Perceiving emotions as energy fields, rather than an unconscious product of the mind, radically changes how we see and handle them. Emotions consume most people, and they essentially run their life. Guilt is one of the most common of these emotions, and therefore learning how to overcome guilt is of great value.
Guilt
Guilt is a consequence of past actions—these past actions having their egoic filters put onto them, meaning we are seeing a false version of what actually happened. In reality, the past actions were neither good nor bad and guilt can be overcome by recontextualisation.
Mistakes are part of the human condition. Consciousness evolves through trial and error, and so does the Human. To recontextualise past mistakes as a learning growth to becoming a more wholesome human being can alleviate guilt.
Guilt and regret link both your present self with the past self – as said by Heraclitus, the ancient Greek philosopher – ‘no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man’. It is wise to see past mistakes in this context – trial and error is how consciousness develops – you’re doing a service but making them.
It may sound harsh, but excessive guilt and regret is a severe form of egotism. The ego of the person puts itself at the centre of the Universe, and everything is exaggerated – the negativity feeds the ego. The more negative energy from the guilt, the stronger it feels, and then the more it needs to feed itself. So you end up in a guilt-ridden spiral.
Guilt can also be projected onto others which is why its corresponding emotion is blame. A lot of serious crime is done by projecting guilt as vindictive hate – it is a manifestation of guilt operating through the person’s nervous system.
The mind itself doesn’t have the power to relinquish guilt and other low consciousness states – it has to come from the spiritually will. There needs to be a surrender of the ‘juice’ that the ego receives to relinquish its position – this is what breaks down the barrier of guilt and regret.
The Positives of Guilt
It’s also important to know that reasonable guilt is a signpost for a healthy conscience. Psychopaths lack this quality and carry out actions regardless of consequence – the more spiritually orientated person uses an appropriate level of guilt as an inner guide. With spiritual evolution, guilt can be recontextualised as a benefit. It can be seen as protective and a mechanism of learning.
Repression That Leads To Guilt
There is an accumulation of guilt that is repressed because it is painful to face. A divergence from truth and lack of integrity is often the cause of this. This accumulating guilt often goes unnoticed until it rears its ugly head. Religion also plays a big part in the accumulation of unconscious guilt, particularly the idea that man is ‘born in sin’ – you are automatically guilty of something before you’re even born!
How To Overcome Guilt
Instead of despising and fighting guilt and hatred in others and oneself, notice the ego’s limitations with its innocent and evolutionary defects – as said earlier, the current human condition is simply trial and error for consciousness evolution.
With a simple recontextualisation, you can know that perfection is an impossibility in the human condition. This acknowledgement can alleviate guilt.
Radical honesty, which is to say, to honestly acknowledge the inner defects of yourself, is a challenge in itself, but an attitude that assists in transcending the state of guilt. A lack of honesty to self and others accumulates guilt, as mentioned earlier.
Letting go of guilt and hatred for self and others serves all of life. It is well worth relinquishing the juice that the ego gets from the negativity.
Below, I’ve made a table of the dualities of guilt for you to consider.
