Overcoming guilt and shame can seem to be a monumental task, but let’s slow down and pause for a moment. The power behind the screen of what we perceive is so great that once understood all the guilt and resultant shame will simply melt away.
We have the power and the choice is whether to use it for or against ourselves. We may not be conscious of this presently, but it is about time to awaken to our true and brilliant selves.
“Consciously or not, we are all on a quest for answers, trying to learn the lessons of life. We grapple with fear and guilt. We search for meaning, love, and power. We try to understand fear, loss, and time. We seek to discover who we are and how we can become truly happy.”
Overcoming Guilt and Shame in the Present Moment
“No work or love will flourish out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart, just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.”
Like many other challenges in our lives, the root cause is the same; fear of living fully in the present moment because this requires that we face all of our imagined mistakes and misdeeds. Letting go of the past and facing our fears is not what we usually choose to do.
Although it may take a bit of courage to look within ourselves and confront a few demons, it is well worth the effort. Especially when we discover they are not demons at all, but merely a product of our imagination.
The key is that there is nothing to fear or feel guilty about in the present moment. It all lies in the past and requires our forgiveness to go away.
If we had amnesia we would have no guilt or shame at all. The imagined misdeeds would not exist without our focus and attention.
Our power only does us any good when we are consciously present to utilize it correctly. We are also supported by the energy of the Universe as well.
The Point of Power Process
This is an empowering technique to release ourselves from the past as well as free us from any guilt and shame we may be hanging on to.
- Relax into the moment allowing all feelings and thoughts to flow freely
- Observe the noise in our minds as we allow it to flow
- Realize that we are not our thoughts and feelings
- Since we are not our thoughts and feelings ask Who Are We
- Allow our intuition to flow and take a few notes if so inspired
- Accept that we do not know what we think we know
- Be open to Divine Guidance
- Recognize that All is Well in the Present Moment
- Practice remaining in the present and experiencing our power by asking as often that we remember to do so, “Am I Present Now?”
- Enjoy the aliveness of the present moment
Once we have developed the habit of remaining present we will experience positive changes in all areas of our lives. All doubt and fear will melt away.
Overcoming Guilt and Shame by Increasing Awareness
“Although the most acute judges of the witches and even the witches themselves, were convinced of the guilt of witchery, the guilt nevertheless was non-existent. It is thus with all guilt.”
The ideas presented above will certainly help to increase our awareness of how we create our reality based on our current thoughts and feelings which are signposts to our underlying beliefs. As we become more alert to our intuitive urges we will discover how this whole creation thing works.
Gui;t and shame can only stay in place when energized by our focus and attention. This happens automatically on an unconscious basis because it was put in place by past pain, suffering, and/or trauma.
We do not even realize that we are in charge and can redirect our energy back to the present moment. We can consciously release the guilt and then allow any shame to dissipate. None of this will occur without us becoming aware of what is going on and our part in it.
Taking responsibility for our lives is a good thing when we realize that it’s okay to make mistakes and that we have the power to remedy the situation. Forgiving ourselves and others eliminates any grudges and resentments that would just get in our way and have a detrimental effect.
As our awareness continues to increase it all starts to make sense and we then realize that all the guilt that we held to for so long was just a product of our imagination and did not exist in reality at all. Our awakening may occur quickly or may take some time, but it will occur.
Letting Go of All of the False Proof
When our beliefs are set in stone we resist seeing things differently as we have gathered all this proof over the years that things are just the way they are and it becomes self-evident. At this point, we will not be convinced otherwise.
This then requires a bit of self-contemplation to unearth our beliefs that our limiting our view and subsequently limiting our joy and happiness. Things are what they seem because of our core beliefs that make them seem that way, and not because they are set in stone in reality.
Spending some quiet time with ourselves with a pad and pencil writing down our feelings and tracing them back to the ideas we have about ourselves, others, and the world in general will help tremendously. Free writing whatever comes to mind regarding what we truly believe will eventually lead to these core beliefs that are running our lives.
This may take a bit of time and effort but is all so worth it. Any resistance to doing this is good as well as it will reveal some of those beliefs that are holding us back from experiencing the happiness and joy that we so deserve.
Committing to Overcoming Guilt and Shame
It requires a firm commitment to let go of the guilt and shame that we are used to hanging on to. It is not until we truly understand and realize that we deserve the best, and others as well deserve the same will we break free.
Even though guilt is not part of reality at all, it certainly seems that it is because we hold it firmly in place with our belief system. It becomes part of our everyday existence and we use anger at ourselves and at others to keep the guilt going.
Shame just follows along as we feel we deserve to feel lousy and it becomes a vicious circle.
Once we commit to let all this go we will spend the required time to explore our intricate system of beliefs so that we can change things around a bit and experience different results. Although there is much more we can get into on this subject let’s just keep it simple and make a decision to do what is necessary to let go of the guilt and shame.
Once we do we will have lightened our load and feel fully alive. We deserve the best.
In Peace and Love within the Light,
Joseph William
This was an interesting and uplifting read.
The part about how, if we had amnesia, none of us would feel guilt or shame was definitely a strong point. A lot of what makes us feel those kind of ways are routed in past thinking. Glad you pointed that out, as well as some methods to overcome them.
Thanks, Ben. Appreciate your thoughts and comments. All the Best.
Hi Joseph,
Wow, Joseph, your post hit me right between the eyes! The idea that guilt and shame are simply products of our imagination is powerful. I especially resonated with the quote from Alan Watts – living fully in the present moment is truly liberating. I’m curious, have you experienced moments where this shift in perspective dissolved guilt for you?
Thanks, Chas. I appreciate your thoughts. Over time by consistently observing my thoughts and feelings the guilt simply melts away. Of course, it can also happen at once, but my experience has been gradual as I continued to awaken. All the Best.
I so would like to get rid of negative thoughts like shame and guilt,but my mind just keeps racing, I think it is because I have ADHD, or that might be an excuse, I don’t know. It is crazy how people’s brains can work differently, no? Could meditation help? great article thanks!
Thanks for sharing, Lizzy. Meditation helps because it slows us down so we don’t get caught up in the frenzy and merely watch the “parade”. It also helps to remind ourselves that we are much greater than our thoughts and feelings. Over time we develop new patterns of thought and the mind slows down. Each small step is significant. All the best, Joseph