Finding Forgiveness: A Seven Step Program For Letting Go Of Anger And Bitterness

Mother Earth is Free

It's been a beautiful day, near perfection if I didn't have to work on a journal for my summer class. The weather has been so lovely in Toronto and the shining sun, abundance of flowers and blossoming trees have all been a wonderful reminder of our generous Mother Earth. This of course reminds me of our wonderful mothers and life givers on mother's day!

I know that not everyone has been able to live in this lifetime with a loving and supportive mother or mother-figure. Perhaps it was part of their soul's lesson; to uncover peace and forgiveness in a world that is constantly trying to weave the feeling of lack into their spirit. There is no lack in not having a mother, mother-figure or good relationship with her in your life. I think of this as another kind of experience and I've learned this from barely having a father in my life. We are all in each other's lives (or not) so we can teach and learn lessons from each other, and this is for sure. It is quite difficult to become aware of these lessons when our egos are constantly in a state of defense because they feel that the whole world is out to get them. I think of the story I could have scripted for myself if I had been a different kind of person. I could have told myself, "I guess my dad never loved me, maybe I wasn't good enough, it's probably all my mom's fault", but what good would this have done me? Whether any of those things are true or not really should not have the power to turn me into a bitter and resentful person. And what is definitely true is that my father or any unloving mother and even a terribly abusive parent is going through their life lessons too. If they are "bad" at parenting then they are likely living in a very unconscious state and, for whatever reason, your soul has chosen them to be able to learn those challenging life lessons so there is an opportunity to evolve. I choose to be loving, compassionate and forgiving because this way I can feel joy, and this is the story that I want to know. 

In any case, we all know it is important to forgive. Forgiveness is the key to our freedom. I'd like to share with you the 7 steps toward forgiveness from a book called Finding Forgiveness: A Seven Step Program for Letting Go of Anger and Bitterness by Eileen R. Borris-Dunchunstang:

- Clear your mind of negative thoughts that get in the way of your happiness. - Uncover your feelings of bitterness, betrayal, victimization, and blame.
- Let go of your anger and move on with your life.
- Work through your guilt and learn to forgive yourself as well as others.
- Reframe the situation that hurt you and restore your faith in others.
- Absorb the pain of the past without the need for apologies or revenge.
- Gain inner peace through new-found compassion, understanding, and acceptance.

@LoveKaruna (Twitter)