Guided Forgiveness Meditation by Delson Armstrong

Welcome to the Guided Forgiveness Meditation Practice. Find a comfortable sitting position, whether that's sitting cross-legged on the floor, or on a mat, or sitting normally in a chair. Do what works for you. Sit straight, keep your back straight, keep your neck straight, and look in front. Close your eyes, and as you close your eyes, notice. Notice how most of the light is cut off from your visual sense.

And notice and pay attention to the darkness behind your eyelids. Take a deep breath and exhale, and as you exhale, feel the muscles in your body relax and the tension that's built up in the back, in the shoulders, in the neck, in the head, in the chest. Relax and dissipate and melt away. Put on a little smile on your face.

Feel that smile in your eyes, in your mind, and in your heart, and relax. There's nowhere to be right now, nowhere to go, just be here in the present and relax. This is your time, this is your space, this is your dimension of forgiveness. I want you to think in your mind these words: "I forgive myself for not understanding.

I forgive myself for not understanding. I forgive myself for not understanding. And as you hear these words in your mind, allow them to sink into your heart and really feel that warmth of forgiveness in your heart. Allow that warmth to embrace your heart and truly feel that forgiveness for yourself. No one deserves more forgiveness than you do right now. Give whatever comes up in your mind, whatever ideas and concepts of what you might have done in the past, let it go and let it dissipate like clouds in an infinite sky of forgiveness.

Let whatever images come up dissipate and disappear in the warmth of forgiveness. Imagine that warmth of forgiveness radiating throughout your body and embracing you, giving you a warm, fuzzy, cuddly bear hug. yourself hugging you right now. Whatever you've done in the past, just let it go. You are here now, a different person, a better person, with wisdom and clarity.

Allow any thoughts of the past, of any shame or guilt, to just be let go. Forgive yourself and just bask in the knowledge and vision that indeed you are forgiven because you forgive yourself. And right now that is what is important. Just rest in that knowledge, rest in that awareness of forgiveness. Thank you. And as you feel that forgiveness, perhaps your mind might wander and perhaps your attention may waver, and if you see this happening, just recognize that the mind has wandered. Release your awareness from those thoughts

from those distractions, and relax the mind and body as you come back to the mind and body and relax. Come back to the smile and come back to the warmth of forgiveness in your heart. Any time you feel distracted and your mind pays too much attention to any of the background thoughts that might be present and becomes distracted, just recognize that it was distracted.

Release your awareness. Come back to the mind and body. Release any tension in the mind and body. Come back to the smile and deepen into that forgiveness and just bask and rest in that glow of forgiveness. Really feel it. Just be here in that embrace of forgiveness. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. If the mind brings up people in your life that you have held on to for too long who may have wronged you, who may have disturbed you, who may have betrayed you,

who may have hurt and harmed you. Whoever comes up, let them be there and let them face you. And look them in the eyes and, in your mind, say these words: I forgive you for not understanding. I forgive you for not understanding. "I forgive you for not understanding." As you look at them in the eyes and say these words, really feel from your heart that energy of forgiveness being sent out to this person, and let that person be enveloped in that forgiveness, and really feel that letting go, that release, that relaxation, that complete blanket of forgiveness around yourself and around them.

Like a breath of fresh air, you forgive them and allow them to be forgiven. Really feel it and let them feel it. Let them know that you forgive them and that all is well. And again, if the mind wanders and your attention wavers and the background thoughts that might be present start to pull your attention away, or any other distraction pulls it away,

just recognize that distraction. Release your awareness. Come back to mind and body. Relax the tension. Come back to the smile. And come back to forgiving that person. And just stay here and truly forgive them, because in forgiving we let go of all that pain and suffering. We unburden our shoulders from countless hours and days of pain and suffering and trauma. Just feel that burden being lifted off of you as you feel that forgiveness for yourself and for the other person. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And when the mind is ready

it will let go of that person, and there may be another person, and you do the same thing. Just forgive this other person with the same words: I forgive you for not understanding. Let those words sink in to your being and let it just energize the other person with forgiveness, and just feel that connection as you unburden yourself from all that pain and suffering and stress.

And keep doing this for every person that comes up. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And if there is a situation or an event or circumstances that you recall in which things did not go your way, which caused you pain and suffering and trauma, if those memories start to arise, let them be there and just watch and observe and relax, relax, relax.

You are not in that same situation now. You are now in the present moment, which no longer carries the weight of that previous situation or those previous circumstances. And as you see those circumstances, if you want, you can say in your mind, "I forgive the situation for happening." And just let it go and know in your heart that you are no longer burdened by that situation, because you have forgiven yourself and you have forgiven the people in that situation and you have let go of those circumstances.

And your mind and your heart are unburdened by the heaviness of any of that trauma, by any of those terrible memories. Just let go, let go, and let go. And as you let go, watch that situation just wisp away, wisp away, and disappear completely. And in its place now is the present moment, where you are safe and forgiven and forgiving.

And you are unburdened and healed of that situation. Your mind unravels itself to come back to the present, where all is well now. Your heart unravels itself to the present moment, where all is well now. And keep doing this for any memories that might arise, for any situations in the past that come into your mind's eye. And remember, whenever you get distracted, just recognize it, release your awareness, come back to mind and body, relax the tension, come back to the smile, and come back to that forgiving energy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And perhaps there is a need to be forgiven.

Perhaps you have done things to another person and never had a chance to reconcile with them. Whoever that person is, let them come into your vision, your mind's vision, and let them be there. Look them straight in the eye, and let them look straight in the eye to you, and listen to what they say, as they say to you in your mind and in your heart, "I forgive you for not understanding.

And let those words from that person flow into your heart. And really feel that forgiveness as they smile at you and really forgive you for whatever it is that you might have done. Let go of all that guilt and shame, because in this moment, in this exchange of forgiveness, they have forgiven you and you have forgiven them, and all is well. Bask in that vision and knowledge of forgiveness, and let go and experience that closure as your mind and heart unburden themselves of the thoughts and feelings of guilt and shame of holding on for too long and for the need for closure. For now, you are experiencing that closure as you let that forgiveness embrace you and let go and relax. Thank you. Thank you.