FORGIVEN

Dawn DeAngelo
10 minutes ago
3 min read

Turning Wounds into Wisdom with Tai Chi Gung

Glorious morning!

Today’s quote I am expanding on is fitting because I just finished my book called Forgiven. The quote I chose today is from Reinhold Niebuhr: “Forgiveness is the final form of love.”

This quote really resonates with me because I discovered that it is true. My book Forgiven chronicles my true story from wounds to wisdom through the ancient art of Tai Chi Gung.

When I was eleven years old, I experienced a near-fatal event at the hands of a family member. That singular event set my life into motion, laced with unprocessed grief, resentments, and fear. Those unhealed emotions followed me everywhere I went, creating unhealthy relationships.

The fear I carried prevented me from reaching my full potential, shaping an atmosphere of relying on others to support me financially and emotionally. (I believe they call that codependency.) When we are too fearful to stand in our own potential, we never fully experience our God-given strengths to manifest the life we desire.

Another hindrance to that is low self-worth. The resentments I carried toward that family member kept me from trusting the goodness in people, particularly men.

Although I made many valiant attempts toward cultivating a fulfilling life, my emotional stumbling blocks would appear over and over again, sabotaging my happiness.

My life grew wearier with each beautiful child I was blessed with, not because they were a burden, but because they were a truthful mirror for me. A mirror reminding me to stand up for myself, just as I automatically would do for them. They mirrored unconditional love. They also naturally loved themselves—something I needed to learn.

I realized I was not just here to teach them.

Experiencing a decades-long marriage with happily ever after nowhere in sight, the global crisis of COVID, and discovering the news of the human sex trafficking epidemic, my will to be on this planet shattered.

I started shaking my fist at God and questioning my own humanity.

Ask and you shall receive.

Shortly after my reality meltdown, I came across the ancient art of Tai Chi Gung—a slow-moving meditation that directly connects one with the life force (God, Spirit, Source, etc.).

As I started practicing regularly, I began to ground myself. I started to hear my higher self—the soul’s whisper. I started returning to our natural state of peace, the place where children ALWAYS are.

That peace began to support my thoughts and actions.

Little by little, day by day, I connected the dots back to the day I was eleven. I started to clearly see how the resentments and fear designed my life.

I investigated the reasons behind someone’s heinous behavior and how those behaviors can develop. I discovered that when we don’t heal our wounds, we create more wounds.

Connecting the dots for ourselves and the offender is crucial.

When I understood where my perpetrator’s actions truly came from, I was able to see the human in him again—the wounded child. I was able to add compassion to the equation instead of resentment and hate.

Although any harmful act toward a child should never be condoned and must be held accountable, we can meet the act with an understanding of why these things happen. When we do that, we hold space for redemption and/or forgiveness.

Let’s face it, this planet has its horrors, but it also holds the magic of love and joy. WE get to choose what side of that planet we want to live in.

I could have chosen to continue holding onto the non-forgiveness I carried all those years, but the side effects were horrible. The moment I inquired through the eyes of peace, I was able to return to the love for myself.