Click here to view a photo slideshow by Ken Jones from the Opening to Grace through Forgiveness Spiritual Spa Day at Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens.
“I forgive myself first, for doing something that would make me forgive myself.”
– John-Roger (From: Forgiveness—The Key to the Kingdom, p.31.
I consider the statement above to be the ultimate forgiveness statement. It covers just about everything and yet puts the focus squarely upon us. Forgiveness revolves around us. It has nothing to do with anyone else. When we forgive (especially ourselves) we become free. That was the essence of the Forgiveness Spiritual Spa Day at Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens.
The spa day began with an introduction by Tatiana Jimenez (Tati) who gave an overview of the day. She introduced Mary Ann Somerville, who many know as a “senior” facilitator for Insight. MaryAnn joked that she never knows whether people are meaning by that label that she’s well-respected in her field or that she’s just been around for a while. Today, Mary Ann demonstrated her remarkable way of connecting with and inspiring people. MaryAnn shared that we all have one basic common desire and that is TO LOVE. She said that we can either hold onto our judgments or learn to forgive. She said: “It’s just an easier way to live.”
Mary Ann shared from her own experiences that it is often easier to forgive the big things than the day-to-day irritations that we repeatedly encounter. She said that we frequently look to forgive but we don’t know just how to do it. “That’s where Grace comes in,” she said. “Grace is in the moment… you may not know how to do it, but somehow, then, things are OK. It’s been done for you… we have to ask for it…prayer is a request for help. That opens up a place where we can just allow the Grace to come in.”
“The only grace is loving God. If you want grace, you love God, and then you get it. And when you don’t get grace, you’re not loving God. Your approach has probably been to want to get grace first, and then you’ll love God. It doesn’t work that way. I wish it did…”
– John-Roger (From: Forgiveness — The Key to the Kingdom, p.49.
Just what is loving God? MaryAnn said that if we are in a place of acceptance, then we are open to Grace. If God is truly all things, when we are not loving all the circumstances of our lives, we are also not loving God. When we learn to really accept all things as they are, then we are loving God and we are open to Grace.
“What you think, in your heart you’re going to become. Be careful what you think. But if you think you are God, and you keep thinking that positive focus, guess what? In your heart, you will become God. And guess what you can’t do then? You can’t do anything except what God does.”
– John-Roger (From: Forgiveness — The Key to the Kingdom, p.159.
We would be better to hold in our mind what we want (our freedom) rather than what we don’t want (our judgment). Judgment appears to be the cause of most problems.
Mary Ann said, “Be selfish. Forgiving yourself and others is the key to freedom for you. It is about liberation and having a happy life.” She stated that judgments are some of the things that stand in the way of communicating.
We were then led through a partner exercise. Afterward, Mary Ann asked, “What is Forgiveness?” The responses from the group came fast and furious: “A change in perception,” “letting go of anger,” “loving and compassion,” “knowing that the other person did the best that they could.” I had a feeling that we could have kept on going, if there would have been time.
Mary Ann’s next question for the group was, “What makes it difficult to forgive?” The group responded with: “Pride,” “wanting to be right,” “being in your head,” “ego,” “judging yourself for not forgiving,” “fear that if you forgive you will get hurt again.”
“You don’t get forgiveness until you forget what it is that is blocking you.”
– John-Roger (From: Forgiveness — The Key to the Kingdom, p.57.
Mary Ann reminded us that forgetting is the signal that it’s been forgiven. She said that we allow ourselves to be hurt by how we are seeing a situation. She said that a key was seeing things from another perspective — that of the other person. Then we might see that it’s really NOT about us.
“How about loving what you do?
