How do you respond/react upon hearing news of tragedies, especially those perpetrated by humans, such as the Paris or Brussels attacks? Do you get angry? Do you pray? Do you want to retaliate? Do you feel helpless and hopeless?
I feel the effects in my energetic body without cognitively knowing what the cause is (I do not follow media news for very specific reasons.) When I later learn of an event, its time of occurrence often coincides with my noticing that something is “off”.
At the moment I hear of the corresponding event and for days afterward, I send out Reiki and healing prayers to all involved, including those who have caused it. Then I begin to sing, as I did shortly after I picked my sobbing self up off the floor in the wake of the Paris attacks.
Often I will incorporate Ho’oponopono* – a tool for atonement (at-one-ment), for correcting errors, erasing the effects of past actions and memories that cause havoc and grief in our lives, the lives of others and on Mother Nature as a whole.
In its simplest form, Ho’oponopono is four statements:
I am sorry.
Please forgive me.
I love you.
Thank you.
I read this beautifully written and specifically directed Ho’oponopono on a friend’s Facebook page after the attacks on Paris.
Read through it and share with me your experience of doing so in the Comments.
“Dear Human,
I’m sorry you feel such rage that you need to lash out.
Please forgive me for any part I may have played in fueling this rage.
I thank you for the opportunity to become more aware of my actions.
I love you.
I’m sorry you feel such extreme fear that you feel the urge to commit atrocious acts.
Please forgive me for not being attuned to your fears.
I thank you for the opportunity to become more aware of my actions.
I love you.
I’m sorry your heart is so confused that you have lost your connection to love.
Please forgive me for not having the courage to love despite its absence.
I thank you for the opportunity to become more aware of my actions.
I love you.
I’m sorry you feel so threatened by the world that you cannot find your place in it.
Please forgive me for any part I may have played in destabilizing it.
I thank you for the opportunity to become more aware of my actions.
I love you.
I’m sorry you will never experience that feeling of calm that comes from feeling safe.
Please forgive me for not doing more to create a safe haven.
I thank you for the opportunity to become more aware of my actions.
I love you.
I’m sorry that you believe destruction and hatred can lead to the outcomes you seek.
Please forgive me for having contributed to this belief.
I thank you for the opportunity to become more aware of my actions.
I love you.
I’m sorry you have misheard the calling of your Creator.
Please forgive me for not echoing louder the call to unconditional love.
I thank you for the opportunity to become more aware of my actions.
I love you.”
I believe that a large part of our purpose on earth is to act as caretakers: of the earth, the animals and of each other, in order to create and luxuriate in a world of joy, abundance, peace, love and freedom. For everyone, not just for some of us.
Offering this version of Ho’oponopono to those we may find difficult to love, is one way to be part of the healing.
Namaste.
*Thank you to the content on There Is A Way for the definition of Ho’oponopono and other insights shared in this post.