A close friend of mine (I’ll call him “Matthew”) sent me an email with concerns that were stirred up by the previous article, Reliable Facts About Our Afterlife Paradise. Those concerns are shared by many people, I’m sure… (being one of those people myself!). He gave me permission to publish his comments anonymously, so here I include our dialog about that post…. (Mark)
From Matthew – – –
Your posts are really helping me a lot. Thank you. This most recent ITC gem (#24) was very helpful. In my past I did some very ignorant things, which I consider acts of cruelty. I have self-recriminated almost daily on these acts of unkindness. At this point, I know that I am just punishing myself, and I need to forgive the ignorance which drove the act, and I need to forgive myself.
How do you think the TimeStream Guides would reply to that last statement that I just wrote?
I realize what I did that was wrong (the savage side), I am working on forgiving it (the spiritual side), and I am trying more love as time goes by. What else would they have me do, aside from not take myself too seriously?
My reply – – –
I’ve often wondered the same thing, regarding my own foolish choices throughout life. Once, when I was in early teens, I had a BB gun, and used to shoot birds. One day a mama dove was in her nest in our back yard elm tree. I shot several times, appearing to miss, thinking she’d fly away if hit or scared. I gave up and went off to do other things. Later my dad found the dove huddled against the tree trunk, dying… and he showed her to me. I’ve agonized about that many, many times… hopefully enough so that I won’t feel TOO much pain when I leave the Earth and assess my life choices.
I’ve also felt remorse for some relationships that I stumbled into early in life and left in broken pieces. In the 12-step programs (Alcoholics Anonymous and its many spin-off associations for overcoming various addictions), one step involves making heart-felt apologies to people in the past whom you’ve hurt—if not by contacting them, at least by making the mental apologies and maybe writing them down.
I think that the remorse and apologies that you and I feel about our respective mistakes have done a lot to wash away some of the karma. It purifies our spirit to some degree. I’m hoping that now, later in life, some of my work is also helping to compensate for the pain I’ve caused other people and living things throughout my life. Not that I’ve been a real bad guy, but just a typical human who bumps into people and steps on toes now and then.
Today I almost worship doves. I can talk to them (whistling through cupped hands), and I get excited every spring when I see the first doves arrive here in Colorado, while walking with Regina.
I still come down hard on spiders, mice, and other unwanted intruders that enter my territory (our house). This is Earth, after all, and that’s what living things on Earth do. We have to protect our territory, because this is not a paradise.
I may have to atone to some spiders and mice after I die, for the negative things I do to them, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Anyway, to answer your (our) concerns, our spirit friends and the ethereals are very familiar with what goes on here on Earth, and I doubt if there’s much of human behavior that really surprises them.
When we cross over, we’re not punished by anyone, we (our higher self) just has to come to terms with what we (our material self) did during the recent lifetime… and sometimes it’s a bit painful.
I know you pretty well, in terms of the kind of person you are, and I’m sure the good you’ve done for people far outweighs any bad choices or mistakes you made, so that the replay of your life is going to be something wonderful to watch. If I’m invited, I’ll bring some popcorn and look forward to a real uplifting movie!
As far as your last comment…
“What else would they have me do, aside from not take myself too seriously?”
… I’d say that making sincere, heart-felt apologies is the biggest healer. If not apologizing in person, then at least in meditation. That seems to help me.
Matthew’s follow-up:
Your comments and personal sharing are very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to write this out. I shall continue to work on apologies as I believe that is correct.
I also share this loving karma with the doves….
Macy Afterlife: The Beacon 
I can understand your not wanting mice in your house, but what harm do spiders do?
My house in Thailand has many different creatures passing through, even cobras, tree frogs, toads etc, and when I see a particularly ugly stinging centipede I always think to myself ‘it didn’t choose to be what it is’ and move it outside.
As to the bit about the mother dove, it’s always boys with guns or slingshots, is it perhaps that boys are more slow to learn empathy/compassion than girls (although I’ve met some pretty nasty girls too, but more in that some can be trulu cruel to another girl, pack mentality?)
As to ‘apologising’, yes I believe you should apologise to those whom you’ve wronged. For myself I’ve been truly more sinned against than sinning, but don’t expect any apologies for the havoc my revenge reeks upon their wicked lives.
Colorado homes are mostly sealed from the outside, because of cold winters… so they’re not as open to the ecosystem-dwellers as your place in Thailand seems to be. Tropical homes in temperate climates would tend to blend more with the ecosystem. For me, here in Colorado, I discourage from our home not just mice and spiders, but also spider food (flies, mosquitoes, gnats, bees, wasps…), so when spiders spin their webs in our house, there’s nothing for them to catch and eat. As a result, they eat their young… not a real pleasant way of life. They’re definitely better off living outside where they belong. Also, their old webs and eggsacs gather dust and grime. (As I said, this is Earth, where living things claim and protect territory. “Mi casa es su casa” only if you’re family, friend, or pet.)
I agree with your assessment of the savage sides of boys and girls… and people in general. It takes some maturity and then some effort to foster our noble sides… for some more than others. The more sensitive and creative souls among us sometimes need to spend more effort protecting themselves… Not an easy world, Earth, but certainly one rich with experiences… Mark
I realize this post is a bit old but I thought I’d share this. Humans say “to forgive is divine”. My truth is “To forgive another is noble but to forgive YOURSELF is divine”.
A profound message simply stated.
Thanks June,
MarkM