Living in Expanded Relationship

Hallmark’s celebration of Valentine’s Day with flowers, chocolate, gushy cards, and romantic dinners are our present day symbols of love. As endearing as they are, they only hold value if there is sustenance behind them. I suggest we take advantage of Hallmark’s yearly anniversary of love to look beyond these superficial practices and dive deeply into Love in its purest form.

Our first and foremost love affair has always been with the Divine. Most humans use relationship as a way of attempting to mend duality’s misconception of Divine Love. This tear of unknown origin dissolves once you realize the truth of infinite Love. Then your primary relationship as a human being evolves into one with your GodSelf, the ultimate Love of your Life.

In marriage, the vows that are taken, are vows to your Self in recognition of Love eternal, expressing through you, as you. Do not place this responsibility on another, nor attempt to control or place restrictions that do not belong. For true adultery is infidelity pitted against your Divine Self. When you express as the consciousness of Divine Love all yearning ceases. Putting your fear of loss aside allows you to see relationship as Creation’s provision for you to experience the beauty of yourself with another as One with the Divine. Once that is lost, so are you and so is the relationship.

Divine relationship can only exist with an open heart. Marriage, or any partnership formed between two people, serves as a powerful medium to expand and evolve beyond yourself into union with the Divine as an expression of Love. Divine Love expressed through the physical, in whatever form chosen, is the most expanded way to experience love as Heaven on Earth.

Love manifests Love. As always, it is very simple. In giving and accepting love, we make love by expanding love and living in the pure consciousness of eternal Divine Love. The beauty of Love, the beauty of Life, the beauty of YOU, ’tis all Divine Love. And that’s what we’re celebrating today. Love in all it’s forms. I Love you!!

~ Sharon Lyn Shepard ~

http://www.sharonlynshepard.com
♥ Sharing is always appreciated ♥

Midwifing a New Legacy for our Children

How many of us have grown up in search of _____ ? I leave that blank because we all seem to be in search of something. Most people think when they find whatever that illusive thing is, they will find their happiness. So the list gets longer and longer, until….. we realize that it’s our Self that we’re in search of, our true authentic Self and the most joyous way to express our ever blossoming creativity.

No wonder our world is such a mess.
Everyone is “on the search” and there’s very little finding going on.

So when did we get so lost? How did we get so lost?

Perhaps we were never really lost. Perhaps we were born awake and aware, but the threads that weave that realization into our lives were never nurtured.

Children are born as pure Spirit. Their Spirit is so pure and so expansive that when it attempts to incarnate into a physical body, the vibration is often so dissonant that the body’s density feels like entrapment. The attempts to inhabit the body initiate fear and distress. If not alleviated, this separation becomes a core imprint for the rest of our lives.

It’s much more common then we’re aware of. Adults as well as children experience it in the form of nightmares, especially when we’re under a lot of emotional stress. When our Spirit returns to our body during dreamtime, if there’s a vibrational discrepancy between our Spirit and our physical body we awaken in a fear induced state. As an adult we usually learn how to deal with the anxiety in a variety of ways. But, we never seem to put it to rest.

Quite often incarnating into a physical body needs assistance with the interweaving of body and Spirit, especially when a child is born in a sterile environment like a hospital. Many ancient traditions held ceremonies for the child’s incarnation weaving their body and Spirit into harmony with the purity of Love.

Unfortunately these rituals have gone by the wayside. In present day we sign a birth certificate in place of a naming ceremony in which the divine Spirit was welcomed into the physical body with Love. Baptism originally invited the Holy Spirit to enter the body, but today’s ceremony has deviated from this primary intention. It would be a great benefit to our children if we birthed them in a loving environment and reinitiated some of these ancient rituals of Love.

Our children face this dilemma once again during adolescence when their hormones begin pumping through their bodies awakening them to an expanded consciousness.

Adolescence is meant to be a natural time of Self-realization. In the indigenous cultures it is considered a sacred time of passage. The adolescent is encouraged to participate in a vision quest to find their inner wisdom and discover their spiritual gifts. When they return, the whole tribe celebrates their awakening and supports the expression of their innate gifts.

Present day adolescence is very different. It has morphed into a difficult and challenging passage into adulthood. Once you realize that you’re an individual separate from your parents, you begin to question their standards. Without a culture’s support during this phase of development, our only choice is to test the waters by pushing the limits to figure out who we are on your own. Instead of fostering our gifts, we’re being ushered into more and more structured education to fit into society’s molds.

Thus, the youth of today are rebelling in order to expand. Unfortunately, that rebellion usually increases the chasm of separation, rather than drawing us closer to our spiritual essence. Even if we do find the artisan within, we are being forced to constantly grasshopper back and forth amidst society’s antiquated mandates, rather than express our innate gifts freely.

Once we reach retirement, we slow down enough to recognize a lifetime of separation from who we really are. But what if we didn’t have to wait until retirement to self reflect?

It’s too late for us to rewind and start over. But it’s not too late to change the legacy for our children.

Isn’t it time we midwife a more welcoming legacy for our children? Isn’t it time we honor the wisdom and brilliance of our children, especially our adolescents who have so much to share? Isn’t it time to weave our Spirit and physicality together in harmony to change the tapestry of life for all of us?

~ Sharon Lyn Shepard ~
http://www.sharonlynshepard.com
♥ Sharing is always appreciated ♥

How often are you Inter~fearing?

There are infinite ways in which we interfere with the gracious flow of life. We do it in our personal lives. We do it with our friends and family. We do it with nature. And most often, we do it with our physical bodies.

The Universe only knows benevolence, so life is ALWAYS flowing in hot pursuit to maintain Well~being. Meanwhile, we are constantly throwing everything out of balance with our arrogant beliefs that we know better.

Nature has an innate way of rebalancing itself. Humanity seems to think it can overpower the elements of earth that have created us. But with each action there is a natural reaction to maintain balance that is beyond our control. Rather than learning to live “with” nature as the indigenous people do, we continue to inter~fear in an attempt to create a false sense of security. Meanwhile, the weather has gone berserk, earthquakes are increasing and homes are slipping into the sea in response to our inter~fear~ance. Once we stop wasting our energy attempting to control life, all of our energy will be free to create in new and exciting ways.

The balance of our physical bodies is constantly obstructed with the latest trendy diets, super foods, supplements, and medications. Don’t get me wrong I’m fully on board for eating healthy to support my Well~BEing. But I’ve learned to trust my body, rather than fear it. I don’t fear that it will get ill. I don’t fear that it will get fat. Nor do I fear that it will grow old and decrepit. Yes, my body will age, but my body has no desire to suffer. My body lives in grace because I love my body, respond to its simple requests and I trust my body’s intelligence to do what it knows best without my inter~fear~ance.

We even disrupt the perfection of our innate Spiritual essence with the latest new age gizmos, rituals, prescribed practices and human machinations. There is no doubt we are in the times of high transition. We are being flooded with super charged flows of energy. But we put these processes in place “before” we incarnated. What makes us think we need to tinker with the flow of our Divine Intelligence?

These transitional energies can feel intense at times, but suffering is optional and only arises from our personal resistance. Instead of inter~fearing with the process and stirring up resistance (i.e. lack of trust), why not soothe the body in gentle ways to remain fully open and receiving. Deep breathing opens those cranky spaces that aren’t used to energy flowing through them. Quieting the mind with a few minutes of simple meditation will free those rebellious thoughts to fly on unattended. Or a quick cat nap is often all it takes to disengage the old patterns and foster a gentle expansion of consciousness with ease and grace.

Life is sweet and its expansive flow is our creative playground. Once we realize that, we’ll be able to find a new sense of balance with all that is and put fear to rest. Then we’ll never feel the need to inter~fear again.

~ Sharon Lyn Shepard~
http://www.sharonlynshepard.com
♥ Sharing is always appreciated ♥

2014 ~ The End of an Old Reality

As the year 2014 draws it’s final curtain, I find myself overwhelmed with tears of Gratitude for a year well-lived, a year that has evolved beyond anything my human self could have orchestrated.

I have never felt more Gratitude than I have this past year. And yet, I have nothing to show for it. I have done nothing that warrants success according the the world’s standards. When people ask me what I’ve been doing, I’m speechless because I have no words of explanation.

But when I take a breath and pause, the corners of my mouth automatically curl into a sweet smile of contentment. And isn’t that what the hustle and bustle of the world is all about? Isn’t contentment at the root of what everyone is trying to achieve? And yet… there is so way to achieve it. Contentment can only be experienced. If contentment is what humanity considers success, then it’s been a successful year for me.

Many years ago I tossed out the requisite new year’s resolutions. I replaced the need to make corrections in my life (i.e. resolutions) with the desire to live my heart’s dreams. At first these desires had material substance, like recording a new music CD. Over time I realized these material things were simply an expression of my GodSelf and it wasn’t the manifestation that fueled me. It was the Realization of my GodSelf.

It was then that my new year’s desires expanded beyond my human perception because my unconscious yearning has always been to know and embody my GodSelf in this amazing physical body.

This past year I made the ultimate commitment to my GodSelf. I made the leap. I jumped ship and left the old world behind to sort itself out in whatever way it needs to. I’ve realized that we each have our own soul journey and we need to respect that in each other and for the collective consciousness.

As a result of my commitment, I’ve experienced the most remarkable inner journey, going ever deeper and opening to an ever expanding Consciousness. Once again, I’ve gone beyond my human perception. Not only have I embodied my GodSelf, there is no separation between the two. There never has been. We, as a human race are finally beginning to remember Who We Are. WE are walking this planet as Divine Humans on a New Earth that WE are creating.

This year, I’m celebrating more than a new year.
I’m celebrating a New Reality as a Divine Human!!!
~Sharon Lyn Shepard ~

http://www.sharonlynshepard.com
♥ Sharing is always appreciated ♥

The Addictions No One is Talking About

We all have, or have had addictions. We tend to only think of those such as alcohol or drug addition, but there are other (emotional) addictions that are debilitating to our Spiritual Growth.

Society judges addictions as something that needs to be overcome. But what if addictions are a normal part of life, not to be overcome, but to enlighten us? What if they are signposts on our journey of Self-awareness and Self-empowerment?

I venture to say that most, if not all additions are unconscious. Take for example, the addiction to stay busy. Most people would say that is a favorable character trait. Indeed it can be. But it can also be an addiction to proving yourself worthy….. or a ruse to gain love, attention, or a promotion. When in reality staying busy is a diversion from what’s simmering under the surface, which is our soul’s desire to live the truth of who we really are.

I propose that addictions are a go~to when we’re in need of something, but we’re unaware of what that something is. For awhile our addictions may serve us by smoothing out some of the ruff spots in our lives. And there are certainly times when we need those moments of comfort that our addictions can provide. But that solace is temporary, which is why we continue reaching for more.

Here are a few of the common addictions that no one is talking about:
~ Staying busy…to prove yourself worthy
~ Titles, degrees, affiliations…shoring up your persona
~ Consumerism…bolstering our outward appearance
~ Excessive talking…fear of the silence
~ Food…a way to fill what feels empty
~ Chronic illness…to shun the responsibilities of life
~ Complaining…desiring to change things without taking responsibility
~ Judgment…making oneself feel superior
~ Drama (self created, or the media)…an artificial way to feel alive
~ Exercise…addiction to endorphins
~ Social media…distraction from being in the present moment
~ Religion or spirituality…turning your power over to someone else

~ And the biggest addiction of all….looking for love in all the wrong places, when in reality it is Divine Love we are in search of.

Addictions are a distraction from getting to know the real YOU rather than the one you’re presenting to the world. Once you realize this, there are no addictions to overcome. There is only one thing you need do: Awaken to WHO YOU ARE and when you do, the addictions will disappear along with the masks you were wearing.

Yes, some additions are more serious than others and they do require a period of physical and emotional rehabilitation. But, at the root of that rehabilitation is the need to step out of the darkness that has been eclipsing your True Self. Once you do, you will find that your Divine Self is unconditionally loving and you have nothing to prove to yourself or anyone else.

Rehabilitation is a step by step process. In that regard Alcoholics Anonymous is a great way to move through the process. But the process is one of Loving, rather than overcoming. And there is an additional step that’s missing from AA and other similar programs. That step is dropping the label “I am an alcoholic” and replacing it with the acknowledgement I AM THAT I AM.

Perhaps this too is an addiction, one that I’m addicted to….eternally knowing I AM THAT I AM. And it’s not one that needs to be overcome, it’s the eternal gift of Enlightenment.

~ Sharon Lyn Shepard ~
http://www.sharonlynshepard.com

♥ Sharing is always appreciated ♥
Note: If I’ve stirred something in you and you’d like another perspective, I suggest the book “Addictions: How to Unplug and be Free” by John Flaherty. John is an experienced Teacher of Spiritual and Emotional Wellbeing. An expert in the field of addictions, he inspires people to be free of their addictive behaviors to find emotional freedom, increased confidence and personal peace to live a more fulfilled existence. Visit his website @ http://www.beawarebealive.com

Shifting the World….from Micro to Macro

This post is totally out of character for me. I’m not prone to stick my nose into politics, but that’s exactly what I’m doing today. We are in the midst of a monumental evolutionary shift and that includes politics. It doesn’t appear to be very apparent at the White House, where politics are caught in a quagmire. But, we ARE seeing it on a local level.

I have always said it would be up to each of us individually to change the world, rather than depend on the government to do it for us. As each of our voices joins with another, WE THE PEOPLE WILL BE HEARD. While the politicians are playing their time worn games, we’re busy creating a new way of life in our local communities.

For the past few years, I have totally withdrawn my energy from the political arena and have not even bothered to vote because I did not want to engage in the kind of energy that was being tossed around. However….things have shifted and it’s time to engage my energy in the New Earth by supporting the people who have recently stepped forward to make changes in our local communities, where our voices ARE being heard.

Let me share with you how my change in perspective came about….

Yesterday one of my fb friends posted something political which is really out of character for her and I scratched my head wondering why she was dipping her fingers into politics. Today, as I was writing a comment on someone else’s post about not getting caught in the political and media fray, a voter representative knocked on my door. NO ONE knocks on my door because I live in a carriage house and my entrance is hidden from the main house so no one knows I’m here, except on a need to know basis. After answering the door, this kind soul and I had a very enlightening conversation for both of us. I really appreciated her information about how our island is setting the tone for the rest of our geographical area. I was so moved by her heart centered enthusiasm that I even gave her a hug before she departed.

Afterward, I began to wonder if the tides have shifted and it’s time to be more proactive in supporting the people who are initiating the evolutionary changes for our world. Perhaps it’s time to look at my voting ballet more closely and add my energy to a new political system that’s being initiated at the micro level of small town politics.

A few hours later, my voting ballet arrived in the mail. Obviously this subject is really UP for me and determined to get my attention!!! As I’m looking over the ballet, I can see that this particular election is very local. And this is where we ARE able to make changes.

Seattle city council has been among the first to ban plastic bags, raise the minimum wage to $15/hr, ban bee killing neonicotinoids, legalize marijuana and celebrates “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” rather than Columbus Day. These are only a few of the progressive things that come to mind. Thank you Seattle!! Just as Seattle city council has recently made some amazing environmental changes, Washington state now has the opportunity to follow suit and be the way~shower for the rest of the country, and ultimately the world.

Even though we’re not seeing these changes at the White House, where politics is still embroiled the old system, things have really shifted on a local level. I have not even bothered to look at the ballet for the past few years. But I’m excited to say that I’ve already put my ballet in the mail….. adding MY energy to the evolution of politics.

If you told me last week I’d give politics a single thought, I would have laughed at you. I have NO desire to fight the old system. I know things have been breaking down, but I’d not seen any evidence of the new seeds that we’ve planted…until this sequence of events really got my attention today.

*
So here’s my political message:
WE THE PEOPLE have set the stage to shift the world without any need to fight the old system. All we need do is nurture the seeds we’ve already planted in our hearts and our local communities. From there, momentum will build and shift the world from the micro level to the macro. I have already seen things change in the blink of an eye!

Perhaps you’d consider adding YOUR voice and YOUR energy to the evolution of your local community by supporting the people who ARE making a difference in the world. We are weaving a new web and each voice adds strength. Your micro can become the macro.

~ Sharon Lyn Shepard ~
http://www.sharonlynshepard.com
♥ Sharing is always appreciated ♥

Creating with the Grace of Expansion

This past year has presented a series of sputtering stops and starts in so many creative projects. A current of momentum picks me up like a magic carpet effortlessly guiding me with a new flow of enthusiasm. Then thud . . . everything goes still, no current, no magic carpet, no inspiration. All that remains is a deep restlessness, sitting on a grounded carpet that was flying through the infinite sky just moments ago.

I finally realized that when I’m really zooming forward with a project that comes to an abrupt halt, it’s usually because those boundless skies have facilitated an expanded awareness within me. It’s time to lay down the sword of creation I’m wielding to fully align within in order to move forward with the ease and grace of the magic carpet. There is nothing wrong, it’s simply my need to align with a more expanded ME.

It feels like it has taken me eons to become comfortable with allowing myself this pause in life. I was so indoctrinated to be “doing” something all the time for the mere acceptance by others. It still bites me in the butt sometimes. But I know better now. I know that when I’m procrastinating or restless, instead of “doing” something to force it to pass, I simply need to pause and realign. And my oh my, there’s a lot of that happening these days because our expansion is happening so quickly, realizing more… and more… and more… and more of who I AM.

A Master Creator uses this power of expansion. He knows how to parlay. He knows when to wield the sword and when to temporarily lay it aside. He knows when to pause and take the in~breath that will carry him through the next bout of creation. He is always aligned with the flow of Source before he steps into the field with the hilt comfortably in his hand. A Master Creator creates with the Grace of Expansion.

~ Sharon Lyn Shepard ~

~message from my inner wisdom~
http://www.sharonlynshepard.com
♥ Sharing is always appreciated ♥