A Soul Scripting exercise for reclaiming forgiveness

You don’t need to be ready to forgive in order to practice what it might feel like to do so. This short writing practice – one of the all-time most popular and most powerful Soul Scripting exercises – allows you to simply play with the language of forgiveness. It can be really cathartic and a great way to bring positive, loving energy into an otherwise challenging scenario.

If there is a person in your life that you feel has wronged you in some way, then thinking about them probably carries a charge. Maybe when you consider that person, or a particular situation that involves them, you feel a tightening somewhere in your body, or you notice challenging thoughts come into your mind. Practising forgiveness, even if you absolutely don’t feel able to forgive, may well ease those feelings. 

This exercise isn’t about the person or situation your feel challenged by. Every Soul Scripting exercise is a self empowerment tool, designed to help your give yourself a bit of loving care.

The forgiveness exercise – a Soul Scripting favourite 

Grab a piece of scrap paper. Tell yourself that you are going to tear it to tiny pieces after you finish writing; nobody need ever read it, including you.

Write the person’s name at the top of the page, then write them a letter of forgiveness, whether you mean it or not!

There are many different ways to begin your letter but my favourite opening lines are:

I don’t forgive you but if I did I’d say….

I forgive myself for not forgiving you for….

Those openings give you total permission to write whatever you like, don’t they? Nobody’s going to read what you write. You don’t even mean it, so go to town! 

Practice the language of forgiveness. Play with the words and notice how you feel as you do. If you can, write in a stream of consciousness. Keep your hand moving, without thinking too deeply about what appears on the page. The resulting piece of writing might be messy. It might even be nonsensical. Who cares? 

You have total permission to let whatever wants to come out, flow onto the paper.

Check in with yourself afterwards. Notice how you feel. Has anything happened to that charge you felt at the start? What physical sensations are present now? How do you feel about the situation, the person, yourself and the subject of forgiveness?

You might be surprised. Words really are magic. Go to town with them; cast some spells. Let me know how it goes.