Release Your Karma Through Forgiveness For Self & Others

Forgiveness is an essential aspect of spiritual growth, release of negative energies & karma and cultivating love and compassion.

Many spiritual traditions emphasize the importance of seeking forgiveness as a means of purifying and elevating our consciousness. It can be seen as a step towards spiritual growth, self-awareness, and inner transformation.

Spiritual growth is possible when we take full responsibility of our life and our past karma that we meet through the difficult incidents in our life. When we do that, we take responsibility, we connect with our eternal life and only then with humility can we approach the Lord.

Here are some ways in which forgiveness can contribute to spiritual growth:

Releasing negative energies: Holding onto grudges, resentments, and unresolved emotional pain can create energetic blockages in our body, mind, and spirit. Forgiveness allows us to release these negative energies and free ourselves from their burden. This release creates space for positive energies, such as love, compassion, and healing, to flow more freely within us, promoting a higher vibrational state and facilitating spiritual growth.
Cultivating compassion and love: Forgiveness requires us to see beyond our egoistic selves and embrace a more expansive perspective that recognizes the interconnectedness of all beings. By cultivating compassion and love through forgiveness, we open our hearts, expand our consciousness, and align with the higher vibrations of the soul, which are essential aspects of spiritual growth.
Healing and integration: Forgiveness allows us to heal emotional wounds, integrate fragmented aspects of ourselves, and reconcile inner conflicts. As we heal and integrate our emotional and psychological aspects, we create a solid foundation for our spiritual journey, enabling us to access higher states of consciousness and experience deeper levels of self-realization.
Letting go of attachments: Forgiveness helps us let go of attachments to past hurts, grievances, and limiting beliefs. It frees us from the emotional and mental baggage that may be holding us back on our spiritual path. By letting go of attachments, we create space for new experiences, perspectives, and insights to emerge, facilitating our spiritual growth and evolution.
Cultivating mindfulness and presence: Forgiveness requires us to be present, mindful, and fully engaged in the process of letting go and releasing emotional burdens. It encourages us to cultivate mindfulness, awareness, and presence in the present moment, which are essential aspects of spiritual practice. By practicing forgiveness, we develop a deeper connection with our inner selves, the present moment, and the divine, facilitating our spiritual progress.

Forgiveness Is a Multi-Dimensional Proces

It involves not only forgiving others who have caused us hurt but also forgiving ourselves and seeking forgiveness from those whom we have hurt knowingly or unknowingly. It can be categorized into three levels:

1. Seeking forgiveness from others: This level of forgiveness involves taking responsibility for our actions and seeking forgiveness from those whom we have hurt knowingly or unknowingly. It's about acknowledging the pain we have caused, expressing genuine remorse, and making amends if possible. It's a humbling process of accountability, reconciliation, and building healthy relationships.

2. Forgiving yourself: Self-forgiveness is equally important in the process of healing. Forgiving ourselves means letting go of self-blame, guilt, and shame for our past actions or choices. It's about showing self-compassion, learning from our mistakes, and allowing ourselves to move forward with self-love and acceptance.

3. Forgiving those who caused hurt: This level of forgiveness involves letting go of resentment, anger, and grudges towards those who have caused us pain. It's about releasing the emotional burden and finding inner peace. It's a courageous act of compassion towards others.

Seeking Forgiveness from Those We Have Hurt in This Lifetime and Previous Lifetimes

We do not remember our past actions, the people who we hurt nor how we hurt them. However, whatever difficult situation we find ourselves in right now it is clear that it is a result of our past actions.

As we connect with our deep pain, loneliness, heartache and brokenness we can be empathic to those souls who went through the same emotions because of our actions.

We can do a daily ritual of taking responsibility for our actions by seeking forgiveness from all those souls we have hurt knowingly and unknowingly. Taking responsibility and seeking forgiveness helps us dissolve our karma.

A Daily Practice of Seeking Forgiveness

Ho'oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice that focuses on healing and forgiveness, allowing individuals to release emotional baggage, resolve conflicts, and achieve inner peace. It is a powerful and holistic approach to personal growth and transformation that addresses the root cause of problems and seeks to restore balance and harmony in one's life.

At the heart of Ho'oponopono is the concept of forgiveness. It emphasizes the importance of letting go of grievances, releasing negative emotions and memories and seeking reconciliation and healing within ourselves and with others. Ho'oponopono teaches that forgiveness is not about condoning or forgetting the past, but rather about releasing the emotional baggage associated with it in order to move forward with a sense of peace and freedom.

It is a gentle yet powerful practice that invites individuals to take ownership of their experiences and actively participate in their own healing and transformation journey.

So through the 4 key statements of Ho'oponopono, you can take responsibility for your own past actions and seek forgiveness from all those souls you have hurt in this lifetime and previous lifetimes. It will bring a great sense of release for you and also dissolve your karma

The four statements of Ho'oponopono, "I'm sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you''

1. "I'm sorry": This statement reflects taking responsibility for our actions and their consequences. It acknowledges that we may have made mistakes or caused harm, intentionally or unintentionally, and expresses genuine remorse for them.

2. "Please forgive me": This statement is a sincere request for forgiveness from a higher power, the universe, or the affected souls and feel empathy for the pain we have caused. It reflects a desire to be released from the karmic consequences of our actions and to seek reconciliation and healing. It is an expression of humility, vulnerability, and a willingness to make amends.

3. "Thank you": This statement is an expression of gratitude for the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and to grow spiritually. It also reflects an attitude of appreciation towards the higher power, the universe, or the affected souls for their role in our spiritual journey.

4. "I love you": This statement is a declaration of unconditional love and compassion towards all the souls. It reflects a shift towards a higher vibrational state of love, which is considered a powerful force for healing and transformation. It also emphasizes the importance of cultivating a mindset of love and forgiveness in all aspects of our lives.

Practicing these four statements of Ho'oponopono regularly is also seen as a way to align with the principles of karma by taking responsibility for our actions, seeking forgiveness, expressing gratitude, and cultivating love and compassion towards all the souls.

You can say these 3 times in your morning routine or before going to bed. Say in the mood of repentance and empathy connecting with those souls who you have hurt knowingly or unknowingly in this lifetime or previous lifetimes.

Why Forgiving Ourselves Is Important?

Forgiving ourselves is an essential aspect of self-love and self-care. Many people tend to focus on forgiving others but often overlook the importance of forgiving themselves. Just like how we forgive others for their mistakes or shortcomings, it's equally important to extend the same grace and compassion toward ourselves.

However, forgiving oneself can be challenging as we tend to hold ourselves to high standards and often carry guilt, shame, or regret over past actions or decisions. Also as we try to come to terms with the reality of our own karma that has caused our present situation. It becomes hard for us to accept that we could have been emotionally abusive, narcissistic, toxic, gaslit, used innocent people in our previous lifetimes.

Here are some reasons why forgiving ourselves is important:

Promotes self-compassion and self-love: Forgiving ourselves allows us to acknowledge our imperfections and mistakes with self-compassion. By forgiving ourselves, we can let go of the unrealistic expectations we may have placed on ourselves and embrace our humanness with compassion and understanding.
Facilitates emotional healing: Holding onto guilt, shame, or regret can weigh heavily on our emotional well-being. Forgiving ourselves allows us to release these negative emotions and promotes emotional healing. When we forgive ourselves, we give ourselves the gift of emotional healing and liberation, allowing us to move on and thrive.
Supports self-growth: Forgiving ourselves is an empowering act that allows us to take ownership of our mistakes and learn from them. When we forgive ourselves, we can let go of the past and focus on the present moment, and use our experiences to become wiser, more resilient, and better versions of ourselves.
Enhances self-worth: When we forgive ourselves, we acknowledge that we are worthy of love, acceptance, and forgiveness, despite our flaws and mistakes. It helps us cultivate a positive relationship with ourselves, which enhances our self-esteem and self-worth.
Reduces stress and anxiety: Carrying guilt or shame can create a constant state of stress and anxiety within us. Forgiving ourselves can help alleviate this stress by releasing the negative emotions associated with self-blame. It allows us to experience a sense of relief, inner peace, and emotional well-being.

These Are Some of the Things You Can Do to Forgive Yourself

Being able to forgive yourself requires empathy, compassion, kindness, and understanding. Take some time for self-reflection and acknowledge the mistake or situation that you are struggling to forgive yourself for. Allow yourself to feel the emotions that come up without judgement or criticism.

Whether you’re trying to work through a minor mistake or one that impacts all areas of your life, the steps you need to take in order to forgive yourself will look and feel the same.

1. Speak it

"I forgive myself for....". Say it out loud. Write it down. Remind yourself of it when you are feeling weak or sad about the mistake you made.

Use other phrases you find helpful to get you through hard moments. “I’m a good person,” “Mistakes are a part of life,” “I love and forgive myself.”

2. Think of each mistake as a learning experience

Think of each “mistake” as a learning experience. This holds the key to moving forward faster and more consistently in the future.

Reminding ourselves that we did the best we could with the tools and knowledge we had at the time, will help us forgive ourselves and move forward.

3. Dialogue with your inner critic

Engage in a dialogue with your inner critic, which is the voice inside you that may be holding onto self-blame, guilt, or shame. Write down the critical thoughts or beliefs that arise, and then respond to them with a compassionate and rational perspective.

Challenge the negative self-talk and offer yourself understanding and forgiveness.

4. Journaling

Reflect on how the situation or mistake has impacted you emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Write down your thoughts, feelings, and any insights that arise during the process.

"What were the underlying beliefs, expectations, or emotions that influenced my actions?", "What could I have done differently?", "What have I learned from this experience?", "What steps can I take to make amends or move forward?".

5. Get clear about what you want

If the mistake you made hurt another person, you need to determine the best course of action. Do you want to talk to this person and apologize? Is it important to reconcile with them and make amends?

6. Show kindness and compassion

If your first response to a negative situation is to criticize yourself, it’s time to show yourself some kindness and compassion. The only way to begin the journey to forgiveness is to be kind and compassionate with yourself. This takes time, patience, and a reminder to yourself that you’re worthy of forgiveness.

Be patient with yourself and practice self-compassion along the way. By engaging in these exercises and actively working towards self-forgiveness, you can release yourself from the burden of the past and create a more positive and fulfilling relationship with yourself.

Forgiving Others

Healing yourself, bearing witness to your emotions and pain needs time and patience. Once you are through with your own healing, you may reach a point when you want to forgive the narcissist in your life.

Forgiving Them does not mean:

Forgiveness does not mean justifying the wrongdoing
- When we forgive, we are not saying that the offense or hurtful behavior was acceptable or justified.
- Forgiveness does not mean that the wrong actions are justified or that the person who caused the harm is absolved of responsibility.
- It does not mean that we should minimize the impact of the offense or deny the pain it caused us
Forgiveness does not mean forgetting
It's a common misconception that forgiveness requires forgetting the hurt or offense that occurred as if wiping the slate clean and pretending as if nothing happened. However, this is not necessarily the case.
- It's not about erasing the memory of what happened, but rather acknowledging the pain and choosing to move forward in a healthy way despite it.
- It does not mean that we should disregard the lessons we have learned or the boundaries we need to set for ourselves to protect our well-being.
- It does not require us to forget or deny the hurt but rather to acknowledge it, process the emotions, and choose to let go for our own well-being.
- It's okay to remember what happened and still forgive, as forgiveness is not about forgetting, but about releasing the emotional burden and finding healing and peace within ourselves.
Forgiveness does not mean forgetting
It's a common misconception that forgiveness requires forgetting the hurt or offense that occurred as if wiping the slate clean and pretending as if nothing happened. However, this is not necessarily the case.
- It's not about erasing the memory of what happened, but rather acknowledging the pain and choosing to move forward in a healthy way despite it.
- It does not mean that we should disregard the lessons we have learned or the boundaries we need to set for ourselves to protect our well-being.
- It does not require us to forget or deny the hurt but rather to acknowledge it, process the emotions, and choose to let go for our own well-being.
- It's okay to remember what happened and still forgive, as forgiveness is not about forgetting, but about releasing the emotional burden and finding healing and peace within ourselves.

You forgive because you accept responsibility for your karma and you want to let go the burden of the resentment and the pain from your body and mind. You forgive them because you want to move ahead in your life. You forgive them because they are only an instrument of your karma- a deliverer of your karma. You also forgive them also because you have hurt them in some past lifetime in the same way as you are hurting now.

Daily Practice to Forgive them

Remember that , the ones who hurt you have the same soul as we do , but they are also entangled in their own karmic reactions . Therefore, you can use the same routine with Ho-ponopono prayer and also offer it towards the narcissist in your life and and to all those souls who have hurt you.

How Can We Help?

At EASE Life Coaching we have helped many clients become more emotionally secure and solid in themselves. We have helped them learn how to accept themselves for who they are, release the pain forgive and move on. It has helped them nurture themselves and work on their purpose. Sign up here to get expert coaching from Team EASE Coaches/ Namita Purohit

Categories: Compassion, Forgiveness, Karma, Personal Growth, Positive thoughts, self love