Facing the Past with Present-Moment Awareness
Re: Repentance=Rebirth
Posted by Ellen on Jan-3-01 3:57pm
(In reply to: Repentance=Rebirth posted by Jana on Jan-3-01 11:31am)
"Repentence isn't sorrow for the past. The past is dead and isn't worth a moments grief. Repentance is a change of mind, a radically different vision of Reality." Anthony De Mello
Actions out of that change in awareness, may bring about a balance to and congruence with one's relationships. This may entail facing with others in a new light where the past is presently active as a divisive or distorting factor. I would agree not to waste energy on the past and to recreate now but feel a responsibilty towards the realities created from a presently active past. In that sense the past is not dead, until it is faced with the light of present moment awareness.
I say this (or am sensitive to this) because I have known people who have abused others in their relationships, have a shift in awareness and change their behaviour from now on, though totally divorced from and in denial of the past and the reverberations of their past behaviour (stemming from a conscious disconnect and sense of separation from the world around them - and at an even more essential and emotional level, with themselves). I would not invalidate their shift in awareness or their "radically different vision of reality" but say that it had not integrated to the level of the heart (as one heart)and their own self-forgiveness so as to be able to face the past with themselves and therefore others. This extends to being limited in their authenticity through relationship in the present moment too. In that sense, this new light may be overshadowed by a presently active past calling for the attention of love through its shadow reverberations.
Posted by Ellen on Jan-3-01 3:57pm
(In reply to: Repentance=Rebirth posted by Jana on Jan-3-01 11:31am)
"Repentence isn't sorrow for the past. The past is dead and isn't worth a moments grief. Repentance is a change of mind, a radically different vision of Reality." Anthony De Mello
Actions out of that change in awareness, may bring about a balance to and congruence with one's relationships. This may entail facing with others in a new light where the past is presently active as a divisive or distorting factor. I would agree not to waste energy on the past and to recreate now but feel a responsibilty towards the realities created from a presently active past. In that sense the past is not dead, until it is faced with the light of present moment awareness.
I say this (or am sensitive to this) because I have known people who have abused others in their relationships, have a shift in awareness and change their behaviour from now on, though totally divorced from and in denial of the past and the reverberations of their past behaviour (stemming from a conscious disconnect and sense of separation from the world around them - and at an even more essential and emotional level, with themselves). I would not invalidate their shift in awareness or their "radically different vision of reality" but say that it had not integrated to the level of the heart (as one heart)and their own self-forgiveness so as to be able to face the past with themselves and therefore others. This extends to being limited in their authenticity through relationship in the present moment too. In that sense, this new light may be overshadowed by a presently active past calling for the attention of love through its shadow reverberations.
posted by sunyalila at 2:46 PM
2 Comments:
I re-read this post. As you know, previously I was moved by your post to write about forgiveness on my blog. (Although begun and dated before, it was finished and published after, this post.) The thought that occurred to me on this read was to note that light knows no darkness. Hence, the appearance of any shadow is an invitation to take a look, as you say, in the light of present moment awareness.
nothingmissing said...
"I re-read this post. As you know, previously I was moved by your post to write about forgiveness on my blog. (Although begun and dated before, it was finished and published after, this post.) The thought that occurred to me on this read was to note that light knows no darkness. Hence, the appearance of any shadow is an invitation to take a look, as you say, in the light of present moment awareness."
yes, i see it as an invitation to take a look - it calls for attention. in that sense, darkness is an expression of the light, birthed to potentiate the light. as i once said, "it is like a double agent of the divine", and being consciously blind of knowing itself is a perfect potentiating element to catalyze and inspire through and as this lila, its ever deeper and more dimensional self-experience and illumination.
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