“When we think we have been hurt by someone in the past, we build up defenses to protect ourselves from being hurt in the future. So the fearful past causes a fearful future and the past and future become one. We cannot love when we feel fear. When we release the fearful past and forgive everyone, we will experience total love and oneness with all.”
– Gerald G. Jampolsky
In 1985, at a turning point in my life when I still believed my wounded past equaled a wounded future, I read, “Love Is Letting Go of Fear,” by Gerald G. Jampolsky. In the intro he says: “The core principles are about having a willingness to see the world differently; seeing value in letting go of our control issues, judgments, and grievances; and making forgiveness as important as breathing. The principles in this book apply to every aspect of our lives, including our relationships with other people and with objects such as money and material things.”
Dr. Jampolsky started the Center Of Attitudinal Healing in Sausalito, California in 1975, as a place, “to be of personal help to you in finding ways of healing attitudes, choosing love rather than fear, peace rather than conflict, and the peace that forgiveness can bring to each of us.” For many years I’ve carried a bookmark from the center with The Principles of Attitudinal Healing on them:
1. The essence of our being is love.
2. Health is inner peace. Healing is letting go of fear.
3. Giving and receiving are the same.
4. We can let go of the past and of the future.
5. Now is the only time there is and each instant is for giving.
6. We can learn to love ourselves and others by forgiving rather than judging.
7. We can become love finders rather than fault finders.
8. We can choose and direct ourselves to be peaceful inside regardless of what is happening outside.
9. We are students and teachers to each other.
10. We can focus on the whole of life rather than the fragments.
11. Since love is eternal, death need not be viewed as fearful.
12. We can always perceive ourselves and others as either extending love or giving a call for help.
