Radical Forgiveness
Radical Forgiveness - quite the radical suggestion. This is not forgiveness in it's typical fashion by any means, but a radical means of forgiving and moving past hurt. Radical forgiveness not only frees us to a place of self empowered awareness, but it is transformational in the respect that you are changed as a result. When we forgive in this way we are not the same. We are better. We are transformed. We are lighter and have not just forgiven, but we've moved above and beyond the hurt to better ourselves. It gives us an opportunity for great self awareness because we are forgiving not just the person who pained us, but perhaps a deep seated hurt we have been carrying for many years, perhaps even lifetimes.
My new found and perhaps deeper understanding of 'Radical Forgiveness' comes from my latest read by Collin C. Tipping. Go here for more on Tipping and his Radical Forgiveness teachings. I'd first been presented the modality of radical forgiveness during the Landmark Forum. Yes I am a full fledged Landmarkian and transformed as a result. Much like anything it is how we receive it and use it that is the end component that truly matters. I know many Landmark students who perhaps were done a disservice as a result of their Landmark training. We have to detach when being given information and then see how and where we can best apply it to our lives and experiences versus just using the knowledge against others or a power play in situations. That's not how we should use our heightened awareness.
Landmark much like the book 'Radical Forgiveness' suggests there are things that happen to us over the span of our lifetime that we carry with us and that inevitably shape our being. The concept expands on the hurts we've had that have a detrimental effect on our pride, confidence and ultimately who we become. We carry insults, hurts, pains, betrayals, trauma, etc....that is unresolved into adulthood not even realizing it is unresolved and we are still reacting the present to currents situations from a place of defensiveness because of that unresolved pain.
We are not truly free and we are not able to move through life powerfully while carrying unresolved burdens from childhood and beyond into adulthood. So many people think they have issues they resolved, but have no idea those traumas are far from resolved and share our current realities, identities and experiences.
Because we are acting defensively we put others on the defense and our whole reality is made up of bordered situations and barriers that don't allow us to be fully free, aware and in our power. This is why so many of us turn to means of balancing, meditation, soul work, chakra clearings. We know there is stuff we need to get out and clear. We just may not know what it is and we also may be very surprised when take the sort of inward look that Tipping offers. Self evaluation is our greatest tool to self advancement, self actualization and empowerment.
When we do the inner work and are able to gain higher perspective on a situation and see that our interpretation of it is not at all what the situation is, but rather our reaction to some unresolved trauma we are carrying we are instantaneously elevated. We now are seeing a much greater picture of not only the occurrence, but ourselves and the toxins we've been carrying. Tipping invites us into a dark world of self-exploration where few dare to charter, but those who do are never the same. They are in most circumstances healed and have relinquished an enormous weight decades old.
The idea is to gain heightened awareness and then become totally humble. No attitude, no ego, no nothing. And ultimately unity and a oneness of consciousness with all living beings.
