Get a fresh start in a fresh new year
All progress and growth stop when we cannot forgive. Our bodies, minds, and spirits come to a standstill – cycling through passed events over and over with no solution. This is a touchy subject and is much easier said than done. The traumas people have endured, especially over the last year, must not be belittled, but validated, processed, and released.
When I was first starting in the world of holistic care, I didn’t pay too much attention to the spiritual and energetic side of things. I worried only about what certain herbs did, how many toxins my clients consumed, and what exercises they should be doing to reach their goals. One day, a new client came in with cancer, lymphoma to be exact. She wasn’t looking for a cure, but for comfort and strength during this difficult time.
She told me her story, shared about her family troubles, about how this cancer kept coming back, and about how she’s old and tired of fighting. I looked away from my notetaking and gazed into her eyes, full of sorrow and pain. Suddenly a vision came into my mind:
I saw her cancer. An inflamed bundle of energy shaped like an oxen’s yoke around her neck, weighing her down. From this yoke, a cord stretched off into the distance. I followed it, and it led me to memories, negative experiences, and emotional traumas that her poor body could no longer manage. I heard the word “Forgiveness” echo in my ears, and saw a giant padlock holding the memories down. I understood that she had the key to this padlock: it was forgiveness. If she used her agency to unlock it, these memories would be processed and released, and she would be free.
I explained what I’d seen to her, and she immediately became defensive and grumpy. She expressed that forgiveness would mean letting that person get away with what they did to her, like it would make what they did “ok”. She also didn’t want to “lose the lesson” this experience taught her; fearing being vulnerable to getting hurt again.
I realized then, that people harbor grudges as a type of armor, a form of justice, and a way to take control over the situation. An accurate statement, maybe, but it’s certainly not a POSITIVE or HEALTHY experience. Internalizing negativity agitates your spirit, suppresses your mind, and breaks down your body. Forgiveness is not surrendering control, forgetting the lessons or making a trauma “ok”. Forgiveness is the literal act of unlocking the negativity from yourself, processing and releasing the poison it brought to you. It’s taking REAL control, victory over darkness, freedom from all that has held you back, and progress and growth restored!
If you need help, it is best to seek out a healer with experience in this area. Always show yourself kindness, love, and patience; it may take some time to heal, and it is not always an easy process. But YOU CAN unlock your freedom and start 2022 fresh and renewed!
By Kalen P C Nielsen
Holistic Practitioner
