can really be as simple as asking yourself the question: “Can I let this go?”

Remember, you are not your emotions. Right now, you’re tightly holding onto your emotions without even realizing it. You have a tight clench around anger with that annoying person. You have what Buddhists would call an attachment to fear when it comes to public speaking.

You are actually the one holding on to the emotion. You’re in control, and you don’t even realize it.

So, make a decision to let go of it. To loosen the clench. To release.

Imagine holding onto a small ball, with a really firm grip. So firm in fact, that it’s actually hurting you to hold it. But you keep on squeezing it tight. You almost don’t realize that you can let go.

That’s how most of us treat emotions. We don’t realize that we can simply let go of the grip… and let the ball fall away.

That’s what letting go, or “releasing,” is all about.

So, bring to the front of your mind any situation which may have an emotional charge for you right now. A particular person, a frustrating situation, a “mini” addiction. Whatever that may be, and wherever you are at the moment. No need to relax, particularly.

Then, remembering what we’ve said about emotions, ask yourself: “Can I let this go?”
Answer “Yes” or “No” out loud. It doesn’t matter which you answer, just say the first and most natural thing that comes to mind. Both responses are good.

Then, if you can, feel yourself unclench the emotion. Allow the tension to be released, and the emotion to roll away if needed. You may wish to breathe out while doing this, or imagine a door in your abdomen opening up. Really feel it release.

The process should feel something like when the doctor calls to let you know those worrying tests have come back all clear: a release of tension and anxiety.

If you find yourself resisting, ask yourself: “Can I let this go – just for this moment? Just for now? Just for fun? And just because it’s a smart thing to do?”

Again, feel yourself unclenching. Then check how you’re feeling. Emotions are like onions: they’re layered, and removing one sometimes unveils another. If there’s still some charge there, repeat the questioning until you’re clear of resistance, or feel like stopping.

This, quite simply, is the basic releasing process.
If you find resistance coming up when you’re asking “Can I let this go?” … whether that resistance is anger, fear, lust, greed, passion … then ask yourself: “Can I hold onto this for a little longer?”

If the answer is yes, ask yourself a few more times: “And a little longer still?”

Then either give yourself permission to hold onto it for a little longer. Or, if you decide you’ve held onto that “bad” emotion for long enough – then just let it go.

Try it out for yourself. Ask “Can I let this go?” with all of your issues and negative emotions.

And you may as well do it now.

You can let go of emotions at any time – even while mid-conversation in a busy restaurant. No special meditation positions or relaxation CDs required.

(This great article on Learning to Let Go is written by Karl Moore, of http://www.karlblog.com)

Also, it’s worth noting that this is only a very brief introduction to letting go. As this is such an important topic, I’ve covered it much more comprehensively – alongside a number of other releasing techniques – inside my book, “The Secret Art of Self-Development.” (ISBN 0955993504.)

Master this powerful skill for yourself – and you’ll suddenly begin enjoying much more happiness, freedom and emotional control in your life.

Letting go is a true self-development miracle, the real secret behind almost every therapy out there.

And now you hold the key to unlocking its magic.

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