From the Editor
Forgiveness is Big Medicine
By Yvette Neshi Lokotz
“How does one know if she has forgiven? You tend to feel sorrow over the circumstance instead of rage, you tend to feel sorry for the person rather than angry with him. You tend to have nothing left to say about it all.” — Clarissa Pinkola Estes
I love this quote about forgiveness, as Clarissa raises a few good points. We have read and heard much about why it is important to practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is good for the soul, for our consciousness, for our peace of mind. However, in Clarissa’s quote, she raises the question or rather a pondering, of how do we know there has been forgiveness.
Forgiveness as a noun is about the act of forgiving. Forgiving is an adjective that describes the understanding or allowing of weakness or error. The word forgive is a verb, an action, or behavior. Forgive is defined as, “to cease to feel resentment against an offender, to give up resentment of or claim to requital; or, to grant relief from payment of a debt.” https://www. merriam-webster.com/dictionary From this definition we can identify forgiveness in ourselves if we stop feeling resentful, or we feel relief, even if it is about monetary payment. The feeling is the key to realizing there has been forgiveness.
Star Nations Magazine • June 2020 • 4
The feeling of emotions, such as rage, sorrow, anger, and disappointments begin to fade. These feelings are not triggered as much by certain words or behavior. I believe that forgiving by the aggrieved is meant to take away or alleviate the negative feelings over time. This forgiveness heals the emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical wounds. The person receiving the forgiving, the one who caused the hurt or pain, may or may not even know they have been forgiven by the aggrieved. They have their own part of the journey of forgiveness that may lead to alleviating their rage, anger, sorrow, and disappointment.
Credit: 李磊瑜伽_Pixabay.com
Clarissa Pinkola Estes is one of my favorite authors. I listen to most of her work on Audible books. Listening to her read to me is one of my favorite daily, morning events as I shower, brush my teeth, and fix my hair.
