Practicing Radical Forgiveness...Ho'Oponopono

"Lack of forgiveness is one of the greatest forms of self-imprisonment".

- Michael Bernard Beckwith

When I first heard my teacher Michael Bernard Beckwith say this at a retreat I was attending, I felt it reverberate through every fiber of my being.

There was something with in me that knew I had just heard the TRUTH.

Forgiving others can be hard, especially when to our mind, it feels unforgivable.

But when we feel we've been "wronged" by another, and we hold onto rancor/resentfulness, animosity, hatred, venom, "you owe me" thoughts and feelings...

it only serves to diminish our own light/vitality and essentially tells the "universe" we are "owed" something by another...and holds us hostage to a form of debt consciousness .

In this case, the only person we are hurting is ourselves. And ultimately, we give our "power" away to another person.

When we learn to Forgive, we set ourselves free and take back our own power. The energy which we were giving to these feelings, can now be used in constructive, empowered, and inspired ways.

And to take it to an advanced level, we not only forgive, but we practice "Radical Forgiveness"...where we also wish abundance and harmony toward that individual or individuals that may have harmed us.  This is a form of "intergral consciousness", where you see and feel the inter-connectedness of all of life...as it affects one, it affects all.

Remember, this is a "return to sender" Universe (the law of reciprocity)...by sending out thoughts of abundance and harmony to others, it ultimately comes back to you in some way, shape or form.

When I first tried to wrap my head around this (not my heart), it felt very hard to do.

But as I continued to practice it, the energy moved from my head to my heart, and from there it began to find a home where it felt authentic.

One practice that helped me really dial this in is called Ho'Oponopono. It's an ancient Hawaiian healing treatment/prayer. (watch video above for an overview).

Over the years, I've used it consistently (practicing every night for weeks) on a number of situations where I found it hard to forgive "another". Every time I have, ultimately it has lead me to a tremendous "lightness of being" and a feelings of incredible freedom.

I invite you to give it a try the next time you feel it hard to forgive. Caveat...it takes time. Be patient and ultimately come from your heart and a desire to experience true personal "freedom" in this lifetime.

I'd love to hear your thoughts below on what landed for you or what didn't.

Thanks for listening,

Adam