A Lovely Reminder

            There is a bit of history to my nights in Old Paris, but first play with me and pronounce it in French- “pair-ee.” Yes, that is much more fun!

It was 2011, and I sat with my sons in a movie called Hugo. The movie was set in the early 1930’s in Paris. In one of the scenes, French music was being played in a café. My son turned to me and whispered. “Mom, how do you know the words to this song?” At that point, I hadn't even realized I was singing along.

Shortly thereafter, I saw another movie set in early 19^th century Paris, this time alone.  I sat strangely detached and wide eyed, holding my popcorn and diet coke (neither of which was consumed) as the recognition became stronger. The streetscape was comfortingly familiar; cobblestone roads lit by gas lamps. I had visited this place many times in my dreams—for more years than I could remember.

On the way home that day, I stopped at the grocery store. I recall walking out empty handed, and standing confused in the parking lot. My car….what was it? Where was it? I walked aimlessly through the parking lot, unsure of what I was looking for. I realized I held the key fob in my hand and thought to hit the red button. Across the lot, I heard the horn blaring and the headlights flashing. “The Subaru…” I thought to myself when I saw it. Safely in the car, I made the short drive home, noting to myself that this is why I might be a candidate for a facility in my older years….

That night, my dream state lit up like the fourth of July, and when I awoke, I knew that I wasn't losing it the day before. I had been straddling two realities; a “door” had been cracked open, and within the dream state I was flooded with memories from another lifetime. I played the piano, and very well. I had a small white dog. I was a bit of a socialite, though I wasn't clear on the source of my standing. Was it purely economic or talent?

I found myself there again last night - in Paris - walking along the gas lamp-lit street with a young man. I could see my dress shoes and my skirt with its layered flounce at the bottom, and I laughed flirtatiously while we discussed a story printed in the news.

Unlike the reincarnational story that became Timeless Waters, I have no idea what message, if any, that lifetime in Paris holds for me in my present reality. It is, though, a lovely reminder that each of us is far more than we know, and glimpsing that totality is not only available to us, but our birthright.

What a joyful ride it is!

Many Blessings,

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.