A Day of Forgiving or Embracing
Last night a friend and I watched the 2012 movie A Thousand Words starring Eddie Murphy and Kerry Washington.
Murphy is a literary agent vying to sign a spiritual guru who draws large crowds to his list of represented writers. He wins the contract and then weird and very funny things begin to happen to him. A magical tree falls into his backyard and this tree represents Murphy’s inner life. On the tree are 1,000 leaves and the leaves represent the number of words Murphy has to speak before dying. With each leave lost, the tree withers and becomes more sick, representing Murphy’s demise. The comic Murphy excels in this movie as he invents different ways to communicate that doesn’t include words. He was put in situations where any of us would want to use words to express ourselves. I was howling at many parts of the movie, applauding his creativity and the humor. Through the movie we learn that Murphy’s dad left him when he was young and he held within him a lot of anger toward his missing father. At the end of the movie Murphy is in the cemetery visiting his father’s grave when the viewer is shown there are three leaves remaining on the tree. He speaks his final three words to his father, “I forgive you.” With these words, the tree and his health are restored.
The impact on following the journey of Murphy’s character of releasing victim energy and taking back one’s sovereignty through not allowing the past to run one’s programming put me on the path of forgiveness this morning.. Brilliant. Powerful.
Let me tell you what I know about forgiveness. Forgiveness includes an inner reconciliation that is beyond saying the words “I forgive you.” I found forgiveness hard to get to without looking at the benefits of the offense to my Soul, not my personality’s likes or dislikes. I call this part “Embracing”. Today then, became a day for me of forgiving (recognizing there is a bigger going on for my Soul’s benefit) and an embracing of what has been and is…looking at the gratitude within it and calling it forward.
This is what I chose to do:
I take out my cell phone’s address book. I go through the book and look at each name that shows up. If I feel any energetic angst around the name, I take note. At the end of my note taking I ask my Higher Self where I am to direct my energy. I am looking for themes or hang ups around an individual. I look at the gender of those involved, as Edweine Gaines said, the masculine leads back to my father and the feminine to my mother. And, I add, both my construct of my father and mother live within ME. The list is narrowed. Now I sit with the energy and ask what Quality of God within me will resolve, integrate, or reconcile this. For me, the Qualities that rise to the top are Truth, Oneness and Power. I sit with these three energies and then I dive into the individual relationships. I take note of all of the gifts from the relationships and I make that list of those gifts. Holy Guacamole. I am grateful for waking me up, stirring something within me, seeing myself from a different perspective, realizing the power of my words, reminding me of the power of vulnerability and softness. The list is mighty. Then I speak words of Gratitude and forgiveness (giving forth) to each and every name on my list and in my address book.
Isn’t it interesting the people we meet in our lives and how different they are than other people’s people? Within us is a mighty heart coupled with unhealed thought that brings us to the right people to Love and to prompt our growth.
I feel so blessed today that I know how to clean my filters and to regain lost energy. Whether I call it forgiveness or embracing what is, My heart is singing.
Much Love to you,
