Step Eight and a Half in the Raw Vegan Hero's Journey

8 ½. I practice forgiveness
Inspired by the mythical Hero’s Journey first compiled in The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (photos are of famous, recognizable characters on their own journeys).

The infamous scene from Ghost

Forgiveness: Why is this included in a series about The Raw Vegan Hero’s Journey? It’s tied into emotional eating. Speaking for myself, I realized a few days ago that I was holding on to anger and resentment, primarily at myself. A friend of mine told me that depression is anger turned onto oneself. So what was I angry about? Choices I had made. Things I had said. Once I began forgiving me, I stopped craving food which didn’t serve me, like sugary sweet stuff. This process is a new one. But I can feel the emotional difference already.

The women of Why Did I Get Married?

Forgiveness is, to me, one of the hardest spiritual lessons to practice. It’s easy to point fingers and say, “But you don’t know what he/she/they did to me.” If, as a child, you were wronged (abused, molested, raped, teased, bullied), that was not your fault. But it was your experience. As an adult, it’s now your responsibility to do what you want with the hurt and pain. Would you rather walk around angry blaming others for what they did to you, or would you rather be free of that pain living an amazing, happy life? One type of life certainly feels better than the other. The key is forgiveness.

This topic is far too big to deal with in one blog post. But forgiveness will open your heart. Don't wait until you are on your death bed before you acknowledge the need to forgive others.

Resources:

- Read the April 5th issue of People magazine. There’s an interview with David Smith, Susan Smith’s ex-husband. Fifteen years ago, Susan Smith killed their children. David’s story of forgiveness is a powerful one.

- Any book about forgiveness and how to achieve it.

Love,
Althea

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Step Eight and a Half in the Raw Vegan Hero's Journey