Healing of Memories
The more positive thought patterns we have, the more like the angels we become. We will ensure a sound footing and will set the stage for deep and lasting healing. What we’re ultimately talking about here is the healing of memories. That’s the goal this book is discussing.
What is the healing of memories? To put it simply, we all have hurts and pain stored within us from the past, especially our childhood, which cause us to relate to other people and situations in an unhealthy way.
You may ask why I say especially our childhood? Well, this is where we begin to learn unhealthy ways of relating. The unhealthy traits learned there later affect other thoughts, decisions and behaviour which can set up unhealthy thought and behavioural patterns we carry with us into adulthood. A word to the wise, though. Some of our learned behaviour acts as a defence mechanism which helps to protect the child growing into adulthood, so, sometimes it’s learnt behaviour that can be let go of when it no longer serves the higher good.
So much of our sick thinking is related to our upbringing and how it affected us. We could have had the best parents in the world, the best friends the most loving of teachers, but hurt always occurs to some degree or other in our childhood, even if it’s only through misunderstandings. In other words, there’s always a need for improvement and healing of our thought lives, and the healing of this becomes necessary if this is to be realised.
Introspection: Unhealthy Self-analysis
Incidentally, there’s one aspect of modern day thinking I believe to be the most harmful. It’s introspective thinking, the kind of self-analysis which chips away at our psycho-emotional, physical and spiritual well-being. It’s where we stand outside of ourselves, and walk along side of ourselves, as it were, analysing and comparing ourselves to others, criticising and telling ourselves what should be instead of what is. It’s the rational self, going within to analyse the more intuitive, feeling self. This causes internal paralysis (It’s giving birth again to what’s not meant to exist).{vi}
And guess what? If I don’t like what I see about myself, whether it’s my physical being, inner life, mental capacity or intellect, I get dissociate from who I am and move towards thinking who I should be, even take on that false identity. I also get to feel guilty, shameful; get to play the victim. The victim mentality is so common today, as well as an ‘everything and everyone must fit into my way of thinking’. Me-ism - this is the ego playing puck big time!
The angels can help us with this introspective thinking, and the attitudes and prevailing negative thoughts which accompany it. First of all they’re telling us: Don’t do it. It’s a killer!!! Whenever I find I’m criticising myself, or analysing the way I’m feeling, comparing myself to others, wishing to be them or to covet a specific admirable quality I see in them, then I say a prayer of release to the angels. It goes something like this:
Holy angels of love and self-acceptance, I am thinking ego-based thoughts which would have me analyse and criticise who I am in an unhealthy way. I am already a beautiful child of God, pleasing to him and complete. I pray to think and to feel in a healthy way, a way that helps me Practice the Presence of God. I also choose to let go of these thoughts and thank you for helping me do so. I am thankful that I am me. And so it is!
The angels love us to pray self-acceptance prayers. They are thrilled when we accept who we are as Children of God and surrender old, tired ways of thinking. Our thoughts aren’t neutral. There’s no Switzerland in our minds. Our thoughts either uplift us, strengthen, heal and help us live a happy and fulfilling life, or they drag us down, cause inner division, lead to sickness and possibly our self-destruction.
Analysis vs Experience
So often our muddled and negative thinking prevents us from experiencing life, real happy vibrancy. You see, you can’t experience something and think about it at the same time. And there are times when we are supposed to go with what we are experiencing.{vii} An example will help to illustrate this.
Imagine the time when you met the first boy or girl whom you kissed. I’m sure you didn’t stop to discuss with them what that first kiss should feel like, or what kind of outcome should result. You didn’t analyse to which angle your head had to adjust. Nor did you ask if you should kiss standing or sitting, or to close your eyes or not.
No! You just went ahead and kissed. Your heart was racing, the anticipation was expanding. You thought your heart would burst. You were experiencing that first kiss! Imagine how dull the whole affair would have been if you stopped to dissect and analyse what you should do, how you should go about it. Spontaneity lost, the experience would have been a damp squid to say the least.
What we need to do is learn how to be, how to exist in union with our spiritual side and experience our connection with God and his angels. The only way we can do that is to link in to who we are as spiritual beings and ask their help to remove the clutter in our minds and memories.
The Mental Cleansing and Refurbishment Exercise does just that. Remember what we discussed previously. Those daily affirmations help to root out and develop your new way of thinking. You are being set free from negativity. Likewise, if the temptation to think the same way emerges in the future, you just realise it’s coming from your memory. You have already cleared out that negative thought and rearranged the furniture. Stay with the affirming thoughts and the healing it’s bringing. You’ll see. You’ll find that you can remember past events without experiencing the pain of it in the present, or at least the pain will have considerably lessened. When this happens you know healing is happening for you.
Practicing the Presence of God and the Angels
Introspection is the opposite of Practicing the Presence of God or His angels.{viii} It also helps us live in the present, has us operating from our higher, spiritual nature. I do this every day and find it grounds me and helps keep me focused on what’s healthy and positive. It’s so easy to practice the presence. All I do is remember God or his angels are with me and just keep that reality in my mind for as long as I can.
When I become distracted, that’s okay. I remember at some point and come back to the practice of the presence again. I don’t have to experience or feel God or his angels there. It’s a bonus when I do, but it’s not necessary. All I have to do to practice the presence, and gain the benefits, is to know, be aware that God or his angels are with me. This adds to the dynamism of the spiritual life because God and the angels’ presence brings healing. Just being present to them brings healing and peace, opens the mind and heart to what is and has us living in the present instead of the past or future.
Practicing the presence also brings healing to the memories; living in the presence of our creator or His angels is bound to have that effect. When the light of holiness, love, beauty and truth is shining on us, it changes us, oh, so gradually. Our memories have to be healed slowly because we get a glimpse of what’s being healed and it can sometimes upset us or leave us feeling vulnerable. Imagine if God came along and healed all those memories at once. Our brain circuits would be fried and we’d be booking ourselves into the nearest psychiatric facility. No, we trust in God and the process, and get on with it – one day at a time.
A lot of our thought patterns, whether they are healthy or not, stem from our past, so there is need for The Mental Cleansing and Refurbishment Exercise on a daily basis. Everyone could benefit from this, but unfortunately many people are happy enough to live life - business as usual. I’m so glad I use the daily exercise and can honestly say I experienced positive results pretty soon after starting this method, and continue to do so to this day.
Cutting The Cords
I want to finish this chapter by leaving you with a short meditation and prayer which is helpful with healing memories. I, and others like me, call it: A Cutting of the Cords. I don’t know who originated this healing method, but I adapted it to suit me. I share it now with you in the hope that you will experience the same kind of healing I did. It’s great for separating a memory (even events in the distant past) from the painful emotions it can evoke and which we tend to project into present situations. It can be used for any kind of severing needed from any unhealthy ties, whether it’s to do with relationships, ingrained habits or behaviours, or the influence of negative energies.
You can ask your guardian angel to do this if you want, but I prefer to ask Archangel Michael. He’s the general of God’s armies and a mighty warrior angel. He can instantly get to the root of such issues.
When practicing this exercise I sit quietly in a place where I will be left undisturbed. I like to sit by my angel altar, but any restful place will do. I close my eyes and imagine a ball of white light. I see it get larger and larger and brighter and brighter. Next I see the light turn into a beautiful blue; this is said to be the colour of Michael’s aura. I see him emerge with a flaming sword. He stands in front of me and nods by way of a greeting and smiles.
I then tell Michael about the thoughts or unhealthy behaviour or memories of which I need to be freed. Next, I see these black ribbons attached to my back, the other ends reaching up into the sky as far as the eye can see. These ribbons represent that which needs to be severed and healed. In other words, I recognise what it is I need to let go of and ask Michael to oblige.
Fear is a common bond in need of cutting. We all have fears, and that’s okay; it’s what we do with them that matters. And it won’t just be, say, financial fear. It will be something connected to it but deep rooted, like experiencing poverty as a child since dad used to gamble all the money. Maybe you experienced a lot of your mother’s worry concerning this. You could have heard her complain or voice it, whether to you or others. Maybe you heard her arguing with your father. Both parents’ actions could have left you feeling vulnerable and afraid. There are so many variables. Doing the Mental Cleansing and Refurbishment Exercise will help you with this, especially when you realise the central issues behind your negative thoughts to be eradicated.
Identifying the source helps to keep the cutting of the cords focussed, but if things are a bit vague in your head, just try to be as specific as you can. You can then talk to Michael about these cords: how they have affected your thinking and behaviour, how you feel about yourself and your relationships. Surrender this to Michael and thank him for cutting the cords. See him lift his flaming sword and cut you free of the cords. The loose ends drift out of view into the sky while the other ends detach from your back and float away. Thank Michael, see him bow and disappear.
Supernature (my word) like nature abhors a vacuum. So, that which once was (what was severed) needs to be replaced by what’s healthy (that which could have been), just as the negative thoughts you work on need to be replaced by healthy ones. I usually ask Archangel Raphael to do this. He’s the head healing angel and very good at his job. So, I see Raphael coming out of the same ball of light as Michael surrounded by his emerald aura. He smiles as he lays his hands on my head. The emerald light shines brighter and begins to enter my head and descends down through my neck, into my arms, and then my entire body. I ask Raphael to help me relax my mind and body and thank him for the healing he is granting me.
I thank him for separating the memories of what was from the present and future so that I no longer need to experience the pain of the past in the present or future. What is in the past can remain in the past as I am now reconciled to it and healed. I thank Raphael that I can let go of these old memories and hurts that no longer serve me, that I am free to be me. I also ask him to bridge the gap between what was and what could have been, so I can have an internal reconciliation with the past and let it go.
I finish this exercise with a short prayer such as:
Michael and Raphael, angels of God and my friends, thank you for your care and loving intervention. Thank you for helping me identify what I need to surrender to live a freer and happier life. Thankyou Michael for cutting those cords; thank you Raphael for healing my wounded memory.
It’s as simple as that. You may have to perform this little meditation several times with the same past experience. Don’t worry if that’s the case. Sometimes it’s because our emotions need to catch up with our heads. Perceive the healing as already granted, for it truly has been. It manifests itself when you are ready to receive it. So, stay hopeful and chase away the nigglies if they come. I say: Not available today, good luck! and leave it at that. Don’t get into a conversation with them, don’t start analysing. Isn’t that what you’re trying to stop doing, that painful self-analysis of how you feel, that which has you comparing yourself with others or making you angry or feeling guilty. And remember: it’s just for today. You only have to say good luck to the nigglies today. Leave tomorrow to take care of itself.
As I’m writing this, Sally, my cat, is purring away and interfering with my laptop keyboard –basically trying to get my attention. She’s a dote to say the least. She certainly played a part in my healing, was very attentive to me when I was very depressed. She’s always minding me, licking my hair and beard. Maybe she thinks I’m her kitten. But I think it’s to do with the loving bond we share, and she perceived something of the suffering I was going through. It brings a tear to my eye to think how she did her best to comfort me. Poor Sally’s getting old now, bless her, and I’ll keep her as comfortable as I can, a big thank you to my wee pal.
Angelic Tidbits