The Law of Guilt
If you judge yourself to be guilty over anything and you carry that guilt around with you, please know that’s a more serious mistake than whatever you did that makes you feel guilty. It’s a lot more of a burden to carry a load of guilt around with you than to make a mistake. The work you’ve already done with blame and shame is important in laying the foundation for this third stage of the preparatory work of the Order of Spiritual Alchemy.
Guilt is like blame and shame. It starts with something important and real—a recognition that something wrong has happened—but it loses touch with that reality and becomes a destructive burden. If you have done something wrong, the right thing to do in response to it is to accept that you did something wrong, make amends for it, learn from it, and go on to make better choices in your life. That approach makes every mistake a learning experience that leads to better things. Wallowing in guilt, like wallowing in shame or blame, means losing the opportunity to learn. This is the Law of Guilt: Carrying the weight of guilt causes more harm than the things for which we feel guilty ever did.
Review the work that you have done already on blame and shame, and then, one at a time, think about the things that make you feel guilty. In your notebook, write down what you did that makes you feel guilty. Write as much as you feel appropriate about each of these things, and include why you feel guilty about each of them. Take as much time as you need to in order to get it all down. Then, taking one of these things at a time, think about and write about them in your notebook. Your goal is to reach the point at which you can honestly say the following things to yourself:
1. I made a mistake (name it).
2. I made, am making, or will make restitution to the best of my ability either to the wronged parties or other people (name them).
3. I accept the fact I was guilty of making that mistake (name it).
4. I forgive myself for making this mistake (name it).
5. I forgive other people (name them) for the comparable mistakes they made that harmed me (name them).
6. I love myself in spite of making this mistake (name it).
7. I know the Divine (use any name you choose) accepts me in spite of making this mistake (name it)
8. I know the Divine (use any name you choose) forgives me for making this mistake (name it).
9. I know the Divine (use any name you choose) loves me in spite of making this mistake (name it).
You may not be able to reach the stage at which you can honestly say these things to yourself about everything in your life that makes you feel guilty. If that happens, accept that fact and move on. As with the previous lessons, spend between one and two weeks on this lesson, devoting some time to it every day.
When you’ve completed this stage of the work to your satisfaction for the time being, you have finished the preparatory work for admission to the Octagon Society, the first of three levels of the Order of Spiritual Alchemy. At this point you know what kind of work is ahead of you if you decide to proceed. Take the time to decide if you’re willing to do the work required by spiritual alchemy to change your life, to change yourself into the person you want to become.
If you are willing to do the work, we invite you to become a member of the Octagon Society and continue your studies.