Saturday, November 30, 2013

I am Sorry. Please Forgive Me. I Love You. Thank You

I received the following question several weeks ago, and I read something this week that supplied me with an answer. The question?  What is a reasonable thing I can do to change the hate and fear we find ourselves in? Besides trying to pray for things to get better? I mean conservative politicians scare me to death. I don’t trust big companies anymore. People still are saying rotten things to me or giving me dirty looks when they see my 5-year old Obama sticker on my car. Some still flip me the finger when I’m driving. Praying doesn’t seem to be enough, but I can’t think of much else to do.
This is the kind of question I believe is very common to all of us who are on a spiritual journey.
I was reminded earlier this week, reading a missive from Suzanne Ward, about the practice of ho’oponopono. It’s a Hawaiian mantra that means, “I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you.” It was explained to us that we are all connected and this is how we are to respond to all life and all life’s situations. We were told to do this when we picked up some trash along our street or in the parking lot or while we try to accept an angry person or aggravating situation. I hadn’t thought about it for a while. I think it’s an appropriate suggestion for all of us. It is also very similar to the concept of gratitude from A Course in Miracles (ACIM) that was in my special Thanksgiving message: sincere gratitude is based on the realization of the connectedness of all things.
I first heard of ho’oponopono from a friend in St. Augustine during an “Intender’s” meeting. We would meet once a week to state our intentions. [http://www.intenders.com] We would go around in a circle and, when it was our turn, we would state our gratitudes and then our intentions. We wouldn’t say, “I intend that I will start exercising.” Rather, “I intend I am exercising.” We would say this with the positive emotion we would feel from accomplishing an exercise regimen. We state our intentions in the PRESENT and with the accompanying emotions. At our intenders meeting we practiced ho’oponopono as well. “I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you.” It added so much to my statement of gratitude as well as to the quality of my weekly intentions.
I remember when we were selling our house in St Augustine in order to move to East Tennessee. We had no buyers or prospects. Real Estate was slow. We were in the middle of the housing bust. I had been intending for our house to sell. As we had visited the area where we wanted to move, almost all the homes had outdoor decks off the kitchen or family room. It was January and cold. I began intending I was walking out on my deck in chilly weather to have my morning coffee and smoke my pipe. I could feel the cold and see my breath in the chilly air. That became my intention: I intend to have my morning coffee in Tennessee while it is still cold enough to see my breath. Three weeks later our house sold. We moved into our new house in East Tennessee in the middle of March, while the temperature was still low enough to see my breath as I sipped my morning coffee. Intentions. Ho’oponopono. It works.
From Suzanne Ward’s Message From Matthew just last week (11/24/2013): [http:www.matthewbooks.com/mattsmessage.htm]
“… In previous messages we have said that everything in existence is energy. We have spoken about the power of thoughts, feelings, and written and spoken words, and we have stressed how crucial it is to focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. Also, we have explained why forgiveness and gratitude are so important. Evidence of these universal truths is in the ancient practice of ho’oponopono, which ties them all together into an ‘elixir’ of divine grace’ you might say.
“The accomplishment of Dr. Hew Len, formerly a psychologist at a hospital for the criminally insane in Hawaii, is a stunning example of ho’oponopono’s efficacy. Instead of seeing patients during the couple of years he was there, he stayed in his office, sometimes looking at their files, and repeating over and over and over “I’m sorry.  Please forgive me.  I love you. Thank you.” By his accepting responsibility for the patients’ status—in essence, acknowledging the inseparable connection of all souls and that whatever one does affects all others—they started improving and continued until they were healed and released.
“This remarkable proof of the power of thoughts and feelings can be enlightening and inspiring to everyone. Sharing that story along with feeling grateful for our universal family’s diligence, assistance and unconditional love will speed the day when life in your world is peaceful and harmonious.”
Gratitude. The connectedness of all living things. Forgiveness. Ho’oponopono.
I trust you find this message helpful. “I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you.”  Do this while you are watching the news. Think of this and say it to yourself, while looking someone in the eye, as they are griping about the President. Do it and mean it. “I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you.”
Although these messages are mostly for me, thanks for listening. As always – feel free to forward this message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual journey.
Don
#1 December, 2013

Copyright, 2013

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