Forgiveness is such a fraught and important topic. It’s fraught because of the strong emotions involved—usually hurt, anger and perhaps even a desire for vengeance. It’s important because forgiveness lets you move forward. Forgiveness is a choice. It’s a purposeful act of letting go of the resentment toward the person or persons who wronged you. You can decide to forgive even when those who inflicted the pain don’t deserve it. Choosing to forgive doesn’t mean you forget, condone, or sweep things under the rug. Choosing to forgive frees you from destructive attachment. Forgiveness lets you acknowledge your pain without letting that pain define you, allowing you to grow and move forward.
We started the conversation about forgiveness with last month’s blog. The Akashic Records have a lot of important points to make about forgiveness, yet no single column, blog, or article can capture everything there is to know about forgiveness. This is because while forgiveness is a universal human experience, it is also a singular and personal experience. In this month’s second and final post on forgiveness, derived from a recent live group Akashic Records channeling, the Records touch on the topics of forgiveness in the collective, self-forgiveness, and forgiveness after someone passes over.
From the Akashic Records
Forgiveness in the collective
As a collective consciousness is rising, there is more awareness of hurt, shame, trauma, and grief. How can we support the collective through these phases of forgiveness when there is so much still being re-traumatized and remembered?
Across generations and across the world, there has been oppression. Far too often, looking the other way has been the response to this oppression. The healing that’s happening now is occurring in layers, and what’s rising to be looked at now—by everyone—is a very deep layer of hurt. What we’re witnessing is one of the deepest layers of hurt so the healing can begin. We are being called, together, to witness and acknowledge. Acknowledging oppression is the first step in healing it. Healing all the layers won’t happen overnight. In fact, the Records say it’s going to take a long time. But deep layers are now exposed to everyone in a way they haven’t been before so that a very deep layer of collective healing can begin.
Self-forgiveness
What do the Akashic Records have to say about forgiving yourself if you don’t want to forgive another or you don’t feel quite up to it yet?
Self-forgiveness is always going to carry a shadow when you haven’t truly forgiven the other person. When you forgive another person, it opens you up so you also have the space to forgive yourself. When you forgive another, that’s when you can begin to understand your own depth and capacity for love, compassion, and understanding—including for yourself.
What about forgiving yourself when you haven’t grown in the ways you wanted to?
The Records say this is about self-acceptance. People are so hard on themselves. We get into competition, expectations, and placing all sorts of pressure on ourselves. Unfortunately, we put huge expectations on ourselves about being perfect. One way perfectionism expresses itself is when we think we didn’t do, achieve, or be enough. There’s a feeling of failure, but the truth is that you didn’t fail. Perfectionism is damaging. It’s hard on both our bodies and our energy systems. The root of self-forgiveness is self-acceptance. Self-acceptance, though, might not happen overnight, especially because society gives us confusing messages about what being perfect is supposed to look like, feel like, and be like.
Forgiveness after death, and energetic forgiveness
What happens when someone passes over and you don’t know whether they’ve forgiven you? Does the soul release emotional attachments to what occurred during their lifetime?
Not necessarily. The Akashic Records say that when you leave your body, you leave only your body. You carry all the rest of you with you: your emotions, the ups and downs you experienced, everything you’ve learned, and even the unresolved feelings. When a soul passes over to the nonphysical realm, it can decide to continue working through the issues it wishes to, even the unfinished business of forgiveness.
There’s another side to this answer. It could be that part of the soul agreement for the person who remains is to continue working on forgiveness. When one person passes over, it doesn’t necessarily mean the work of forgiveness is done. Forgiveness can happen here on earth and on the other side after someone has passed over.
Is forgiveness possible on an energetic level? If two people can’t talk about forgiveness during life or if one of them has passed over, can there still be the energy of forgiveness even when they’re not in direct contact?
The answer is yes. When you forgive, the doors of self-understanding and compassion open. The Akashic Records say the deepest benefit of forgiveness is for the person who is doing the forgiving. We can’t control whether another person forgives us, but we can control whether we forgive them—even if they are alive and no longer in our life, or if they have passed over. So yes, forgiveness can happen on an energetic level.
Forgiveness is an internal journey. This journey allows you to acknowledge your hurt. This work can be very hard. Despite its difficulty, this journey honors who you are. Sometimes forgiveness takes years as the layers of hurt are uncovered and understood. There will come a time when you will see and experience your own strength. It is in this strength of self where you can emotionally unhook from what happened. This feeling of release is not about ignoring what happened or condoning it. This sense of release is a signal that what occurred no longer has power over you. Each layer of forgiveness brings forward a new layer of you. The journey of true forgiveness is about growing into who you are now.
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.