The Alchemy of Forgiveness:

How many of us are quietly carrying old hurts? It can feel like wearing a heavy backpack filled with bitterness and resentment. That extra weight slows us down and keeps us from fully experiencing the beauty of our lives. In Unity, we remember that our thoughts help shape our experience, and when we hold onto pain and anger, it colors everything we see.

This is why a willingness to forgive matters so much.

When we release resentment, we “lighten up” and begin to live from a space of love. You may have heard the sayings, “Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die,” or “Resentment is like holding a burning coal in your hand.” When we refuse to let go of past anger, we are really hurting ourselves. Forgiveness is not optional for a joyful spiritual life—it is essential.

Spiritual alchemy is the sacred process of transforming energy that no longer serves us into Divine energy. It is the turning of pain into peace, heaviness into joy, fear into love. This work can be challenging and asks us to be honest with ourselves. It takes courage to look at our old beliefs with clear eyes, but that courage opens the doorway to a new way of living.

Charles Fillmore reminds us, “Forgiveness is the giving up of the idea that there is something in the past that God cannot make right.” When we forgive, we are not saying that what happened was okay. We are saying that God in us is greater than what happened, and that Love has the final word in our lives.

Some simple steps you can take to put this into practice are:

Recognize the hurt. Be present to your thoughts and beliefs. Notice when you are holding onto resentment and how it shows up in your body, your words, and your reactions.

Process the feelings.Allow yourself to feel what lives beneath the resentment. Gently ask, “What is mine to learn in this?” and give yourself permission to move through the emotions with kindness.

Realize the Truth.Remember that all people are Divine expressions of love, and that most are doing the best they can from their current level of understanding. Have faith that God is present in all situations. You are Divine in expression and cannot be made small by anything outside of you.

Transform your pain into Divine Love.When you are ready, let go of the pain and resentment and release them into Divine Love. You may move through this process more than once, and that is okay. Know that every time you do, you are caring for your spiritual health.

Forgiveness does not mean allowing others to continue hurting you. You can release the feelings while still keeping a healthy distance from people who bring emotional or physical harm into your life. The most important piece is that you free yourself from the beliefs that keep you from being present to the good in your life. The rest is up to others and their willingness to do their own inner work.