image: Shinjan Patra
Sometimes , reality makes us to visit another dimension of life , where the thoughts of our usual experiences may awe – struck for a moment , pause for a while , and quite unexpectedly , impel us to feel more in a contemplative way , leading our consciousness to find an uncommon sense of reality , where we may be surprised to see how one`s mundane self and divine self can intertwine together to make a magical harmony . Such was an incident that I encountered during my fifteen days stay at Pondicherry . There in my surroundings, I came to know about a lady , named Jenipher who was professionally a spiritual healer and running her own center, ` A Healer`s Cottage`, during that period. I didn`t know why , but some inner force was continually telling me to visit her cottage only for once , since I reached over there . You may think what had been so special about her work that made me to feel that way. But, don`t get impatient , my dear , as there in lies the magic itself that I was telling you, just at the beginning of this blog.
I still remember that day, I went to meet her . When I met her for the first time , I was deeply moved by her unusual calmness , even at the face of someone`s continuous resentment towards her . “ You need not to worry at all , I`ll be always by your side Joseph …” She said , while comforting an old man, nearly of her age who was continually trying to draw her attention, yet never allowing himself to treat her in a respectful manner. But surprisingly enough that was not bringing any discomfort or irritation on her face . In spite of that person`s bitterness towards her , she was still calm and benevolent as ever before . But her single address towards that person was enough for me to comprehend that this was the same man, that same Joseph with whom she was deeply in love with , about twenty years back . I was not only moved , but heavily astonished to see her behavior towards that person who once left her out in the cold , and never looked back , how she had been, all through those years . How is it possible for one to forget all about those incidents and engage herself to look after that same person , in the same way after twenty years ? Somehow , I couldn`t make myself prepare to comprehend the matter. Some questions were still loitering in my mind, while her intuition suddenly caught that and exclaimed in a surprising manner; “ It is only because of him , that today I`m here … and you`re at this cottage , my dear !” She said, leaving me only to glance at her with my startling face. I didn`t find any expression but somehow got managed to utter ; “ Is this the same person? I mean !…” I fumbled and chose to be silent. But that silence was enough for her to continue that secret that she had buried , deep inside her for a long time . But never found anyone to share ; “ Yes , it`s been true that Joseph is that same person who didn`t show any mercy to push me into that never ending darkness from where survival can only be considered as a myth ! in spite of that when I plunged, deep into that darkness, quite in a paradoxical way, I got realized that Joseph`s betrayal was nothing but only acted as a stimulus to bring me back to my real self. Though, for that particular time, the entire world had been collapsed for me , as he abandoned our relation for someone else. But I didn`t know from where I get that strength, started to feel a mysterious force within that came in a surprising way and guided me not only to heal that wound, but inspired to build this cottage for those wounded souls who want to be loved and healed .” She paused for a moment , took a deep breath, then started again; “ … during those painful nights , a divine guidance , I always felt inside my heart , propelling me to move forward . When I used to sit , out on the porch, late at night , sometimes to forget Joseph , sometimes to forgive my past, I never felt , that divine guidance was leaving me altogether , rather always felt that as an energy of assurance and protection .” She sighed . “But how did you come together again ? Are you still in love with him ?” I asked in utter astonishment. She smiled gently, then expressed only fewer words for that day ; “ May be , Destiny brought us back together, may be for an unknown reason or may be to feel that divine guidance , deep into our heart , to heal someone and to be healed once again …. You may be surprised ! But still I`m in love with him , but this time this love is not of that passion and expectations, but of compassion and humanity that has that inherent power, within to forgive and heal that same person who once abandoned you but now , is at stake !”
Though it was a dusky afternoon , but still I could feel that tears came into her eyes. But I was sure enough that those tears were not like those of usual remorse or sorrow , but of a contentment that one can have only through the power of forgiveness ( that always speaks for a higher level of love and compassion) . That afternoon we couldn`t talk much. We were sitting side by side as the evening silently crawled over the garden only to make us feel as two blurry figures, expressing nothing but perceiving that silence for a moment to lay bare an implicit truth ; the inherent truth of our existence where in lies the law of nature that never allows us to sabotage ourselves for the sake of taking revenge on others , rather inspires us to stay calm , forgive those persons and evolve in a way that nature always wants us to be.
Accept the truth and cast off the spell of your ego
I know , it would be quite difficult for you to forgive someone who had pushed you towards that darkest corner of a labyrinthine tunnel from where life seems to be only as morbid creature , aimlessly trying to figure out the true meaning of survival. You may even feel yourself as an abandoned object, loitering on this earth without any purpose , without any worth as before. Right at this moment , you may want to shrill , may even want to reach out to that person in order to give him / her the right lesson that he/ she deserves to learn . Sometimes, you may be successful in doing so . If it`s considered to be as a success , in a true sense of comprehension ! But , sometimes you can`t, but hopelessly engage yourself to build an elusive castle of your ego, not only to take revenge on that person , but also to satisfy your false, shadow self that continually tempts you to take revenge on that person, keeping you unknown of the adversities that may hurt you in a paradoxical way . Though it`s utterly difficult for you to forget all of those incidents with a wink of an eye , but let me assure you , I`m not telling you to forget those altogether but to forgive those , not for the sake of those haters, but for you as well.
Whenever these thoughts of revenge will come into your mind , just try to ask yourself some simple questions ; Is it truly relevant to take that revenge? Is this the ideal truth that you`re seeking for ? Where in lies that truth ? Is this the real purpose of your existence on this planet ? Here , my intention is not to baffle you any longer . But, just try to think for once . During the course of this thinking , your shadow self may hinder you back , making you feel , once again as only a tool at your ego`s hand that does nothing but only provokes you to think in countless ways to plot against someone . But for god`s sake , never allow yourself to do that . And even if you`re thinking to do so , you`re not only sabotaging yourself but depriving your being to be aligned to your true self , your eternal center , the center of your inherent life force . And there in lies the truth itself , the truth of one`s soul , the truth of eternity as well .
Let`s surrender to the divine and discover the best version of yourself :
Some of you may think that forgiveness is nothing but only an attribute that some virtuous persons can only possess within themselves . Though , to some extent its been true . But I would rather tell you that forgiveness is not only some sort of virtue that we already have, but an inherent strength of our soul that always leads us to grow within , to evolve not only on a psychological basis but also on a spiritual level from where life is all about to search within , to descend down into the depth and discover a newer version of yourself that you`ve never seen before . Whenever you`re forgiving someone, it acts as a stimulus for you to find your inner truth , the balance within yourself that you may have lost in a fit of anger or resentment or during the time when you decide to take revenge on others , completely forgetting the fact that your true purpose on this planet is not taking revenge or plotting against someone else but to identify what the universe is trying to tell you , while you`re encountering those unforgivable incidents. Is it trying to inspire you to grow within ? Or , inspiring you once again to be aligned to your true spiritual center that once you left behind ?
Though, on a conscious level of thinking you may have an idea that being judgmental is far more easy than to be compassionate. But your thoughts may change , if you probe deep into it . Then you may realize that in order to feel your being in its true essence , you need to open your heart, release all the thoughts of your past hurts and allow your soul to evolve in a self- cognitive way . At this juncture , a poem that`s coming into my mind, I would like to share with you ;
“ While the flames of revenge will burn ,
Melting you inside,
never allow them to burn
For a long, but peep Inside,
There you may feel,
the nest of a dove
to heal your wound,
may be, for a higher glide !”
I think , it would be wise enough to feel the essence of your inner seed that`s been always helping you to recognize your inner worth and gently caresses your wounds, reminding you , once again that the flames you`re burning for others , not only burning them but also trying to engulf your entity as a whole . And while you`re doing that , quite unconsciously , you`re also unable to recognize yourself . And here comes the identity crisis that automatically propels you to feel only as a hopeless creature, helplessly trapped inside the spell of your self created inferno , from where you may not find any escape , except playing the game , named as `Tit for Tat`. You may also feel an utter deprivation of your spiritual center that`s eternally inbred into the deepest layer of your being and continually inspiring you to lead your consciousness towards that dimension where your soul can have her ideal recluse, that eternal peace and harmony .
But while you`re thinking about your past traumas , the betrayals that once broke you up into some fragmented pieces, you`re blocking your soul to move forward. You`re hindering her path once again to get that ideal manifestation that she longed for, since eternity. Though to some extent, it may be impossible for you to forget all of those past injuries altogether. But while your soul , your eternal mate is continually wishes to move forward, breaking all the lineage of those past traumas , you can not indulge in brooding over those for long . In this connection , I would rather suggest you, if not possible to forgive those persons who have done wrong to you , just try to surrender yourself to that ultimate divine energy that surrounds the universe as well as your entity and allow your soul to recreate herself, once again in a newer, empowering way . And there with the help of that self- cognition , you yourself may realize , how to forgive others in order to enlighten yourself not only for the sake of detoxing others , but for your own detoxification as well .
Now let`s enlighten yourself for a newer Dawn :
In this section , I would like to lay bare that implicit truth , that once I and Jenipher felt , while conversing at her `Healers’ cottage` but paused for a while for an unknown reason and found ourselves as only two living entities, expressing nothing but contemplating a higher truth inside , the truth of empathy, the truth of love , the truth in the power of forgiving someone and the truth of humanity as well . But , one more thing I also had realized that day . That is the truth of lifewardness , the truth of continuity that your soul always yearns to have , since the primordial time of your existence . And that`s why you can never ignore her higher calling . She`s continually trying to rejuvenate your inner self , preparing you to blur all those past injuries in the light of a divine guidance . To make it comprehensible , in a simpler way , I would suggest that forgiving someone is not an overnight project to accomplish, rather preparing your higher self to expand your consciousness towards that dimension from where you can only throw off all your animalistic vengeance against someone, and channelize that higher energy towards that way where God`s love and benevolence are always waiting to introduce before you a different region of divinity and selflessness . And when you`ll reach at that state of your mind , automatically you may have a feeling to pray ( for some higher needs ) not only for the sake of yourself but also for the sake of that person who once had mistreated you in an unpleasant way. But let me assure you , if possible at that very moment , try to believe on yourself, your inner worth . Try to trust on the supreme power of God , inherent within your being.
Here I would like to tell you one simple thing that forgiveness is not only that state of your mind that you have within , since eternity , rather it can be considered as a form of protection from the divine to heal your soul in a spontaneous way , that always wishes to have that tranquility , peace inside. Though we`re not aware of it , in a tangible way , but this very nature of forgiving someone , we already possess within . But we never allow ourselves to open our heart and see what the universe is trying to tell us in a secretive way ! If you pay heed to that , you may feel the presence of that divine energy that Jenipher once felt during the time of her disaster . Whenever you`re going through such crisis for someone else`s fault , inflicted upon you , remember one thing , my dear . Just try to trust on the inherent power of your higher self that`s eternally connected to that ultimate divine energy , pervading the entire universe and responsible for this wonderful creation. Though on a primary level, you may not believe on it . You may even think it as only a fantasy to be lulled with . But trust me , this is not like that but something higher than our habitual observations . If you want to feel that energy and heal yourself by your own , here I`m giving you some suggestions. You can try these if these suit you :
- If possible , first try to sit under the open sky from where the vast expansion is clearly visible . If not , try to practice it in a room of your comfort , but definitely in a state of recluse . And remember one more thing that during that time you need to be very much grounded with your own being, both consciously and unconsciously .
- Now center yourself . Take a deep breath . Lets try to feel an ease both in your mind and in your body as well . Now try to feel that whatever happened in the past , happened for a reason . The reason may be incomprehensible at first . But it`ll be revealed in the due course of time.
- Now ask yourself one simple question ; `Was that the right way for that person to treat you?` Obviously your answer will be `No` . But let me assure you that this utterance `no` is not coming from your Inner self. Instead , it`s utterly coming from your conscious self , or sometimes from your ego self . But don`t get bothered ! It`s quite natural for all of us to have this answer . Particularly , while you`re going through such unbearable pain for someone else . You can not forgive him/her at first .
- But now just try to probe deep into your mind , into the deepest region from where your consciousness always guides you to have a different vision . Now ask yourself one question ; Is this the same you who once cherished for something great ? Or is this real you who is now ruminating over the past hurts , past regrets for not getting that chance enough to treat that person in the same way ? If you`re getting your answers , then its great ! Then I think , your higher self is already aligned to that divine energy . But if not , then try to ask to that divine energy. Ask for some help .
- Now lets pray for His assistance . Try to calm your mind and listen to your intuition . He`ll never guide you in a wrong way . First pray for yourself , then pray for them who once had hurt you , pushed you towards those dark dungeons , pray for those who once disrespected you , pray for those who never treated you the way you deserved , pray for those whose hatred sometimes leaded you to take some unpleasant decisions, pray for those who judged you in a wrong way , pray even for those situations that once compelled you to do some fatal mistakes in your life .
- Now pause for a while . Take a deep breath and complete your prayer not with the hope that God is going to take care of all of your burdens and sorrows (Though surely He does that , as through this process of self healing ) Instead , complete it with a deep belief on the eternal healing power of the universe , with the belief that forgiving someone is not weakening your soul`s power but empowering it more with His divine grace and profound love . And in the process of doing so, you may feel that the vast expansion is listening to you and preparing you once again , for an enlightenment to feel the divinity , within your being , once again that your soul always cherishes to have , since eternity .
- Now lets try to feel that you`re forgiving them not in an imaginative way , not in the way where fantasy comes along with the thoughts of our realities , but in the way where reality itself speaks for forgiveness, speaks for inviting a different world of humanity.
And here in lies , I think the victory itself , the victory of your being that always prefers to be aligned to your true self , your true purpose. Though we all know what victory is . Or what it should be like . But never wished to comprehend it in a real sense. On a mere level of understanding it may appear as a synonym of `success` , a word that often we like to utter in a way of showing our material accomplishments. But the actual essence of it lies elsewhere. It doesn`t mean in the way of taking revenge against someone for their deeds , not in the way of mourning over some past griefs, but in the way while you`re getting enlightened for a higher purpose of your life , leaving all the past traumas behind and moving on , once again to embrace the highest truth that only the nature knows , like the truth of `Healer`s Cottage` that once built by that betrayed yet enlightened soul of Jenipher.
