Return to our Divinity

Excerpt from “Black Madonna Diaries”
available in paperback and ebook @
https://www.amazon.com/author/sharonlynshepard

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A Mother’s Love

Love is not always given
in ways we can see
Yet, it is still Love

Often rejected by us
because in our limited vision
we are unable to see it

Yet, the Mother continues to Love
It is always there
a gift that is always available
by simply receiving
Always more than enough

We have so much to learn
from the Divine Mother
To give and receive Love unconditionally.
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Excerpt from “Revelations of Love” Black Madonna Diaries
available for purchase @
www.amazon.com/author/sharonlynshepard

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Artwork: L’innocence, by William Bouguereau

Surrender

“Surrender” is the word of the day~
As I slid into meditation this morning I was reminded of this journal entry from an experience I had when I first arrived in Spain as a spiritual warrior ….

At last, I snuggle into my long awaited bed, but sleep eludes me. My mind is squirreling in a hundred different directions. I toss and turn. I fluff my pillow, and re-tuck the covers around me a million times.

Eventually I feel myself being pulled deep within, deeper and deeper. . .

In a hovering mist an old woman materializes with skin like a prune. Bent over her cane she takes one gingerly step after another until she precariously lowers herself onto the mossy forest floor. After shifting several times to find a spot of comfort, she crooks her finger motioning me toward her.

Looking straight into my eyes, she speaks, “It is I, Courage, come to your rescue again. Whenever you need me, I’m always available, forever hiding in the depths of you. Oh, how many times you have called upon me. You, who always place yourself in situations that need me most. We have fought so many battles together. Oh, how many have there been? I have been used and abused so many times, in so many lifetimes on this planet.” Her eyes are aglow. “Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for all of your work and all that we’ve accomplished. But now I’m tired, so very very tired. We have walked arm-in-arm for so long. You, who always needs to win. You, who is never willing to surrender and just find a nice shady tree to sit under.” Her chest collapses as she sends out a weak puff of air.

“Well, the fight is over. Things have changed. The courage being called upon now is to surrender. It’s the courage of acknowledging and honoring each individual as sovereign. A courage that takes less effort and yields much better results. Oh, our prior actions were appropriate, so do not judge the past. Fortunately, things have evolved.

“Now I sit content under the branches of the Tree of Life and most humbly ask you to join me.” With a gnarled hand she pats a cushion of moss beside her. “Come, dear one, surrender to Love. Just allow yourself to melt into my arms and sink into my lap. Surrender to Love, surrender to peace, surrender to your heart. The battle is over. We are safe and secure. You have come Home to where nothing can ever harm you again. Now place your head in my lap and release all your unshed tears. Then rest, divine one, rest before you take up your pack and reinitiate your journey of enlightenment.

“Don’t look back. Don’t look beyond. Whatever is going on out there is no longer your concern. It all needs to play itself out with everyone in his or her chosen role. Honor them and allow them that courtesy. You and I, we are here in the present moment to rest, relax, and enjoy this sacred space in the sanctuary of the heart.

“With time, those who choose to surrender to their hearts shall find us. So if you’re searching for a new job, your application is graciously accepted. We desperately need new role models who know how to live from the sanctuary of their heart. You have struggled to find it, now settle in and don’t allow anything or anyone to draw you from it. That will benefit no one. No one. Now, simply rest and sink into your heart space, for this is your sacred gift to everyone in search of peace, love and harmony.
Moving into expanded consciousness we’re drifting into a new dimensional space. Here the style of work changes. Everything is accomplished through the pathways of the heart. You’ll find peace in the completion of your current life and realize that joining in the dramas of the old world will result in nothing more than proliferating imbalanced emotions. By remaining grounded in your heart you become strong and courageous by effortlessly radiating an aura of love, compassion and harmony. So, I ask: Will you join me in a bit of a holiday as we sit together under this blessed tree and take pleasure in a newly realized world?”

I gaze deeply into her eyes relaying my unspoken words before I embrace her wispy body with a loving hug and words of gratitude. A soothing hum rises from her chest like a bee in search of honey. As she rocks me, stroking my silken hair like a mother, I surrender to contentment. Sweet, sweet contentment.

The woman who emerges from her lap is a different person. She is strong in her feminine grace and elegance, aware that her strength comes from within not from any of her undertakings. Her way of moving through the world is innate, no longer rash and compulsive but gentle, methodical and full of grace, accomplishing more than she ever could have in her multi-tasking aggressiveness. Her need to compete is diminished. Her winning is within, no longer measured by the outside world.

Tears accumulate as I recognize this radiant gentle woman exuding love and compassion. Her face is my face. How many years of trauma has it taken to finally realize this? I celebrate my awakening and embrace the self that lives within. Even if I do nothing more on this planet, I am content. I have accomplished what I thought was impossible. The never-ending search is over. I am Home with the Beloved. I have found within myself a person I love and admire. It is here that peace lies. I am that peace as I slide into welcomed sleep.
*

~Sharon Lyn Shepard ~
~excert from “Mystery of Love”
Black Madonna Diary Series
available in paperback and ebook @ www.amazon.com/author/sharonlynshepard

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Truth Within

“The truth lies within you. No matter what you see, what you read, what you’re told, or by whom, know that the truth lies within you. The truth will always expand you, empower you, and fill you with love. It will never attempt to diminish or control you. Only you can know your truth and the truth will set you free to expand your capacity to live in Love.”

Excerpt from “Revelations of Love”
Black Madonna Diaries, Volume I
available for purchase in paperback and ebook @
www.amazon.com/author/sharonlynshepard

Blessed Path

“Beloved one, know that your path is always blessed and prepared long before your footsteps even touch the ground. You, dear one, have a gift for all of mankind. As long as you remain on the path you will always be protected and provided for and there will always be those who support you.” ~ Black Madonna ~
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Excerpt from “Revelations of Love”
Black Madonna Diaries, Volume I
available for purchase in paperback and ebook @
www.amazon.com/author/sharonlynshepard

White Buffalo Calf Woman

The original American Thanksgiving was spent in celebrating joining the people of all the Tribes. It’s time to come full circle and re-join the Tribes, the tribes of all nations of people, of nature, and of our Star brothers and sisters throughout all the Universe. White Buffalo Calf Woman comes with this Message of Peace for all of us:

~ Voice of White Buffalo Calf Woman ~
“Aho! Greetings from the Rainbow Tribes,
I am White Buffalo Calf Woman, offering the chanunpa, as the sacred “Pipe of Peace”. I invite you to join me in offering gratitude and prayer to the Great White Spirit as the world ushers in a new Millennium of Peace and Harmony.

According to the Hopi Prophecy, when birds fall from the sky and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the earth from many colors, classes, creeds, who by their actions and deeds, shall make the earth green again. They will be known as the warriors of the Rainbow. This is an auspicious time, a time of gathering the rainbow tribes into a harmonious blend of human alliance. We are here to initiate the most joyous era this planet has ever known, a period of renewed harmony that will see the two-legged awaken, the four-legged flourish, the rivers run pure, and humankind in conscious exchange with the stars. It has been prophesied that the day will come in which all cultures of the 12 rainbow tribes shall smoke the pipe of peace, passing it from one hand to the next, inclusive of all people and all our relations. The ancient prophecy speaks truth. This gathering of the tribes, celebrated by the opening of a new potential in a new millennium is here now.

With this holy pipe the male and female live in balance and harmony. (she ceremoniously joins the pipe stem with the bowl) With this holy pipe in your hands, your feet rest upon the earth and the pipestem reaches into the sky. (she touches the bowl to the earth with the stem pointing upward) The breath of your human body becomes a living bridge between the Sacred Beneath and the Sacred Above.

Wakan Tanka smiles upon us when we come together as one: earth, sky, the two-leggeds, the four-leggeds, the swimmers, the winged ones, the crawly ones, the trees, the stones, the grasses and all living things. We are all one family and the smoking of this pipe binds us together.

I pass this pipe into your hands, smoke and offer your prayers to the Earth Mother, smoke and offer your prayers to Father Sky, smoke and offer your prayers of the Heart. Then in all reverence, pass it on as it continues around the circle of One, for we are all one circle.

We, the bearers of peace, are no longer for the few. We share our ways. We share our ceremonies. We are walking into a new world unraveling the veils of Love. We ask that you share your love with those most dear to you. Share this smoke of the rainbow tribes to create harmony amongst yourselves. A new life awaits you, a life of peace, love and harmony amongst all the tribes on earth and beyond. A new life awaits. Aho”
*
~ Sharon Lyn Shepard ~
Excerpt from “Revelations of Love” available in paperback and ebook @
www.amazon.com/author/sharonlynshepard

Sharing is always appreciated
Please maintain the integrity by including the author and source website link. www.sharonlynshepard.com

gratitude for the artwork by Pamela Mccabe

 

Winter Solstice Celebration 2019

Black Madonna just put me on task to redo her whole altar, ordering me about with her directives. She usually does this a week or so before our Winter Solstice Celebration, but this feels way early.

She had me buy her a silver chalice and offering bowl to celebrate Solstice. Although she has been gifted with ritual accoutrements by others, her altar is usually quite simple with articles of nature. This is the first time she has asked me to purchase something like this for her. She’s now draped in a black silk scarf bordered in red roses, flanked by two golden candles, surrounded by crystals, and holding a faerie wand in her hand. The whole time I’m doing this my body is spinning with little eddies of energy throughout my whole being. Simultaneously, I’m feeling the whole Omniverse spinning with us as she reveals herself as the primordial womb and genesis of Creation. All this time, my tears of JOY are flowing.

She then had me create a wreath of Cedar boughs from our faerie forest to hang overhead and decorate all my window sills with cedar boughs, candles, and faerie lights. I have never seen her look so Regal. Something EXPANSIVE is afoot in these next few weeks!!! And it’s being birthed anew in Love and Joy.

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~Sharon Lyn Shepard~
“Black Madonna Diaries”
available in paperback and ebook @
https://www.amazon.com/author/sharonlynshepard

♥ Sharing is always appreciated ♥
Please maintain the integrity by including the author and source website link. www.blackmadonnadiaries.com

Blessing of Transformation

“I am Kali, the Goddess of Transformation who assists in maintaining the balance of Universal order. My sacred fire is a gift of purification in the alchemy of transformation.

I walk before you in the wake of change. Pay attention, heed the warnings, see the signs, listen to your internal wisdom. These stirrings offer you the opportunity to flow with the natural cycles of the universe in grace, rather than allowing them to catch you by surprise amidst the chaos and pain resulting from your attempts to overpower them.

Life is in eternal expansion. Life changes and so must you. Your perceived obstacles are simply a reminder to pause and reevaluate your habitual patterns and beliefs. Once you remove the shackles of the old bereaved belief systems that no longer serve you, you’re free to create a new enlightened foundation. Otherwise your current life shall crumble from beneath you leaving you standing on uneven ground. When the earth quakes, things often collapse and you may find yourself digging through the rubble. But it is here, in what appears as rubble, that the ultimate treasures have been patiently awaiting your embrace.

Beware, I will push you beyond your comfort zone to find the innate power of your full potential. This internal transformation to your GodSelf will rise above the old like a phoenix from the ashes. As the forms of an old culture die the illusion disappears. Meet me in the cauldron of the heart, which lies between the worlds of black and white, good and bad, positive and negative, leaving the extremities of duality behind, all the while experiencing the fullness of it all.

When you heed my call, by stepping away from the old and welcoming the new, you dispel the discordant energies and invite harmony into your world. I am here in service to you. Allow me, Kali, to ease the path of change with grace and return harmony to your Soul Song once again.” ~Goddess Kali Ma~
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~Sharon Lyn Shepard~
excerpt from “Revelations of Love”, Black Madonna Diaries, Volume I
available in paperback and ebook @
https://www.amazon.com/author/sharonlynshepard

♥ Sharing is always appreciated ♥
Please maintain the integrity by including the author and source website link. www.blackmadonnadiaries.com
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gratitude to the artist Tantric Marriage by George Atherton