Saif Terai sits in the forgiveness circle, staring intently at the strawberry in his hand, while the song of healing is being sung. He says he has a lot of forgiving to do before he can truly learn to forgive himself.
In Aboriginal culture, the strawberry represents the heart as it connects to leaves, runners and roots as much as the heart is connected to organs, said ceremony master Mary Anne Caibaiosai.
“I came here wanting to know more about traditional culture,” said Terai. “But I ended up leaving with a life lesson.”
Relationships thrill us, heal us, confound and frustrate us.
“Forgive those who have hurt you,” said Terai. “Not for them, but for you.”
Terai, 54, a computer sciences professor at Algonquin for 13 years, attended the ceremony on Feb. 11 and said the experience helped him self-reflect.
The Forgiveness Ceremony is a sacred tradition where you learn to forgive others so that you can forgive yourself.
You start the ceremony on the new moon as it is the first phase of the moon, orbiting closest to the sun as seen from Earth.
Each day, place seven berries in a bowl and smudge them. A strawberry is then placed in your left hand, the hand closest to the heart.
Smudging is the traditional act of placing dried herbs in a bowl and burning them for a ritual or a ceremony. Smudging is used to bless and purify people and things.
For each person you forgive, you must eat seven strawberries per day for seven days: 49 berries in total per person.
Natasha Commanda, 27, is a second-year business management and entrepreneurship student at Algonquin. Commanda has never participated in the ceremony but opened up to the circle her experiences and her pain.
“It helped me a lot,” said Commanda. “It was necessary to move on.”
Caibaiosai led the circle of healing with her knowledge, drumming and personal experiences. She sang the song of healing while the participants watched intently, berries in hand.
“When you forgive, you get rid of weight you’ve been carrying,” said Caibaiosai. “Your spirit cleanses and your heart and body start to heal.”