1998-08-07-Forgiveness is Twofold

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Topic: Forgiveness is Twofold

Group: Pocatello TeaM

Facilitators

Teacher: Daniel, Minearisa

TR: Bill K., Cathy

Session

Opening

Rest

Daniel (Bill): My greetings to you all. I am Daniel, a teacher in Michael's mission to Urantia, your friend and your guide. We are here assembled this evening along with you and your group, many celestial presences, some of morontial status and some of spirit status. The mood is joyful yet touched with a brush of solemnity, for we are fully aware of the importance of every day that is given to us from the good will of the First Source and Center and His associates. I see your lights burning brightly as you have now been given some respite from the difficult challenges of the last many months. Many of you have expressed your enjoyment of these times of reversion, of these summer months, for the various circumstances attending each of you which has made that possible. Indeed you have been on a reversion plateau and these breaks are essential for ascension in Father's Universe. Actually, Urantians work too much as compared with a more ideal setting found on more advanced planets. And in your morontial and spirit careers, you will have a much greater balance of reversion with work. Always remember that the most effective aspect of true reversion is that of worship, for while rest physically recharges the batteries of the body and reversions recharge the mind, you still need to have soul growth which is most ably enhanced by both service to your brothers and sisters and true worship of God.

Lesson

Forgiveness

Now I wish to begin our presentation of a new direction for you with some thoughts on a topic which we have discussed many times before. Whenever you begin again from a period of rest in spiritual growth, you need to apply the searchlight of active forgiveness. In order to proceed effectively from any given position, you must unchain the weights that drag around your legs, you must remove the package which weighs down your back, you must clear out impediments to progress. The most important way to do this is to exercise active forgiveness.

Forgiveness is twofold. You must both receive it and give it. However, it is in the giving of forgiveness that you become aware of its reception. Always is there a need in the mortal career to lay aside the grudges, the hostilities, the complaints that beset you from your own free will choices. You are in control of these moods, these dispositions, these thoughts, for they are the result of your decisions. But before you can forgive one another, you must first forgive yourself.

Your Heavenly parents, Michael and Nebadonia, as well as the parents of us all, the Father, the Son and the Spirit understand your imperfect status. Indeed, they chose that you should be gifted to experience incompleteness, imperfection and the need for growth so that you may have a share in the completion of God the Supreme. Like the best of Urantian parents do your heavenly parents understand your weaknesses, your shortsightedness, your temptations, your failures and even your sins. While it is totally appropriate to appraise your progress as you have been doing this evening and stating where you see movement in your lives, it is also totally appropriate to let go of those areas that shame you, that hold you back, that you are clear about where you erred and possibly even for a while chose to sin in willful embrace of error. I say my friends, let go of your judgment of yourself. And then you will be able to let go of your judgments of others.

When the Apostle Peter asked the Master, "How many times should I forgive my brother if he sins against me? Seven times?" Jesus used the number seventy times seven, which is unlimited, unconditional, total forgiveness. I know that this is not new information, but I would remind you it is an essential process that you need to continue. I would also remind you that you forgive others and you forgive yourself because it is the Fatherly, Godlike thing to do. But you also receive the benefit, which is that you allow true healing to occur in your mind and soul. So, when you have removed these weights, these grudges and resentments that shackle you, then are you free to look forward to God's future, to that vision which will come around the next corner, for that next event which you did not plan and could not control. At the same time you will know it is wonderful not to have to play God anymore, not to have to be your own judge or the judge of others. I say even as the rain is falling outside, let my words remind you of that true solace which can wash you clean of the dirt of self-concern, of pride, of being judgmental. And if you can do these things, my friends, (and I know you can), if you will do these things my friends, (and I hope you will), then we will joyfully continue on our journey of spiritual growth and active apostleship.

One final thought. For any who think they are not deserving of God's forgiveness, change your perspective. God does not love you or I because of what you have done or not done. He loves us because we are his children, his most precious, delightful and beautiful children. It is his joy to see us grow even as parents dote over the progress of their own dear offspring.

My words are concluded. I give you all my love. Good evening.

Minearisa (Cathy): This is Minearisa. I would like for all of you to participate briefly in a short experiential exercise. Indeed, it is necessary to forgive yourself your transgressions, be they real or imagined, before you can open heartedly forgive transgressions in others. Please close your eyes and imagine at the heel of each foot a spigot which you will now close. Imagine bright white light entering through the top of your head, and let it slowly flow down illuminating the inside of your cranium like thick honey and down through your throat and let this bright, warm, loving light drip down your collarbones and fill each arm with that lovely, warm glow, reaching all the way down to your fingertips. Let it continue flowing down your spine through the area of your heart, solar plexus, abdomen, and at the hips let it split and drip slowly down each femur through the knees, illuminating the calves from the inside, and let it pool at your feet. Now I will give you a moment to create one specific instance in which you committed an act of which you are not proud something you have not fully forgiven yourself for. This TR has given me permission to share her thoughts of not being present when her mother died. Please take a moment to fully visualize this instance.

(Pause)

Now please offer this as a gift to your loving Parents. Allow the beautiful white light that fills your body to wash it from you. Imagine the white light turning grayish, then the consistency of oil dripping from a car as it absorbs these black, dark feelings you have about yourself. And open the spigot in each heel let it drain let it wash completely from your system as the beautiful, white light again enters from the top of your head and brilliantly illuminates your skull, your neck, your clavicles. Down the arms This time the light is so brilliant it cannot help but escape through the tips of your fingers, through your eye sockets, through your mouth. Let it continue down, bathe your heart in forgiving white light. Through the abdomen, through the hips, all the blackness has been flushed away through your heels. Your thighs become almost luminescent with light. Your knees, your calves, your feet. And let the light burst forth from each toe. Keep this process flowing for a moment, keep it flowing until it is pure white. There is no trace of darkness, of self-hatred, only forgiveness and love.

Thank you, I am finished.

Daniel (Bill): This is Daniel. The importance of this exercise and the truths that I attempted to share with you constitute sufficient material for this evening. Before you are ready to proceed with another step, this process needs to be completely assimilated. Therefore, my students, we will postpone until next week the next step in our spiritual journey. I wish to make an assignment that in your quiet time you visualize the light in the same manner as Minearisa has presented this evening. Think of another shameful thing that you hold yourself in contempt for and if you are by the end of the week completely at peace with yourself, then take your resentments, your judgments toward others, through the same process with one difference. As you visualize this person whom you are angry with, let your forgiveness be seen in them as the cleansing from them of the darkness. Imagine that as you dispense your gracious forgiveness towards this other that they turn from dirty oil color to brilliant white light.

Closing

I conclude our meeting this evening without opportunity for questions. This is most serious business, my friends. I wish that you apply yourself diligently to this exercise and next week, before we begin our new topic, we will entertain any new questions or comments that you wish to share from your experience in quiet.

When you think of objections to your own forgiveness or the forgiveness of others, remind yourself that you are not God, for God and our heavenly parents are infinite in forgiveness and perfect understanding. My peace and the peace of God be yours this evening. Love from all your friends. Farewell.