Below is the audio and transcript for the (spiritual) forgiveness meditation.
Forgiveness (spiritual) meditation
Close your eyes
Take a deep breath
Feel yourself relax
Quite your inner chatter with every breath you take
I. Now think about the people who have hurt you or troubled you in any way
Imagine them in front of you
Smile back at them
Fold your hands in gratitude
And say:
I acknowledge that you are a different soul. The time and pace of evolving maybe different for each soul. Spiritual evolution is a long process that progresses on its own pace and may cause us to make mistakes along the way, sometimes knowingly, sometimes unknowingly. I choose to see the goodness in your soul and I forgive you, for any hurt or pain that you have caused me. May peace be with you. May you be blessed with love, light and happiness.
Om shanti shanti Om
Om shanti shanti Om
Now imagine cutting the energy cords with all these people. You can imagine it the way you like. You can cut it with an axe or a pair of scissors or just imagine these negative cords breaking away from you.
Take a deep breath
II. Now, think about the people who you may have hurt, knowingly or unknowingly
Imagine them in front of you
Smile back at them
Fold your hands in gratitude
And say:
Please forgive me for any hurt or pain that I may have caused you. The time and pace of evolving maybe different for each soul. Spiritual evolution is a long process that progresses on its own pace and may cause us to make mistakes along the way, sometimes knowingly, sometimes unknowingly. I seek sincere forgiveness from you and promise to ensure that I will not repeat the same mistakes again. May peace be with you. May you be blessed with love, light and happiness.
Om shanti shanti Om
Om shanti shanti Om
Now imagine these negative cords breaking away from you.
Take a deep breath.
III. And now take a few more moments to offer gratitude to yourself .
For taking care of your own heart, for lightening the burdens, the hurts you have accumulated.
Forgive yourself for every small or big transgression
Know that your soul is here to experience life
You may have made mistakes on the way but you have also learnt from them
Your life is richer by those experiences
Be compassionate and kind to yourself
Om shanti shanti Om
When you are ready, gently open your eyes
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The chant - OM SHANTI OM, shouldn’t be associated with any specific cultural or religious belief or system. OM is more than a sound. It is the vibration of the universe. It is the frequency of energy that connects and joins all things together.
“OM” has originated from the sounds - AAA OOO MMM (AUM). These are the 3 basic and universal sounds. In fact you don’t need a tongue to utter these 3 basic sounds. Any mute person can also utter them. All other sounds are derivatives of these.
However, over a period of time, this sound (AUM) has got contorted because of cultural distortions and regional dialects.
For example:
AUM, in Vatican has become AAAAAMEN;
AUM, in Islam has become AMEEN
Chanting of the word “OM/AUM” has innumerable benefits such as increase in concentration, improvement in psychological conditions/ailments.
With respect to Shanti, the word means peace, rest, calmness, tranquility.
There is a great explanation by Sadhguru (renowned Indian yogi and author) on the chant of “OM/AUM” too.
I thought it best to emphasize on this aspect as I would love for forgiveness to be embraced by one and all, irrespective of their beliefs, culture or religion.
Hope it brought some calm and peace to your inner self.
I urge you all to take out just 5 minutes from your busy lives in a day and give yourself a chance to experience this miraculous transformation.
With time, the hurt will fade away. The piercing words of a spouse, friend or relative will not sting as much. The memories of sadness that now seem to be omnipresent, will slowly and gradually faint away into the back alleys of your mind.
Give yourself that chance. You deserve it !!
Coming up: Part IV
Transcript and audio for another forgiveness meditation. This will be for all those who may not be convinced with the theories on karma and journey of the souls.
I urge you to also read Part I and Part II of this blog series, in case you already haven’t. Link below: