The Law of Guilt

As often, I call this the law of regret

Editor’s Note: This is the third installment of a twelve part series on the training of the Octagon Society, Order of Spiritual Alchemy. The Law of Guilt is the third and final of three preliminary lessons, to clear away much of the detritus gathered through life, to prepare for the eight primary lessons, which are about opening up and expanding consciousness. Links to the previous installments can be found at the end.

Dr. Anthony Fauci released a shocking press statement recently:

I was watching a Fox News documentary on the life of Jeffery Dahmer, when I heard his father say in a phone conversation with Jeffery, “absolutely nothing is too great not to be forgiven,” and I had an epiphany. In my 40years as NIAID Die-rector (National Institute of Allergic and Infectious Diseases), with my leadership for vaccines and Covid policy generally, allergic and infectious diseases have skyrocketed, auto-immune disorders have exploded, autism has become all too common, infant mortality has collapsed, cancer is rising precipitously, heart disease esp among young people is off the charts, life expectancy has declined and excess mortality continues to climb well above baseline. In short, Americans have been made grossly chronically ill the last 40 years, and my policies have had a lot to do with that. I am hereby confining myself to voluntary house arrest while I await the hammer of justice, and beg only from the American people I have so thoroughly bamboozled, your mercy.

Kidding aside, that is what dealing with guilt/regret would look like. Of course we can never expect anyone else to come to terms with their guilt, there is only doing something about one’s own. Lady Justice may be blindfolded, but the sense of guilt can be merciless to one’s spirit and soul.

As you might imagine, I have some guilt/regret about being coerced into taking the Phizer double-tap. My sense of guilt about that is having fallen for it, not being more dubious and skeptical, not being stronger.

For most of us, and probably for everybody reading this, whatever it is we might feel guilty about, it is likely a lot more mundane than that lead description: I should have taken that job, I should have been a better partner/lover/spouse, I should have been a better dad/mom, a better son/daughter, I should not have said/done that awful thing to that person I love, I wish I would have told them I love them….

However mundane, that does not mean a sense of guilt is not powerful, and like the two previous laws, in the series of three preliminary exercises of the Octagon Society, blame and shame, guilt can do a lot of damage to the self that is out of all proportion to the thing done. Carrying guilt for decades can be debilitating, when the original act was simply a mistake, being human.

The first order of doing something about guilt is not doing things you will end up regretting. That is basic discernment, which comes from a basic understanding of right and wrong, and learning to be good and kind to people, and to oneself. Of course, nobody is perfect, we make mistakes. The second point of the Law of Guilt, if I have done something I regret, get about making amends, acknowledging, apologizing, asking forgiveness.

Sometimes it’s not that clear, we have to figure out what it is we feel guilty about. If I want to figure out what it is I feel guilty about, if I want to stop doing things I will regret, if I want to discharge a sense of guilt and regret, this is a simple, basic system, sit down with a pen and paper and work it out.

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).

Do that for everything you can think of you have any guilt about at all, that is spiritual alchemy, turning proverbial lead into gold, turning guilt/regret into spiritual strength and fortitude. And don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t discharge the regret just like that. It is a process. Some things take time. The first step is simply acknowledging it. If you can manage that, mulling on guilt and regret for about two weeks can do a lot of good. As to the divine, it is not always easy to believe in divine love and forgiveness. But believing, having that kind of faith, makes it a lot easier to love and forgive yourself, and do something about discharging guilt/regret, to be better to yourself and other people.

It is never easy, don’t expect it to be. Guilt, like blame and shame, can become part of one’s identity, the longer we go on feeling guilty about a thing. That means deconstructing the identity, which is uncomfortable to say the least. Doing something about guilt/regret requires humility, and the ego often struggles with humility.

You won’t regret dealing with guilt and discharging it. And be of good heart, if you feel guilt and regret, that is a good sign too, unlike some, hhmm, psychopaths people, you have a conscience. Rejoice!

In two weeks we will move on to the first of eight primary laws, the Law of Acceptance.

Links to previous installments:

Introduction

Preliminary Lessons:

The Law of Blame

The Law of Shame

The Law of Guilt