“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.
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~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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Please maintain the integrity by including the author and source website link.

“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

“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

“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

“It’s time to fully open your heart to the path of Agape, the path of love and compassion, truth and integrity, peace and harmony that transcends our human understanding. Most importantly it is the path of divine joy. Once you find the joy in every moment you will know the true passion of life that gives birth to new Creation. You, dear one, have the ability to see and encompass this expanded vision with a pure heart. This is a Divine gift that will serve you well. As time goes on, you shall be seen for the beauty and harmony that radiates from within you, for you are a reflection of me and I of you. We walk as One and know no bounds.”
~Black Madonna~
(excerpt from “Revelations of Love”, Volume I Black Madonna Diaries)

www.blackmadonnadiaries.com

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I invite you to freely share my offerings with others. Please maintain the integrity by including the author and source website link.

“Finding peace can be a challenge when your lives have been turned upside down through painful circumstances, or when the media is constantly throwing barbs at you. But attaining peace does not need to be a struggle. Divine Peace is a gift of grace. Yeshua/Jesus spoke of the “peace that passeth understanding”. This divine peace doesn’t have any requirements. It doesn’t attempt to elude chaos, empty the mind of its chatter, or delete worry. It’s a divine safety net that will always catch you if you fall, bringing comfort to your weary body, mind, and spirit. You can’t buy this peace, you can’t summon it. You can only surrender to the Peace that is already Who You Are.

Love, Peace, and Joy emanate from the Grace of the Divine. They are your inner refuge. No matter how many emotional ups and downs you experience, they are always present to carrying you through. They are steadfast. They do not falter. They do not have ups and downs as you hurdle through your adventurous journey of life. They will cheer you on as you experience the thrills. They will embrace you when loneliness or sadness seeps in. They will guide and support you for the most advantageous outcome. Most importantly they will always reflect the True You, rather than the illusive emotions that waft in and out of your mind like storm clouds.

The emotional body is eventually absorbed into the Lightbody and emotions are transmuted into senses in rapport with your divine wisdom. As multidimensional beings, you are able to experience simultaneous senses, rather than the duality of either-or, right-wrong, good-bad. For instance feeling sad because something has come to an end while simultaneously feeling joyous for the freedom it allows you. There is no war between them, no guilt, no angst. Once you step out of the collective consciousness into your own sovereignty, you’re able to utilize your feelings and senses as your intuitive navigation system aligned with your GodSelf, no longer stuck in the mires of duality.

The roller coaster of life continues it’s spirals and loops. It doesn’t care which seat you choose. You can sit in the front or the back. You can choose a first class seat or be satisfied with whatever seat happens to be available. Only you can decide what kind of ride you desire. First class seats of Love, Peace, and Joy are always available. The only price to be paid is your willingness to make a choice.”~Black Madonna~
(excerpt from Black Madonna Diaries, Volume III)
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~ Sharon Lyn Shepard ~

www.blackmadonnadiaires.com

♥ Sharing and gratitude donations are always appreciated ♥
I invite you to freely share my offerings with others. Please maintain the integrity by including the author and source website link.

“What you are about to embark upon is a commitment equivalent to the Rites of Passage into the Revelations of Love as taught in the ancient Mystery Schools. The initiates in ancient Egypt frequented the inner chambers of the temples and pyramids to access universal wisdom for transformation. As an initiate of the twenty-first century, you are utilizing the chambers of the heart and the fires of everyday life for your alchemical transformation.

Do not take it lightly, but neither fear the process for it is one of empowerment, meant to expand your heart, mind and soul. As we begin the process, I shall walk in front of you as a teacher and guide. After you gain your footing, we shall walk side by side as companions. Eventually, you will step into your own Mastery and I will be delighted to support you in all of your creative endeavors.” ~Black Madonna~
(excerpt from Black Madonna Diaries, Volume I )

www.blackmadonnadiaries.com
Artwork by Helena Nelson-Reed