Madame Zora and Absolvi

Madame Zora sat silent and regal as she listened to the distraught woman weave a tale of woe about a perfect love she had had such glorious hope for, but had over the years help disintegrate into neglect, betrayal, deception and lies. There were no innocents here.  They were both guilty, both hurt, both angry.

Photograph by photographer Wendy Metcalfe-Morrison

Madame Zora held up a heavily jeweled hand and the jangling of her bracelets stopped the woman in mid sentence.

"Please. May I speak?" the fortune teller's tone ensured the request would not be denied.

The woman nodded her approval.

"I think you are beginning to repeat yourself. It's not important right now but I will just say that sometimes when people are confused they will look for different ways to say the same thing. I think they must hope that if they keep finding new ways to say it, that eventually their situation might make sense. The likelihood of that is slim, so I suggest you stop that. It is very unappealing and after hearing your story, you may very well be looking for a new man. So, you may find being appealing is something you might want to consider. Now. Why did you come here? What do you want to know?"

Madame Zora's blunt and direct approach  replaced the woman's teary eyed expression with one that was wide eyed and surprised but the woman quickly regained her composure and trying to be succinct and appealing stated "I want to know if we can we find it in our hearts to forgive each other and forget."

Placing her hands on either side of her crystal ball, Madame Zora drew a deep cleansing breath and spoke.

You don't need him to forget.

In fact, I hope he does not forget.

I believe it is good to forgive and make peace with our history but it is also important that we remember.

That we remember the pain of abandonment...of betrayal, for it will then remind us to remain alert in all future commitments and to mindfully honour our beloveds by creating and keeping a place in our lives and love for them. A sacred space for them only, built around their needs and tended to by us ... daily, hourly, moment to moment.

And I hope you too always remember your pain, that you allow it not to shame or hurt you but rather to bless you with its reminders of the importance to remain connected, engaged, curious and yes, "Alive to" your desire and passion ... a mindfull engagement with your choices, with complete focus of head, heart, body and soul.

So yes, it is good to ask for forgiveness and to give forgiveness when it is sought,  but rather than forgetting perhaps you might consider remembering and practice absolvi.

"Absolvi?" the woman questioned.

"Yes." Madame Zora nodded and continued,  "It means  to swallow and absorb our loved ones and our own, dark offenses. To let these offenses find their place in our bones and our marrow and lay them to rest there. Then your heart will be free to finally unlock the gates of its purgatory and enter into a new and untouched land, a "state" of grace, perhaps with the one you love, perhaps not ... but more importantly, with yourself and with your soul intact."

"Absolvi" whispered the woman.

And with a flamboyant finale gesture, Madame Zora extended a bejeweled hand, palm up, toward her client and through a smiling crimson mouth she too whispered "Now ... that will be ten dollars please."