Hell ~ Forgiveness ~ Heaven
What would I do differently if I knew that Heaven was simply a state of mind? What if that state of mind was an imprinted reflection of our environment, our beliefs and our free will? What if Heaven is a state of happiness conjured up and despite a life of happiness or misery & despair, what if the bridge between the two is a shift in consciousness? The "what if" game can be a slippery slope but it's awesome to use it to dig into the details to dive under and find a deeper truth.
This week I have worked mindfully through the virtue of Forgiveness on a very personal level, dissolving about 10 layers of societal, historical, fresh wounds and residual trauma - all part of what is being released at this time. So much came to me this week that I had to literally crawl right up inside it and get clear about where the boundaries lay between my stuff and other peoples'. So, I made mudpies for awhile and when no one joined me in the puddle, I decided to unpack what was really going on - with me. I was able to get clear enough to see a life pattern within the issues that were stemming from the same root, repeating in my life.
Now, I have ran around this track enough times to know that I had to get to the heart of the matter to determine what's really going on. It was there that I could even come close to a place of forgiveness. When an injustice is served, it's important to me, to come to a clear and mutual resolution. But this time things were very different and in a couple of the cases, traditional resolution was not yet possible. This put me in a very different emotional place but THE GIFT IN MY TEACHABLE MOMENT IS in seeing that it is preparing me for something yet to come.
I learned how important it is to get to a place of forgiving an injustice when communication has been severed; when the issue is not treated as being important to address. I learned that it is re-traumatizing each & every time someone who has been victimized is asked or made to ask for justice or fight for their right. When a victim is held accountable for their reactive/responsive behavior, each time this happens, another wound is created.
We are actually born sensitive to justice and forgiveness. It begins as a core virtue for all of us. Children are quick to notice injustices and even quicker to get over it completely, so how does it all go so wrong? But more to my point, what does it mean to me?
My teachable moment part of my story is that I sit on a Trauma-Healing Committee. We are currently designing a training curriculum for 'workers/volunteers' of disaster trauma response teams. The Five Strategies of The Virtues Project provide necessary tools to teach others to "hold sacred space". Sacred space can be held not only to pray and celebrate the spirit of creation but also for clearing & healing humanity.
The strategies are used in palliative end of life care, healing circles and life coaching as well as family, educational, justice & social service institutions. Forgiveness is part of what it takes for our virtues to shine.
I won't thank what happened this week but I am grateful for my own process. Not only do I have new perspective & understanding to take into my committee work now, but I am grateful for my own ability to move through the trauma to get to a place of forgiveness. It helps me & others get back to mud pie.
~Barbara
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