Hi, Amy here.

Forgiveness is something I'm always working on in my life, and especially in this particular phase in my life. I actually feel that this is what my soul came to learn in this lifetime, forgiveness at the deepest level.

 

I find that sometimes forgiveness is easy. And other times, in certain situations, it's just not easy at all. In fact sometimes I find it feels next to impossible.

 

We can forgive in an instant if we choose to... and sometimes I find it requires a little more work. 

 

I'm always open to finding new ways to take my forgiveness to a new level, so I thought I'd share a couple of things that I like to do, including a couple of new practices that I was introduced to this week.

 

One practice I love is Ho’oponopono.
 

Ho’oponopono is a Hawaain prayer that's used for conflict resolution, restoring spiritual alignment, and to 'make right'.
 

The Hawaiian perspective is that nothing happens by accident. There is no coincidence. Everything happens for a reason.

 

Ho’oponopono is the ability to thank all of the lessons and challenges that have come into our lives. To look back and understand it took those challenges in order for us to get to where we are.  And that nothing is damaged, it’s all perfect.

 

It's really powerful prayer, and there are four forces at work in this prayer: repentance, forgiveness, gratitude, and love. And these are reflected in the four phrases that make up the prayer.

 

The phrases, which you can repeat in any order, silently to yourself or out loud, are:

 

I am sorry.

(Please) Forgive me.

Thank you.

I love you.

 

And it's a prayer that heals in both directions... so it's a powerful way to heal your relationship with others, with the earth, or with your ancestors, or with yourself.

 

I also really love Catherine Ponder's work on forgiveness. She has a whole bunch of powerful forgiveness affirmations that you can use as a part of your daily prayer as well. 

For example, one of my favorites is:
 

I now fully and freely forgive and release everything and everyone who needs it, of the past and present.

I forgive and release everyone.

I am free and they are free too.

All things are cleared up between us now and forever.

 

You can also insert a person's name into this prayer instead of saying 'everyone'. It's super powerful when you use it in that way.

 

She has a ton of others as well, so if you want to pick one of the others, you can look them up. They are really helpful.

 

Enjoy and I hope it serves you as a reminder that forgiveness is not sign of weakness. Forgiveness is a choice that requires strength and deep emotional maturity. 

And when we forgive, we release ourselves from toxic emotions like anger, resentment, and bitterness that weigh us down... and it will always make us feel better.
 

Also, just a reminder that forgiving someone does not mean that you have to trust them or spend time with them... I think that's another thing that prevents people from wanting to forgive sometimes. 

There are certain people in my life that I will never trust again, and I definitely don't want to spend time with, but that doesn't mean I can't forgive them and let go of that heavy burden that I'm carrying. It's a very healing thing to do.

I love you, and please remember that I'm here to help, always.

With love and gratitude,