As part of our dance or encampment ceremonies, John included a forgiveness ceremony.

In this ceremony, forgiveness was not treated as something that is good for the person that is being forgiven. Instead, the approach to forgiveness is that carrying around resentment, hurt, or ill feeling is unhealthy. We can improve our health by forgiving and start the process of peace in our lives.

Look at the act or event, which we derived our hurt from as being real. We assume that whatever hurt we have felt is justified. Remember, we don’t have to visit that territory at all. We also do not look at forgiveness as necessarily reducing the distance between two people. Being in a state of forgiveness does not automatically require things being the way they were before. Two people being together may not be appropriate anymore after forgiveness as before.

However, what does change is that we let go of the emotions of judgment, anger, resentment, and fear, which served us when we were freeing ourselves from a situation we had decided, was not healthy or productive. Sometimes those kinds of emotions serve us well in the interim. But once those feelings no longer serve us, we go through the ceremony of forgiveness to begin the process of letting these emotions go.

The ceremony itself begins the process by forgiving the only person involved in the situation who is present at the ceremony - you.

Hugs, Tracy - take what you want…find your truths…leave the rest. ~ I share because I care.