7 Ways To Release Judgement

When you judge another for any reason, you move out of love and into separation. 

When you see yourself as separate, as better than or above another, you cut off about half of your life force energy.

However, I’ve done it, you’ve done it, we’ve all done it. And we know it doesn’t feel good. 

We’ve learned to be judgmental through a lifetime of conditioning — “Those people are bad”, “His actions are disgusting”, “Doesn’t she know how stupid she looks?” — so we have to create new habits to help us shift out of judgement and into compassion. Creating new thought patterns isn’t always easy, but it’s worth it. Why? 

The more you practice releasing judgment, the more Source Energy flows through you, and the better you feel. The better you feel, the higher your vibrational frequency is. The higher your vibration, the more direct access you have to your intuition and universal wisdom.

Beyond feeling good and being tapped in, you’re also being of service. When you choose to see the divinity in another being, instead of judging them, it helps them align to their own divinity — even if they’re not consciously aware of it. 

As you release judgment, you serve as a beacon of light for others.

Every single judgement we hold is originally a judgement about ourselves. But this isn’t always obvious to us as humans. So in order to become more self-aware, we project our consciousness outwards and it’s then reflected back to us through our relationship with the world.

In other words, when you’re judging Rebecca for being too reckless with her spending, you’re actually saying to yourself that it’s unacceptable for you to spend money in such a way that you perceive to be reckless. Your judgement has nothing to do with Rebecca, she’s just reflecting it back to you.

Once you understand that your judgments are simply a cry for your own self-love and acceptance, you can use them as opportunities for growth.

Here is a step-by-step process:

Step 1: Awareness

Notice when you’re in judgement. A good way to detect judgement is by paying attention to your thoughts, emotional reactions, and your body’s response.

Step 2: Forgiveness

Forgive yourself for being in judgement. This immediately dissolves heavy energies like self-criticism and shame. You can also forgive whoever or whatever you’re judging.

Step 3: Higher Perspective

See whoever or whatever you’ve judged from a higher perspective. This allows you to bring love to situation and release the judgement.

What’s a higher perspective? Any perspective that acknowledges the oneness of all beings.

All 7 methods below will help you to see from a higher perspective, enabling you release judgment and let in more Source light.

The next time a judgement comes up, try one of these approaches:

1. See others as a mirror of your own reflection. Ask yourself “Where does this judgment show up in me?”

This is one of the most powerful techniques because it offers you the ability to transmute your judgement into self-realization.

For example, I recently found myself judging someone for what they were eating. I thought to myself “Don’t they care about what they’re putting in their body? Don’t they value their health?”. I got really upset because I care about the well-being of this person. Then I remembered to use this method…

When I asked myself where this judgement (“You don’t value your health”) shows up in me, I realized that I hadn’t been exercising nearly as often as my body requires. Here I was judging another for not valuing their health, when I wasn’t valuing my own! This awareness was truly a gift, and it helped me immediately shift my mindset and behavior to take better care of myself. In the end I felt grateful!

2. See others not just as humans, but as Souls

When you remember that we’re all eternal Souls, pure in nature, it’s much easier to be compassionate — both towards yourself and others. Although it can seem like the ego covers up this truth, it’s only to the degree that you buy into it. At the core we are ALL divine, made in the image and likeness of the Creator.

To visualize others as Souls, use your imagination to replace the image of a physical body with a sphere of white light, or a spark or flame at the heart.

Try this approach when you’re walking down the street or in a public place. You’ll notice little judgments like “His voice is annoying” or “Her nose is too big” won’t come up nearly as often, or at all, because you're focused on seeing people as divine beings of light — perfect just as they are.

3. Choose to see the world through the eyes of Love, Christ, Buddha, Krishna, etc.

What would it be like to see the world through the eyes of Christ, Buddha, or Krishna? Or any figure that represents unconditional love to you?

If Christ were standing in front of you right now, it’s hard to imagine that you would feel anything other than pure love and acceptance through his gaze.

We can all practice viewing the world through the eyes of Love. Set an intention like “My intention is to witness the perfection of everyone I see”, or say a prayer or use an affirmation like “I choose to see the world through the eyes of Source / Love / Christ”.

4. See others as innocent babies or wounded children

This technique is most helpful when someone is being especially brash, or even hateful. If you feel angry or offended, remember that that person was once an innocent child. A visualization of a beautiful baby really helps.

When someone is being overtly cruel, they’re acting from a place of their wounded inner-child. That person was once treated poorly and now they’re projecting it outwards. However when you see another as an innocent, wounded child, it’s impossible not to have compassion.

5. See others with an animal’s silly face (the fluffier, the better!)

Do you have a pet that you adore? Or a favorite animal that brings you joy?

Imagine the face of the sweetest, silliest animal on the shoulders of another person. This method will instantly diffuse your judgments and bring a smile to your face.

You may even have a good laugh!

At the core our being every one of us is made of unconditional love. Although our ego sometimes gets in the way, it’s undeniable that our natural state is joy. And this visualization will remind you of this truth instantly. 

6. Assume the belief: Because it exists, every perspective is valid

Sometimes it feels challenging to accept others when they behave in a way that you perceive as wrong or hateful. However, even if you don’t agree with their point of view, it’s a valid perspective. Why? Because whoever you’re judging is an aspect of Source Energy, just like you. And Source Energy is SO expansive (it’s literally infinite), of course this expression of Source exists.

Again, you don’t have to agree with everyone, but because they exist, their perspective is valid. Don't make them separate from you. Every being in existence, physical and non-physical, is an aspect of the Divine. There is no “them”, there is only One.

7. Assume the belief: My judgement is my fear in disguise. Ask yourself “What am I afraid of?”

If you really think about it, whatever you judge is something you fear. For example, say you’re walking down the street and you think to yourself “Wow, that person is so ugly. I would hate to be them”. If you look at your judgement through the lens of what you fear, you may find that you fear being perceived as ugly because you associate ugliness with not being accepted. So you’re afraid of not being accepted.

You’re afraid of being rejected and outcast by society. If you’re outcast by society, you may end up alone, unloved, homeless, poor, and sick. And then you’ll die all because you weren’t accepted. So perhaps at the root of your judgement of ugliness lies your fear of death.

This kind of radical honesty is liberating because it empowers you to become more self-aware, which then catalyzes your growth. You can only release judgments, thoughts, and beliefs that don’t support you once you become aware of them. And the methods above help you to do just that.

Now I would love to hear from you in the comments below!

What methods resonate with you? How did it go when you put them into practice?

Do you have any other techniques you use to release judgement that you’d like to share?

With love & gratitude,

Sara