Before we dive into this month’s admittedly deep topic, I’d like to share something really fun. I was recently interviewed by Monica Krake at Head + Heart, who wrote about doing an Akashic Records reading with me and what she gained from the experience. She was also inspired to create an Intuition Test for her audience, with some guidance from me! Head over to Head + Heart to read the article and explore the Intuition Test. Have fun with it!
One of the things I most value about working in the Akashic Records is the depth of information that comes through, even when the topic is uncomfortable. I’ve wanted to do a channeling on forgiveness for a couple of years. I never could quite get around to scheduling a live channeling event on this topic, and I couldn’t figure out why. I was nervous when I finally scheduled the channeling near the end of 2021. Fellow Akashic adventurers gathered in Seattle for this live channeling, and they asked insightful questions. It was an emotional hour for me, as I think it was for the others who were present.
It wasn’t until a couple of weeks later that I figured out why it took me so long to do this channeling, and why I was so affected by it. For years, I’ve been working through forgiveness for stuff that happened decades ago. A couple of months before scheduling the forgiveness channeling, I chose to go to a milestone event where one of the people who hurt me all those years ago was also to be present. I was honestly terrified. I did a lot of internal work before going to the event, and with the love and support of others around me I faced my biggest fear (which was seeing this person), kept my boundaries, and came away feeling freer and more myself than I can ever remember.
It was weeks later, and only after this channeling, that I realized what the Akashic Records were saying: Forgiveness isn’t about the other person; it’s about being able to let go and move on. Forgiveness, while not an easy topic, is one that is crucially important for each of us. May this Akashic Records channeling be an offering of support in your own healing.
From the Akashic Records
Sometimes I want to forgive, but the other person doesn’t see what they did wrong. How do you approach forgiveness when it feels one-sided and the other party may not understand what they did?
The Akashic Records say the benefit of forgiveness is, truly, for yourself. The Akashic Records present a picture of forgiveness that’s like a set of stairs. While there are times when forgiveness happens all at once, it usually happens in layers. Each step of forgiveness is like ascending a staircase. Each step brings you a little more acceptance and peace. In this kind of situation, it would feel great to have the other person at least recognize the hurt they caused. You might never get this acknowledgement. This is where some of your deepest personal, emotional work of forgiveness takes place.
There are so many cases where I want to forgive. In some moments I feel that I do; in other moments, I don’t feel like I’ve actually forgiven.
It’s rare for the deepest forgiveness to happen all at once. Of course, it can happen all at once, but usually the kind of forgiveness where you fully release the hurt and resentment takes time and comes from your emotional work. The final layer of forgiveness is letting go—letting go of expectation, letting go of hurt, and possibly even releasing the person from your life. Letting go doesn’t mean you deny or gloss over what happened. In this context, letting go means working through your own layers of feelings to eventually find acceptance, peace, and release, regardless of the actions or words of the other person. This is why true forgiveness is so transformative for your own life. Forgiveness is always for you. Forgiveness requires that you acknowledge the depth of what you experienced—your hurt and anger, or even possibly trauma. The one who hurt you may never understand or even acknowledge your hurt. If that’s the case, then holding onto hope that this person will someday realize the pain caused by their actions keeps you bound to them. True forgiveness frees you. And that’s the point of forgiveness.
The Akashic Records also want to make another important point. You may choose to do energy work and ceremonies to create or enhance forgiveness. When done with sincerity, these activities can result in true and lasting impacts. But don’t use them to bypass the important emotional work that true forgiveness requires. If after a ceremony or energy work the feelings are still there, then it’s a signal that there’s more emotional work to do. For the deepest hurts, you may want to seek help through therapy or a support group or perhaps talking it through with a wise and loving friend.
Does letting go mean removing the person from your life?
Sometimes, yes. Other times, it means you and the other person remain in each other’s lives and decide to look at what caused the hurt. Shining a light on the deep layers of the hurt opens the possibility of understanding both yourself and the other person, accepting yourself and the other person, and letting go of the hurt. This kind of forgiveness can add a new depth to the relationship. But each person involved in this kind of healing and forgiveness needs to be willing to take the journey together with honest exploration.
What if I don’t want to forgive?
The emotional barbs will stay. You’ll remain emotionally hooked to that person or situation. Not forgiving keeps you bound to the hurt.
How do you know if you’re forgiving, or if you’re just really good at dismissing things?
There are a lot of situations where two sides have a different experience of what happened. To one person, it may feel like a small incident. To the other, it feels like a huge, painful emotional barb. This is another one of those stair steps of forgiveness. Part of forgiveness is understanding, and understanding begins with communication. The person who experiences hurt over what the other sees as a small incident has the right to speak up. Speaking up gives the other person the opportunity to listen to another perspective. On both sides, there’s a chance to fine-tune listening skills. One of the hardest—yet most honest—things people can do is to talk about their conflicts. This kind of honesty goes a long way in building or rebuilding a relationship.
Each person is responsible for reaching their own understanding of forgiveness. Working with all the different layers of forgiveness is just part of being human.
Next month, the Akashic Records channeling about forgiveness continues. We’ll explore self-forgiveness, forgiveness in the collective, and forgiveness after someone passes over.
About Maribeth Stephens
Maribeth’s clients describe her as a gifted Akashic Records intuitive. The Akashic Records are an energetic record of all thoughts, actions, feelings, and experiences across time and space. Your individual Akashic Records can be used to better understand the underlying energy of relationships, patterns, and spiritual connection. The flow of knowing that’s available through your Akashic Records can support your well-being and spiritual growth through every phase of life. As a natural empath, Maribeth acts as a witness and relays without judgment what is fundamental to you, in the moment, from your Akashic Records. Based in Seattle, available worldwide. Schedule your personal reading at akashicbalance.com.