PRACTICING

FORGIVENESS

Deciding to forgive is one of the most powerful things you can do.

By forgiveness, we’re not talking about excusing the person’s actions, forgetting what
happened, or tossing justice aside. We’re talking about ending the suffering, anger, bitterness
and resentment inside YOU.

In other words, forgiveness has nothing to do with anyone else; it is 100 percent about you
and your well-being.
When someone wrongs you in some way, you have two choices. You can continue to blame
or rage against the other person(s), or you can use the situation to let it go and cleanse your
mind of negative energy that is affecting every cell in your body.

Use this template anytime you want to free your mind by releasing blame or judgment you’re
holding against someone else or yourself.

DIRECTIONS

1. Think of a child, person, or pet you love. Take a minute to allow your heart to
open to the feeling of love you have for them.

2. Close your eyes and sit quietly for a few moments. Take three deep breaths.
With each exhale, feel a little more tension leave our body.
Now, read the statements below, and then fill in the blanks of the relevant statement with the name
of the person you want to forgive or focus on the alternative version if you want to forgive yourself
for something you did to another or yourself.

I forgive myself for taking [person’s name]’s behavior personally. [Person’s

name], go your own way and be happy.”

I forgive myself for judging [person’s name or myself] as insensitive,

inconsiderate, and unkind. [Person’s name], go your own way and be happy.”

The person I need to forgive is ____ ___ ____ and I forgive you
for __ ___ _____ _. I release you, [person’s name].”

I forgive myself for seeing myself as unworthy of consideration, kindness,

and loving attention from myself and others.

I forgive myself for judging myself as unworthy of higher consciousness and

greater awareness.

I forgive myself for judging myself as unworthy of God’s love or believing I

needed to do something to earn it.

3. When you’re finished filling in the appropriate blank(s), read the words aloud to yourself. Say them
over and over again for one to three minutes or until you’ve cleared as much as you can for now.

4. End by expressing gratitude for your forgiveness.

5. This is a powerful exercise and is good to do every week to clear out any remaining rubbish as
some experiences are easier than others to let go. However, even the ones that you must chip away
at will suddenly let go one day and dissolve.

6. To elevate your feeling of release, when you feel you have completely let go, imagine releasing a
large helium-filled balloon into a clear blue sky. Open your arms wide as you imagine the balloon
drifting up and away. This will encourage a strong sense of expansion and freedom. Feel your burden
become lighter and lighter as it gets higher and eventually disappears.

POINTS TO PONDER

You will feel some effects from this exercise immediately. However, forgiveness can sometimes
be a long and cyclical process, so be kind and patient with yourself and allow the process to take
as long as necessary to fully forgive someone who has deeply harmed you.

Also, try to find meaning and purpose in what you have experienced. There’s good in every
situation—a lesson we can learn for our growth and healing. Look for that good, learn from it and
let go of all the rest.

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