Yeah so that’s probably an obvious title for anyone who knows me and my past-that for sure Sharla is not a nun nor a priest in any way form or fashion.  In fact until a couple years back I wouldn’t have considered anything about me spiritual or religious, in fact quiet the opposite, I was pretty solid against those things.

After finding that side of me, that spiritual connection I never knew could feel so amazing I was “hooked.”  I’ve been devoted to my spiritual growth and devotion from that point on.  I remember my teacher at the time suggesting to me that I create an altar at home.  I kinda fluffed off the idea at first but then got really excited about it, as I felt it would help me focus each day, just a little bit, on my connection with the Divine-kinda like a reminder of sorts.

Well, this idea sounds fine and dandy but when you have two kids, one of which is a toddler, it makes it interesting finding a place where you can put anything that’s remotely nice or breakable where he couldn’t get to it.  Outside of that, my husband at the time thought I was basically jumping off the deep end and didn’t want anything “woo-woo” to be out in the open where he or someone else could see it.  So, I decided it was best to have an altar that was hidden from everyone and that I would only have out in the open when no one was in the house-HOW LAME.  It’s not like I was cooking meth or something, we are talking about a sacred space that I wanted to create to just be apart of my daily routine of being connected to source, to remind me how much love, joy and peace is accessible to me every day (and for those around me as well)…sounds horrible right?!?!?!

The Box

I began gathering things from the house and some gifts from my teacher that I felt were sacred and beautiful to me.  Instead of keeping them out in the open like I had hoped, I chose to keep them in a wooden box my husband had built me.  When the kids and he would leave I would bring the items out, meditate, then put them back in the box to appease my husband.

When my husband’s issue with infidelity occurred, I was devastated. It was my consistent meditation and yoga practice that kept my head on straight, that gave me the strength to work through all that mess and choose to work it out with him at the time.  Those sacred items might have seemed insignificant to anyone but me, however all the sudden I felt forever grateful for them.  Those items hidden in that box were what kept me grounded, sane, realistic, and unconditionally loving to a man who had ripped my heart out (or so it felt at the time).

After our attempt to save our marriage, we decided to call it quits.  I find it utterly fascinating that my husband had so much anger towards me that when I left for a couple days, he we right to my box and broke almost all my sacred items.  He hated the part of me that felt so great.  He chose to look at my spiritual path as what tore us apart.  He resented who I had become and was becoming, sad really.  I found my beautiful Tibetan singing bowl that an awesome friend had given me, it was shattered.  That was a brass bowl that was hand crafted and doesn’t just break-he had to have taken a hammer to it or ran it over with the car or something.  For a brief moment I was angry but within minutes that anger turned into empathy.  Empathy for a man who I love dearly and care for very much, that I know his anger isn’t towards me but comes from a deep dark place of pain from his past and I just happen to be the scapegoat-well my things were really the scapegoat-but he blamed me and took it out on my things physically.

Finally My Sacred Space in THE OPEN

“In order to stay easily and happily creative, we need to stay spiritually centered.
This is easier to do if we allow ourselves centering rituals.
It is important that we devise these ourselves from the elements that feel holy and happy to us.”
Julia Cameron

Although the transition to being a single woman and single mom again has had it’s ups and downs, I must admit that the freedom to express myself without hesitation is liberating.

Being able to create a sacred altar, much like nuns or priests do, has been an important part in my life.  Bringing together new items found and gifts given to me, keeping them out in the open, being able to see them all day long is a beautiful thing.  My altar of sacred things is apart of my daily life and spiritual ritual that keeps me open, growing, spiritually evolving and just it’s presence in my house makes me feel I live in a retreat.

So even on days when I have challenges or roadblocks this altar is apart of my process in moving through those times.  Who would have thought that a couple candles, pictures, stones, and figurines could play such an important role in my life but they do.

What do you have in your life that keeps you grounded, that helps you go through life a little bit easier?

My kick ass friend, Maggie Deller of The Positive World, posed the question to me this morning on Facebook:  ”how are we born perfect and yet we are in progress-all growing?”

This question I’m sure might stir some of you up, considering many beliefs/faiths teach that we are imperfect beings on a mission to letting God work through us and take our sins away.  This is indeed one way to look at it.

I believe that God/Source/ The Universe birthed my spirit as a perfect one.  A spirit that is in complete harmony with others, that feels, gives and receives unconditional love.  My True Self is one that is never changing, and it’s essence is perfect, beautiful and complete BLISS.

HOWEVER, we are born in this world a spirit having a human experience…we are one of the creatures on earth that has been blessed to live with the 5 senses, language communication, and emotions.  Much of the human experience in our younger days is spent cultivating and growing an EGO (edging God out).  This ego can serve us at times and needs to be there, but honestly when you think about it the ego can be the biggest wall that each of us face.

The ego sees everything as being separate.  The ego judges and casts stones.  The ego contains fear and hate.  The ego attaches to things, places, people, etc.  The ego defines our experience with things that’s aren’t of our True nature-like cars, big houses, jobs, money and you name it the ego will attempt to define us through materialistic things and events.

We are the Sinner and Saint

So, being that we are born into a world of duality-spirits having a human experience, our journey on Mother Earth isn’t to learn lessons, which I have often said for years now…but it’s to REMEMBER, who we really are.  It’s to remember that part of ourself that’s never changing and always there for us-SPIRIT.

It’s that part of us that will never leave us, will always be filled with love and ready to share at a millisecond’s notice.  It’s that part of us that we’ve “covered” up for years with an often very unhealthy ego.

So in this incarnation there is an option of growing, spiritual evolving, or personal developing…all to shave away or tame that often out of control EGO and allow our TRUE SELF to emerge and shine bright.

We are the sinner and saint, we are the divine and diabolical, we are love and hate…we are all that is-just some qualities show more than others.

Even though different qualities show up in people in totally different ways, there is a divine light in each of us, there is no separation at all.  Just looking at a drop of water that came from the ocean-that drop is no more or less than what it came from-THE OCEAN.  So no matter what your faith or religious affiliation, I hope you know that you are that which is bigger than us, you are that which is that higher power, it’s running at your core-you are the “drop” of that which is of the higher power!

I acknowledge that Divine Light that’s in YOU just as it’s in ME…NAMASTE.

Stop the Fight

Today I was inspired to write this blog post because of a stimulating conversation on Facebook with Mac McDougal, a soon to be new found friend.  It was brought up by a mutual friend of ours that he was having a very stressful day-like happens so often.  Mac and I had somewhat “opposing” schools of thought on how to handle stress but I can honestly see from both perspectives from personal experience.

Have you ever been like me and almost every day is stressful?

Boy about 3 years ago I could say without a doubt that most of my adult life was filled with stress unless I was under the influence of something-lets be real ok-I know I’m not the only one out there.

I hadn’t accomplished much in my life, to the degree that I know I have capabilities of.  I hadn’t touched the lives of my fellow humans like I know I could…everything seemed to be A FIGHT.  A fight for money, a fight for cars, a fight for a house, a fight, a fight, a FUCKIN FIGHT.  (yes I did just drop the F-Bomb…whoopdee doo-get over it-it’s not worth the fight)

I’m not saying that life right now, 3 years latter doesn’t have struggles…that’s totally incorrect.  HOWEVER, the struggles mean something totally different to me, plus they don’t show up in the exact way they used to-and here’s how.

Curiosity Never Killed the Cat, Curiosity Brings Insight

Ok so my parents taught me growing up that “everything you think about expands”.  Meaning that wherever we bring our focus, that is where our attention goes, where our attention goes-as is life.  So let me some this up…if I’m stressed out, then I should think about not being stressed out, about being happy, excited and what not and eventually the stress will go away.  This has worked for me most of my life-HOWEVER, only temporarily.

Ya see, one of my greatest teachers, Jana Fleming, taught me that anything that keeps showing up in our life over and over on the “outside” world is a sign that we have work to do on the “inside.”  Furthermore, lets use this example we are going with-Stress-If I continue to say/affirm how awesome my life is, how in the flow things are over and over for months during stressful times and the stress still continues to breathe down my neck-then obviously the affirmations are working against some “software” that’s running unconsciously.

So how do we “fix that”?

My number one suggestion is to just get curious and ask yourself questions…that’s what helps me.

~What is causing this stress exactly?

It’s that I can never seem to please anyone-no one is ever happy with my work…I don’t feel appreciated for the work that I do.

So, now we are getting somewhere…

Understanding the concept that we can’t every control what’s going on outside of us, only what’s on the inside and how we think…Now it’s time to roll the sleeves up and be totally real with ourselves.

~When was the first time that we remember feeling this way-unappreciated?

Well, I remember growing up that I did _________________ and my parents never appreciated me.

AHHHH…so this current situation at your job reminds you of childhood wounds.

Maybe you don’t have an answer like that at all….so another question you can ask yourself is:

~When do I not give appreciation to others?

~When do I not appreciate and give myself attention?

Ya see, when we begin to ask ourselves questions on a deeper level, then we bring light to the subject that allows us to begin to heal this part of ourselves that maybe we judge, we dislike, or we were totally unaware of before self exploration.

It’s a Process

It’s kind of like this…instead of affirming everything away-or trying to-like the way I was raised-we acknowledge the issues and work through it so it doesn’t keep showing up in our lives in the same way.

Take stress for instance, if it’s always there and we basically ignore it and throw around some fluffy wonderful affirmations then it’s like holding a massive beach ball down under the water-you know that sucker is going to keep poppin’ up, no matter how hard you try.

So, there is some great work by Debbie Ford at the Ford Institute that’s brought so much healing into my life, it’s called Shadow Work.  Basically, the premise is being able to have black and white steps to physically and mentally do when we are “triggered” by something or someone.  Triggered meaning it stresses us out, makes us angry, upset, etc…

The Shadow process is just that, a process that’s too intense and detailed to explain in this post…however let me just say that I do shadow work constantly in my life and I’m a better person because of it.  I still believe 100% in affirmations, I just now know that affirmations work when we don’t have unconscious/conscious “software” running in the background fighting it.

So when something pops up in my life over and over again, I know it’s the Universe saying “Sharla, this is something that needs work-you can’t change people around you, you can change you though.”

Perceptions of Life

The comment was made in this facebook conversation that “hard work pays off”.  I agree and disagree with this statement.

If I’m totally stressed out at work, over and over again…the only thing hard work will bring is more stress, a compromised immune system and misery.

However, I personally get stressed out, over and over in any given situation then I choose to work hard on myself, then I feel that my life isn’t such a fight, it’s not always pleasant, and is hard to face at times but much better than trying to fix the outside world to fit how we think things “should” be…

Take for instance me personally.  I don’t get stressed at work because I haven’t had a job in 7 years, I’ve been working for myself.  HOWEVER, in working for myself I deal with people all the time and people can trigger me for sure.  Where I get that red hot feeling, my heart flutters and I want to beat someone up…yeah I have self control thank goodness and never physically done it, but mentally I have.

Well in situations like this I step back and do the Shadow work…it usually centers around my childhood and usually around my father. (who is a great person he’s just one of my biggest teachers-we are so much alike that we clash a lot-so I’m learning and growing from that).  I find that after I do this work then even though some situations arise that I would normally want to react to or be triggered by, they still exist but I’m not effected by them like before.

When we do internal work and change from within the outside world appears to have changed, when really it’s our perceptions or deceptions that have changed therefore the outside world looks different!

“The deepest work we will ever do is on the inside-it’s the biggest gift we can give to ourselves and the world around us.” Me

The Illusions of Life

I know what you are thinking, “life isn’t an illusion”.  I have had that very same thought too many times before but I can also remember as a young child almost going into a daze of some sort,  you know, where you stare off into the wild blue yonder and just ponder (hey that rhymed-I’m a poet and didn’t even know it).  No, but seriously I would get this notion that I wasn’t real, that life wasn’t real that there was something more…I know this might seem strange but I would actually ask what life would be if I died right now and I never was scared, anxious, or intimidated by that thought…I think it was because even though I couldn’t explain it, I felt that this life we are living isn’t the REAL life that we TRULY are.

I know that we can look in the mirror and see ourselves, we can go outside and smell the fresh air, or taste grandma’s butter biscuits and it all seems so real-RIGHT?  Well, our physical self is an idea that our minds stubbornly hold onto when really we are TRULY bundles of energy that will never die.  And the five senses that attempt to confirm to ourselves that our body is real, is but a thought-yeah there’s one to ponder.

What Religions Say

The Early Christians say “the body was spirit made flesh, the fleshly part being and illusion.  To touch warm skin was to touch temptation.  The Hopi Indians, the entire universe is a flow of energy and spirit, and therefore the body is a transient event in that flow; to touch warm skin was like touching a puff of wind.  Buddhists combine the notions of transience and illusion; to them the body is like a ghostly river, and being attached to it is the source of all suffering.  To touch warm skin is to sink deeper into illusion. (expert from “Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul” by Deepak Chopra)

Reality or what seems to be reality is different at different times in our lives…let me divulge.  Have you ever had a dream, that seemed so real that you woke up only to find yourself actually crying or feeling a pain like you were in your dream.  I know I’m not the only one…that it takes a minute to wake up and realize that wasn’t real because you were just asleep.  Well, when we are awake this is like a dream too, it feels real because this is the level of consciousness we are experiencing now, but there is more to life than just this “awake” dream state we are in.

Whats It All Mean?

I think if we all slowed down long enough and really looked at the world around us it wouldn’t be too hard to see…well, maybe I’m wrong maybe most wouldn’t see so let me explain.

The other day a friend of mine, Michael Catlow was sharing one of the most horrific and yet inspiring stories I’ve heard all my life.  Michael had been apart of the recovery of Haiti-on a trip with his girlfriend-they just picked up and went to go help out in any way they could.  That’s inspiring in an of itself right there.  But Michael was sharing with me a story of a doctor who was from Haiti and before the tragedy had stepped out of the building that would soon crumble.  In the first 30 seconds of the earthquake he lost his mother, father, siblings, his wife, his children, all his belonging were gone and not to mention both his office/business and his home.  So he was left with only the shirt on his back.

I had tears in my eyes, I can’t even fathom a tragedy so harsh, one that would wound a person’s heart so deep.  This doctor is now volunteering at a clinic in Haiti to keep his sanity I’m sure, to give back as much as he possibly can so that he can see positive change in his country when his personal “country” has been taken away for life.  A few minutes later I came to know of a man in the US that is suicidal…he’s been devastated emotionally the past year or so when he’s lost his job, can’t find another one, he’s behind on his house payments and will loose a roof over his head in 2 weeks,  he’s behind on child support and the list just goes on and on.

So I have to step back and ask myself the question, why has one man in Haiti who in my opinion has experienced the worst tragedy anyone could possibly go through and another man in the US want to take his own life because of money issues.  The answer is people get so hung up on the Illusions of Life-they are so concerned with what appears to be reality, they don’t realize their own Divinity, they don’t realize that we aren’t the things or even the people around us.

Hard to Let Go of the Illusion

I don’t know either of these men at all and I don’t know their faith or even if they have faith.  On the surface of the two stories though, the Haitian man must know there is more to life…that although the pain of his human life is deeper than anyone could possibly imagine, he feels there is reason to keep on living.  The American looks around himself and allows materialistic items and his relationships to define him-therefore he has no reason to live if all those things aren’t in order.  Now is it making sense?

When we look at ourselves under a microscope all we are are dancing atoms-AKA ENERGY.  Energy that appears to be in a fleshy existence that allows us, unlike a rock, tree, car, house, etc to have a higher conscious level where we have 5 senses to experience what those materialistic things will never experience.  We are Spirit having a Human Experience.  We will feel pain and excitement of our human life but always have Spirit to ground us and help us evolve to our highest self-which is our true self.

True Reality

I know it’s easier said than realized but we really aren’t the car we drive, we aren’t the money we do or do not make, we aren’t the house we live in, we aren’t the friends we have, we aren’t the family we love, we aren’t the schools we’ve been to, we aren’t the job we lost, we aren’t any of that…we are so much more.

The TRUE reality of life is that it really never begins nor ends…energy can’t die altogether it just moves to another direction.  Energy is ever present and so are our Spirits…allowing us to have a human experience and learn from that life will only increase our awareness of our TRUE selves-SPIRIT.

“We aren’t the world around us but rather the world inside us. ” Me

Aerial Yoga

So many people ask me what is yoga?

The word Yoga is an ancient Sanskrit work that mean to Yoke…Yoga traditionally can be summed up though as the practice that invokes the union of body, mind and spirit!

To me Yoga has been a practice in my life for over a year now that I totally fall in love with more every day…the practice of Yoga helps me to step out of the many hats that I wear on a normal basis, I forget about the past and don’t focus on the future but just enjoy the present moment (which is what we have anyways really when you think about it).

What Feelings do I Get From Aerial Yoga

I feel that the practice of Yoga makes me a better human being; I have more flexibility in my every day life, I am more peaceful and level headed, I have better thinking skills, I have a better understanding and “relationship” with my body, I also feel my body has so much more strength, and overall Yoga is one practice I look forward to each and every day.

I’m so thankful for Jordan to have introduced me to the practice of Aerial Yoga…I SO LOVED IT.  I think maybe in another lifetime I was a circus performer or something because it was so much fun, relaxing, yet a fantastic physical work out, and not to mention I felt nature as the cool breeze and smell of the ocean whisked by my face the whole practice.  I can’t wait to practice again!!!

The Essenes in the Egyptian Desert wrote:

You split me and you tore my heart open &
Filled me with your LOVE.

You poured your Spirit into mine
I knew you as I know myself.

My eyes are radiant with your Light.
My ears delight in your music.
My nostrils are filled with your fragrance.
My face is covered with your dew.

You have made me see all things shining,
You have made me see all things new.

You have granted me perfect peace
And I have become like PARADISE!

What a beautiful poem that sends a strong message of what it is to feel the love of the Universe/God/Spirit…we all should have that much love pouring into and out of us!!!

I was pretty alarmed, got the kids out of the kitchen and called for help…I walked away, along with everyone else with not one bee sting. Angels were watching out for sure!

The following afternoon the same thing happened once again…again no one was hurt even with so many flying around us.

I was a bit nervous to look up what the symbolism for bees is but thanks for a deer friend, Christina, I got the most amazing message from those bees.

If Bee’s Show up, it means:

It’s time to get organized and ge to work
on that idea that you want to implement and develop.
Approach your projects with commitment, diligence,
and dedication, and you’ll succeed beyond your wildest expectations.
Involve several others in a cooperative and life-affirming
venture, one in which everyone who participates will benefit-
and if possible, one that includes the entire community.
Take the time to appreciate and enjoy the sweetness of life.
This is a very fertile time for you physically and creatively, one
where you can bring your ideas into fruition.
This is a very productive cycle for you, so stay with whatever
you’re working on, and there will be a favorable outcome.

All I have to say is WOW OH WOW!!!

For those who don’t know, I’ve been working around the clock for almost 2 straight weeks because of the exciting things going on with the BlastOff Network Pre-Launch and I know this project will achieve the financial success that will fulfill my hearts desire of opening a Wellness Center on my Farm…the bees were a confirmation that I’m on the right course and another sign from the Universe that I’m really living my dream right now!

The Universe is ready to Co-Create with you…
The question is ARE YOU READY???

Well, my story is pretty personal and a powerful one I do believe…

I found Yoga & Meditation back in November…it completely took my world and “thrushed” it onto another orbit, of which I had only visited a few times in my life-that orbit was call PEACE, SERENITY, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.  Nothing wrong with that, as long as feeling those things is created by something legal right???

Well, I would consider the practice of Yoga and Silently Meditating totally legal, not to mention unobtrusive to those around…HOWEVER, one of the most influential and closely related male figures in my family (I’m sure you can figure out who this is) has jousted privately and publicly my new found life.  Even after having some pretty intense heated discussion of boundary setting he still proceeded until things just escalated to the point of no return on his part…

I could have put the rubber bands on my claws (like they do with lobsters in the tank) and just stopped my new found world, but I didn’t…this made me even more determined to dedicate my private life to not only my personal practice of Yoga & Meditation but encouraged me to move forward in teaching these tools that I so treasure in my life.

I have had a monthly workshop for going one 6 months now and they have been a blessing my life and have touched many around me as well.  My body has totally transformed because of my dedication to my Yoga Practice, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in (even before sports in High School).  My internal world and external circumstances have been enhanced in every area of my life…I’m manifesting so many gracious and wonderful things in business right now I can’t even begin to tell the story…just understand the power in my “Predator” has been it’s pushed me in the RIGHT direction towards the life I’m destined to live while touching the lives around me to inspire them to live the life they were destined.

It’s all in divine order…The Universe/God doesn’t make ANY wrong moved-it’s ALL GOOD!!!

PS…the picture at the top is of my larget Yoga Class yet-it was OUTSTANDING!!!

The Universe operates on a system of giving and receiving on every different level…if we begin to give that which we seek we will receive all that we need to live the fruitful life of abundance that we so desire.

1. Give something to everyone you come in contact with today
   • a smile-this simple act can go such a long way (notice how many people don’t naturally smile and you will see how much your smile can mean in someone’s life)
   • a prayer
   • a compliment
   • a flower
2. Have an attitude of GRATITUDE with all that’s being given to you today
   • the air you breathe
   • the weather (stormy or clear skies-both help the earth thrive)
   • your health
   • the roof and food you have

   Being grateful even when you feel there isn’t much to be grateful for will only attract more abundance in your life!

3. Make a commitment to the flow of energy through giving and receiving today…wishing each person you come in contact with the most amazing life filled with love, forgiveness, laughter and freedom!

Today is your day to GIVE & RECEIVE…

I’m grateful for YOU today…being apart of my “blogging” life-you give so much as a reader that encourages me to keep sharing my thoughts.  THANK YOU!!!