The Alchemy of Forgiveness

Within my Tarot and Spiritual Counseling sessions I often encounter clients who misunderstand the concept of forgiveness.  I regularly hear spiritual teachers and mentors suggest forgiveness is a key ingredient in the emotional aspect of healing - when it’s accepted that the emotional state has an important relationship with our physical well-being as well as having a strong influence on the reality we create for ourselves, it’s important to get a clear understanding of what’s required so that the healing process is as swift and effective as it can possibly be.

How many times have you been advised to ‘forgive yourself’? For many, the idea can seem perplexing and a professional should never offer this kind of advice to a client without proper explanation - the process of forgiveness is just the beginning in the alchemical flow of transformation. It must be properly followed through to completion to avoid the individual slipping back into the old, unhelpful ways of being.

At the deepest level, we need to recognize the damaging patterns of negative emotions related to a sense of guilt or shame, not being ‘good enough’ or failure associated with low self-worth. The behaviours these emotions create and the projections they offer to others can be thought of as a form of punishment we repeatedly inflict upon ourselves as our external world mirrors our internal state of being.

Once these deep patterns have been recognized, we can more clearly see the mask of self-punishment we wear - it causes us to constantly turn on ourselves and results in a lack of security sad sense of disappointment in life. The process of self-forgiveness is very much about removing this mask - both energetically and through clear insight - so that the root causes of our problems can be exposed.

The root causes vary between individuals, but they are almost always negative resonances deeply ingrained in the psyche, energetic blueprint and DNA. They can stem from past lives, ancestral or inherited issues, pre-conceptual patterns related to the ‘soul contract’, pre-birth or birth trauma, childhood problems or dramatic life events. It takes gut and determination to heal these kinds of issues on every level and the results can vary according to our individual receptiveness to change as well as the skill and sensitivity of the practitioners we choose to work with.

Forgiving others is a slightly different story. It’s another common misconception that this kind of forgiveness involves compromising the self to let go of anger towards or disappointment in the other person in order to create a situation whereby it feels acceptable to remain entwined in a relationship with them. These kinds of relationships often involve some kind of co-dependency or dysfunction whereby each party perpetuates the problematic patterns within the other.

Lovers from the Soulscapes Tarot by Jade Ashcroft © 2012

On a conscious or subconscious level, an addictive connection or sense of need is developed between the parties that can seem almost impossible to break. The patterns behind the behaviour that trigger the anger or disappointment are then simply repeated and we become stuck in an emotional ‘groundhog day’ whereby the need for forgiveness arises again and again.

This is the story behind bad marriages, unpleasant family dynamics and unhappy working relationships. We can recognise this sorry state of affairs in most of the situations that we feel we simply have to put up with because we believe other factors make it necessary for us to connect with those people whose actions trigger the anger, disappointment or sadness that holds us back.

The first concept to be aware of when dealing with this kind of challenge is to recognise that continuing to place oneself in the problematic relationship is most likely to be a result of the low self-worth that requires the process of self-forgiveness I’ve already discussed.

When the root causes of low self-worth are identified and tackled, the anger or disappointment in the other person is often also exposed as being connected to those very same issues and the individual realises the dependency or co-dependency that’s been trapping them is an illusion they can easily transcend. 
Of course, we can work on ourselves, but can never force the other person to make what we perceive to be desperately needed changes. Even if we can persuade them to look at what needs transforming, they have their own inner work to do, and whether they do it is a matter of choice. In many cases, it is necessary to hand back the burdens we have on some level agreed to carry for the other person in the situation and assert our own boundaries when it comes to accepting responsibility.

So what’s the outcome of forgiveness when another person is involved? Sometimes our own process can transform the relationship and both parties can make the shift into a healthier connection. On other occasions, we realise the relationship is no longer needed, since the lessons it had to offer us have been processed and learned; we become empowered with freedom and find the strength to step away. This is very different from running away - since the patterns we create will remain prevalent until dealt with, so it’s never enough to extract ourselves from a relationship or situation without dealing with what’s truly going on beneath the surface.

In my view of existence, since we are the One currently enjoying an experience of separation in the form of human incarnation, the situations around us and people we’re connected with are our own creation. They are simply aspects of ourselves that we have chosen to experience in order to learn the lessons we have contracted to explore. They demand transformation so that we can expand and grow, eventually reaching the point where we realise that we are One again, and we see the dance of life from a totally different perspective.
Forgiveness is deep inner work. It requires self-responsibility, a sense of empowerment and the recognition of our own choice and Free Will. All these concepts are beautiful things that are an integral part of the healing process of the soul’s journey and the flow of awakening consciousness as we shift from duality to Oneness. Now’s the time to use forgiveness to explore freedom as we lift the limitations on our personal potential.

When we know how, it’s simple to move from sadness into joy.

Rhian Kivits – Crystal Priestess
Rhian is a Spiritual Teacher, Crystal & Energy Healing Expert, Writer, TV Presenter, Shamanic Seer, Crystal Skull Guardian & Priestess of the Sacred Feminine based in Glastonbury, UK. She is also co-author of the book ‘Crystal Skulls – a Journey of Wisdom, Experiences and the Divine’ which is due to be published in the Spring. Her website is www.templeofthegoldenheart.com

A Modern Day Witchhunt by Peter Aziz 2012

Many of you may have heard the news last September that I was the first person to be imprisoned for using ayahuasca, a healing vine used in South American religious ceremonies.

To give a little back ground on the situation, I have been practicing as a homeopath, healer and Shaman for over 25 years, and had written to the Home Office before starting ceremonies, to make sure I would not be breaking the law.

I had a letter from them confirming that ayahuasca was not illegal. Over the last 25 years, my studies have taken me all over the World. I spent 4 years training as an ayahuascaro in Peru. I have trained as a Kahuna, Pueblo medicine man, and have been initiated into Vodou to the highest level. I am also a Hindu priest, and was chosen by Kali to be Her Odiya ( A Shaman).

You can read more about my work on my website:

I had built up a very positive reputation for teaching authentic shamanism, and for giving some very effective healings. Previous press releases had been positive; showing major healing taking place, such as getting a crippled child walking. More recently, though, the press has given very negative focus to alternative medicine and spirituality.

The persecution leading up to this case began several years earlier. I had appeared on the TV program, “Trust me, I’m a Healer”. Following this program, I came under heavy slander from a vicious group of doctors who formed a group called Health Watch, for the sole purpose of discrediting natural medicine. At that time, complaints made to the police were rejected, as ayahuasca was not on the controlled substance list. However, after continuous pressure, the police decided to investigate.

I was arrested and put on bail, with the condition that I was could not give any spiritual or healing ceremony of any kind, or give any plant substance of any kind. At this stage, there was not even any charge made, and yet I was stopped from earning a living, and my religious rights completely violated. It took 3 ½ years to finally get me to court, finally deciding to prosecute me for producing and supplying class A drugs, referring to the 0.1% DMT content naturally occurring in the plants.

They argued that since I had brewed the plants into a tea, it was now considered a preparation of DMT. At first I didn’t believe any court could prosecute me for this, as the United Nations convention of psychotropic substances clearly stated that ayahuasca was sufficiently different from pure DMT not to be classified as the same. However, on the first day of the trial it was clear that the police were up to something; with the evil smiles and over-confidence they displayed. It became very clear that this Court was fixed. During the legal discussion, the judge refused any of my defenses to be brought before the jury, and basically told the jury what conclusion they had to come to. Many points of law were ignored, and I was sentenced to 15 months in Prison.

We are all suspicious that the system is corrupt, but you never know how far the corruption goes until you experience it. I had been given a full criminal prosecution for doing healing ceremonies and sending the money to charity. There was no confusion about my motivation, as all witnesses had spoken of the great benefits they got from the ceremonies, and I had a good bunch of character references. What’s more, the police are trying to seize all charity money, as proceeds of crime. Having been in prison, I can honestly say that I have not met any criminal who would stoop so low as to rob charities.

Of course there are big lessons for me in this experience, apart from waking up to the level of corruption, soullessness and pure evil within our leadership. The plants themselves point to the way through this modern crazy world, and I have taken note of the teachings they have been bringing me. I have made good use of my time in incarceration, and treated it as a spiritual retreat, spending many hours every day in meditation. This has only left me stronger in every way. First of all, I was shown how my consciousness has been like certain plants that have been banned for being too useful in helping mankind, such as the ayahuasca, or the cannabis.

Cannabis was seen as a great gift from the Gods because of its usefulness, and I am not just talking about getting high. It provides cloth, building materials, fuel, medicine as well as spiritual teaching. It is because it was so useful that the cotton and timber industries worked on propaganda to get it banned, so it would not threaten their monopoly. Because any nation growing cannabis was assured of wealth, the banks soon helped get it banned, to stop any nation becoming independent of them. So the plants that give the most get themselves totally banned all over the World. I have been through similar lessons.

As a Hindu minister, I have always believed that the highest form of worship was to relieve the suffering of others. This I had dedicated my life to; running healing ceremonies and giving proceeds to charity, feeding starving families. I had put great dedication into this work, only to be stamped on by a corrupt system. This has not turned me from the path, however, far from it. I have just had to become less naïve and much more expansive in my thinking.

There are other sacred plants to take me to the next level. The two teaching me at the moment are chocolate and tobacco. These two plants have already seduced and tamed nations, and are so ingrained into the commercial world that it will be impossible to ban them, no matter how useful they become in healing and raising consciousness. And yet they are both traditional sacred plants used in South American ceremonies. I am discovering great power within them, and a tricky intelligence that will win through all the corruption and bring about the raising of consciousness that is destined. I am involved in dietas with these two plants this year, learning their songs and mastering their ceremonies. They are proving to be powerfully trans-formative, so watch this space. Chocolate may sound like a very pleasant medicine, but there are times you will hate it, as it digs up such deep issues. It is proving to be stronger than ayahuasca.

Of course, the battle over ayahuasca is not over yet. There is an appeal in process, and there are petitions going. Be sure to sign them and put a stop to the witch-hunt before all spiritual practices and natural medicines are taken away. They may have heavily crapped on my old practice, but this is a new beginning. Before giving medicine ceremonies, I am giving some small group workshops from my home, as I have developed some great empowerments to pass on. I will be giving empowerments from Kali’s tantric traditions, to raise kundalina and develop occult powers, and from tenaga dalam, for invulnerability, protection and victory over all obstacles. You can find details of these events on my facebook pageck/134666116580798