by Omer Day 45
1 Sivan 5780
Sunday 24 May 2020
Forgiveness is a tricky thing. Who is the primary beneficiary of forgiveness? Is it the person or thing being forgiven? Is it the one doing the forgiving? A bit of both? Are there wrongs too deep and hurtful to ever be forgiven?
We are not experts in either forgiveness or restorative justice over here, but we do know that carrying onto hurts and wounds can be a heavy burden for all of us. Forgiving someone doesn’t exonerate them from their actions and impact, but finding a level of forgiveness that allows you to release yourself of that burden may bring some welcome distance and relief.
Both strength and compassion are important features of sovereignty. In yesterday’s practice we defined and strengthened the boundaries around our sovereign selves. For today’s practice of Tiferet within Malkhut — compassion within sovereignty — we tap into the archetype of the compassionate, forgiving monarch who gives pardon and shows mercy.
Plus — Chodesh Tov! Today is the first day of the month of Sivan. Among other things, Sivan was the beginning of the wheat harvest in ancient Israel and the time when bikkurim, the choice first fruits and grains, were brought to the Temple in Jerusalem to be offered as sacrifice. In Sivan today, we might consider how to symbolically release ownership over the first fruits of our work (in the case of farmers and growers, this may still be quite literal) in a showing of gratitude and collective compassion.
☀️Omer Day 45 practice [1 Sivan 5780 | Sunday 24 May 2020]☀️
- In a journal or notebook, write down 3-5 harms or wrongs you’ve been inflicted by that are still weighing on you or that you haven’t been able to let go of.
- For each of these instances, next note what is keeping you from letting go — eg the person who did it has never apologized; or the hurt feels too large to drop; or … ?
- Next, note what would need to happen in order to let go of the harm, and forgive the person or situation from which it came. In some cases, this might be that the time is ready and you simply haven’t let go, in which case take a deep breath and try to release yourself of this burden right now. In other cases, further action and repair may be needed.
- If more repair is needed, assess for which harms you have a realistic ability to impact, and feel capable and ready to address. Make a plan for how to go about doing so. If there are harms that are beyond your control or are too large to address in this moment, make a note and set them aside for later … do, however, think about what it would take to address even these largest of hurts, and how it would feel to be able to let them go, and consider when and how that might happen.
🌀Materials🌀
- Journal and writing utensil
- Compassion
- Presence
☀️This post is part of our Omer Wellness Series – a daily 7-minute opportunity for introspection and intentional focus on caring for ourselves, each other, and our environment in this incredibly challenging time.☀️
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