36. How Forgiveness Can Set You Free
About the episode:
About today’s guest, Mark Anthony Lord: Mark is a versatile and accomplished spiritual leader who has made a significant impact in both the arts and spirituality. His illustrious career began as a professional choreographer and director, including a notable three-year tenure at Disney, and he has since honed his spiritual acumen through studying with some of the most revered spiritual teachers, such as Michael Beckwith, Marianne Williamson, Gay & Katie Hendricks, and Byron Katie. To learn more about Mark, go here: https://markanthonylord.me/about/
Today, Mark and I discuss:
What forgiveness is
How to reach forgiveness
How forgiveness relates to grief
How it can free you from judgment, anger, and pain
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Listen to “How Forgiveness Can Set You Free” Deleted Scenes
Quotes:
"I would define forgiveness as a letting go. What it does is forgiveness actually works in our own minds. It’s not even about...the activation of it and the process of it happens within our minds."
"Forgiveness is like something that cuts the cord to that and can make that story disappear for you in a way that is from the energy of love."
"Ultimately, real forgiveness...includes things like this deep knowing that everything actually went perfectly. This deep knowing that nothing you could have done or not done would have made any difference."
"In the beginning? It’s so simple. All you’re asked to do is you have to ask that it be done. And all you have to say is, I ask that forgiveness set me free."
"Most people don’t give forgiveness enough of a chance and it requires continual—like how often do you forgive? Often, as much as you possibly can until you feel that freedom."
“My definition of forgiveness is a mystical something that is done unto you. So it’s not something that we do... You activate forgiveness by asking, you don’t do it. You don’t even know how to do that.”
“You don’t even need to be spiritual, but you do need to be willing to... believe in some kind of higher power or higher thought, or whichever way... there’s something kind of greater than the part of you that is stuck in the problem.”
“Grief like forgiveness takes as long as it takes. And the more we honor that, the more we give space for that - it’s a paradox - the faster it works, you know?”
“The whole point is as long as you’re here, there’s something that... there’s some point of view that you have on life, on yourself, on people... what will happen if you make forgiveness a way of life?”
“...the miracle of forgiveness will dissolve the pain. It will release you from the story and it will place you on higher ground, where it cannot touch you.”