October 16, 2025
Forgiveness and the Four Agreements: Lessons of the Wind
When walking the Camino, one has ample opportunity to contemplate everything. Walking eight to ten to twelve hours a day, day after day, helped me fulfill my intention of a closer walk with Spirit. One of Spirit's teachers turned out to be the wind. It revealed many lessons. Nearly two years later, as the wind blows on Virginia Beach, I am reminded of its lessons and how it correlates to the conversations we've been having about the agreements we make.
One of the Wind’s master teachings was about forgiveness. As I contemplated and practiced, it cleared me of everything -- the past, former beliefs, ideas and interpretations of events, people, places, and things.
It conjured up a favorite Rumi poem that I associate with forgiveness.
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
There is a field. I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
The world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
Doesn't make any sense.
In Unity, forgiveness correlates to the power we each have to renunciation or release that which no longer serves us in consciousness. We deny, reject, and release false beliefs and the power they appear to have over us. It’s the simple binary proposition: we turn from fear and choose Love. That’s the wolf we feed, and it is then the one that prevails.
Thoughts and beliefs only have power when we agree with them. When we release, renunciate, forgive, we have ceased judging. All forgiveness is about releasing judgements.
In the Abundance Book, John Randolph Price reminds us that Jesus taught that we are not to judge by appearances. He says: "To 'judge' something means to believe it, to assume that it is true, to conclude that it is factual." We are advised not to do this. Why? Because what appears in form has no value in and of itself. It only has the value we place upon it. (page 21).
By practicing The Four Agreements as a community, we are actively practicing the power of forgiveness and forging new agreements.
Every time we are impeccable with our word, we affirm Truth. At that very instant, we release or deny something that is false. We break an old agreement that has kept us stuck. We are free. This is healing, wholeness.
Every time we refuse to believe what anyone says or does is our responsibility, we break an old agreement. We forgive our misperceptions. We are free. This is healing, wholeness.
Every time we become curious rather than assume somethings about anyone, anything, including ourselves, we forgive the world. We are free. This is healing, wholeness.
I invite you to follow along with the book and join our conversations. Please review the last three Sunday messages beginning with the Prelude to a Dream, Reverend Ann's powerful message on the Impeccability of Your Word, and then last week’s lesson about Not Taking Anything Personally.
There is a field of forgiveness and love.
I'll meet you there.
I Love You,
Reverend René