Releasing Fears and Trying Something New

Well, after an almost three month sabbatical from writing, I composed one of these messages a few weeks ago. When I saw the final copy after it went out, I cringed, for in my haste I apparently didn't do a final proof? A word was missing; there was a typo or two. I then spent the following week feeling mortified, talking myself through my shame and hiding in my cave. 

Did I say shame? Yes, I did.

Let’s talk about that, or more specifically, the idea that it is unthinkable to make a public mistake. I say something incorrectly, don’t catch a typo, or make a fool of myself in some way, and I spend the next few weeks beating myself up and spinning in my self disappointment. I hate being so ding-dang human! Funny thing is, I would never describe myself as a perfectionist or anything remotely close.

When I confess this problem I have, I hear from others that they too have these experiences, so I am glad to know I am not alone. The problem is that these very fears of imperfection, making a mistake, or being judged that keep many of us from putting ourselves out there and sharing what we have to share with the world.
 

 You know what else? I have written about this before! Where’s the progress? (You can read it here.)

This rediscovered discomfort with my many imperfections almost stopped me from something I have been working on; a short email series on “everyday mysticism,"focused on sharing ideas about how to tap our inner mysticism while being fully engaged in this very busy and distracting physical life.

I consider myself a bit of an expert when it comes to being in the flow of the mystical river, complete with amazing metaphysical experiences, only to somehow find myself in the desert again. It’s a circle within this life of its own kind. I know I am not alone. So when I start the series, read it. Save the emails in your inbox until you have time. Create a space where you are focused and relaxed; read while you savor your morning coffee or your evening wine. Get out your journal and make notes to yourself about your own life and experiences, whatever works for you.

Okay, did I catch all my typos this time? Is it safe for me to hit the button?  
 

I hope so...

In the meantime, keep an eye out for an email labeled "Everyday Mysticism."
I look forward to sharing this time with you!

Many Blessings,

Sheryl

This Above All

                                                                                         

I took a chance. The cards I was holding so closely to my chest no longer felt like they should remain there. My heart had opened, and in order to be fair it was time to be honest, authentic and real.

It was not for a few days that I began to question my judgment. Awareness of my exposure slowly crept over me and as it did, it became larger than I was. In a tailspin of vulnerability, I took my honest words back; made it clear I had made a big mistake.

All of this was done out of fear, of course: Fear of playing the fool; fear of getting hurt. Sound familiar?

That day, as I went about my daily life, I came across Shakespeare’s quote “This above all: to thine self be true,” three separate times. I might mention that I don’t recall ever coming across this quote outside of an English Lit class, yet it came to me from three different sources in a twenty-four hour period. Even stranger was that its original source is Hamlet; a personal favorite of the person who I had courageously handed my “cards” in the first place.

I’m not a believer in coincidence. With a deep breath of acceptance, I closed my eyes and thanked Spirit for leading me to the information I needed to transcend the vortex of emotion I was experiencing.

How often do we miss the messages we are given; the communication from Spirit that shows up in forms we fail to recognize?

It is not yet clear what the outcome to my personal story mentioned above will be, but of one thing I am certain; “to thine self be true.”

Blessings,

Sheryl  

Becoming

“I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be.”                                                    Albert Einstein

Such was the quote that I posted on the Timeless Water’s Facebook page. Based on the number of “likes,” it was evident that I was not alone in recognizing the degree to which I get in my own way when it comes to personal transformation.

In response, I posted a reference to the hidden beliefs that shape our lives and realities being like bars on a window. We look through the bars not even seeing them or realizing they are of our own making. I had hoped people would respond with the same shared recognition. No, not so much….

After writing Timeless Waters, rather than seeking to promote it, I spent the next few years considering what, after having this remarkable experience, I was really going to do with it. As I began to delve further into the reality I am creating in this lifetime and the parallels it holds with other lifetimes I can recall, it dawned on me that this lifetime is where the rubber meets the road. In fact, it’s really the only one I have to work with! So why not start there?

So why is it so hard to give up who we are in order to become what we will be?

The usual things come to mind: fear of change, not seeing an outer edge to our comfort zone, and old habits die hard. All so very true for me! But there’s more. To a degree, the person I hold myself to me is just a set of ideas rather than a fixed way of being, or change would be impossible.  That recognition then leads one to ask: what are these ideas that shape us and as well as our lives? They are beliefs; beliefs we often don’t even know we have.

The notion that we create our own realities is not a new one, but we most often operate in the realm of conscious thought when applying that idea to our own lives. Yet there is so much more behind our conscious awareness that is shaping who we are. Giving up what we are in order to become what we can be, in essence, requires letting go of the idea we have created about ourselves. That can be some tough work, and it begins with understanding beliefs.

Ram Dass wrote “there is a grief that occurs when who you thought you were begins to disappear.” But on the other side is the person we will be, and that is well worth it, is it not?

Blessings,

Sheryl

Look for Sheryl’s workbook, You Hold the Key to You: Beliefs, Reality and Your Incarnational Past, in early 2013.