Self forgiveness

"Forgive others and forgive yourself. You have that power." W. Frederic Keeler.

A significant part of the hero's journey can be self forgiveness. As one takes the journey and encounters the trials, one is recognizing and accepting parts of oneself. Take Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, when she finally gets to meet with the Oz she discovers he is all smoke and mirrors, and that the real answers lie within herself. So, too, in the hero's journey. It seems we need to recognize that the characteristics in others that we find the most contemptible or fear the most, are the very ones we need to recognize in ourselves. If we ahve the most contempt for a murderer, it is not that we need to have murdered ourselves --- it is that we have with thoughtlessness or perhaps intent inflicted harm on someone else's spirit at some time. Or it can be that we merely recognize that given the right upbringing, with the right combinations of traumas, the murderer could be me. This seems to be an important part of the hero's journey, and it applies to caregiving. What characteristics are emerging in caregiving which you may have some trouble accepting? That is an area of growth for oneself.