At the start of the year I pulled twelve oracle cards; one for each month.
The oracle card I pulled for January was Say You’re Sorry from the Crazy Sexy Love Notes card deck by Kris Carr.
The message of the card was:
Are you carrying around any regret? Is there a relationship that needs healing but you just don’t know what to say? Give your pride a rest and simply start with “I’m sorry”. Take responsibility and acknowledge your role in the situation. Apologise for them and for you. Then let it go and be very proud of yourself. Making amend isn’t easy, but it’s a huge leap forward on your spiritual path. Bravo!
Initially, I was not sure about the message of this card. I couldn’t see how it applied to me or my life.
But when I reflected more deeply, especially about carrying around any regret, taking responsibility and acknowledging my role, I suspected that I needed to apologise to myself.
My 40th birthday is fast approaching and as is common with milestone birthdays, I’ve been reflecting a lot about the past ten years and what I have and have not achieved.
I do have regrets and of course, I have been exploring them in my journal.
Journaling for forgiveness is a powerful pathway to healing and making peace with the past.
I have also been discussing some of my regrets with close friends.
Through journaling and speaking with my closest friends, I have been able to acknowledge where I haven’t always been my best self, where I’ve been too comfortable and where I’ve allowed fear to hold me back.
This has helped me to put things into perspective. Rather than dwelling on where I believe I could or should have been in my life by age 40, I am appreciating what I have achieved and the person I’ve grown into.
I may not have everything I want, but who does?
Life is good and I’m incredibly blessed and that’s what I’ll be focusing on going forward.
Journaling for Forgiveness
Question prompts
- What regret(s) are you carrying around?
- How is/are the regret(s) you’re carrying impacting you and your life?
- Which relationship(s) in your life need healing?
- Who do you need to apologise to?
- What do you need to apologise for?
- Until now, what has stopped you from apologising?
- How does the thought of apologising make you feel?
- Which situation(s) in your life do you need to take responsibility for?
- What may you have to give up in order to apologise?
- What will happen going forward if you choose not to apologise or resolve outstanding conflict?
You can work through the prompts in the order they’re listed, choose the ones that you’re most drawn to or, start with the ones you feel the most resistance to.
Quote prompts
- “It is never too late to make things right.” – Unknown
- “Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.” – Bruce Lee
- “Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.” – Les Brown
- “An apology is a statement of regret. As important as that is, apologizing differs from asking for forgiveness.” – Marianne Clyde
- “I have learned that sometimes “sorry” is not enough. Sometimes you actually have to change.” – Claire London
Quote prompts can be a good alternative to questions.
Simply write about what a quote makes you feel or any thoughts or memories it triggers.
Journaling for forgiveness can be challenging and these prompts could trigger difficult emotions or painful memories so be gentle with yourself.
If you need to, take a break and return to the prompts at another time.
Also, remember to follow on Instagram for more journaling prompts to inspire your journaling practice.
Journaling and therapeutic writing can surface emotions that may require you to seek support from a professional. You can find links to support resources here.
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