Chapter 49 - Forgiveness - Strength for the Journey
The Inner Gift of Stability
Forgiveness is a tricky thing. When we forgive others, we are in reality acknowledging the completion of an inner forgiveness of our own fragments, if/when the process involves an emotional release. Elsewise, it is an effortless, natural act flowing from depths within.
We do not 'need' anyone else to forgive us, however an act of such from one to another provides an example, reminder & reflection of our Inner Self, greeted in flesh before us. Those who find forgiveness easier have faced inner shadows, disappointments, and shames, and are showing us our Inner Light at the end of the tunnel. To hold a grudge or demand contrition and/or restitution demonstrates an inner conflict as yet unresolved.
In Truth, forgiveness releases our own Selves from a prison of emotional/mental discord. We are slaves to all we cannot let go of, to our emotional & mental attachments. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" is more a observation of fact than an external request. There are internal 'debtors' as well, in the guise of thoughts, thought-forms, habits, etc. Whenever we judge ourselves (or others), we maintain existing, or create new debtor-fragments to carry around.
Forgiveness equals Self-integration, and literally is the process of defragmentation. Again, while we do not require external acceptance, it can aid one to silence inner critics.
Debt of any stripe is purely blackmail, an attempt to lock another in a fragmentary state, in order to extract energy from them, be it emotional, physical, mental, etc. While this is primarily done unconsciously, that has no bearing on the seriousness of the action.
Fear is the sole motivator behind the enforcement/retention of indebtedness. Faith is the energy that enables one to live free of the impulse to demand direct and/or immediate remittance. A practice of 'paying it forward', of living in active comfort of Divine assurance, seeking no further insurance, engenders a free flow of 'capital', in all its manifestations. This is an open system, in contrast to the entropic, closed systems of our currently collapsing societal frameworks.
When one applies sufficient objective, rational cognition to the situation, the inescapable conclusion points to forgiveness as the bedrock of true civilized society. All else is a mere veneer of cultural refinement, quick to disappear under economic strain or environmental pressure.
We cannot continue in Fear, bulwarked against the 'dangers' Forgiveness. We need to find the Courage of Faith, and begin acting according to Her mandates. We shall, and all will be well, but until then, the world may experience an increasing measure of discomfort.