PERSPECTIVES: "EVERYDAY LIFE AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE," Europe Workshops

Published: Sat, 12/16/17

 
PERSPECTIVES
Newsletter of Shepherd Hoodwin and Summerjoy Press​​​​​​​
Image

 
 
EAST COAST
 
MICHAEL STUDENTS' GATHERING
 
 

I'll be attending and presenting at the East Coast Gathering in April. These events are wonderful. In my workshops, I will be teaming up with Family Constellations facilitators to explore how constellating Michael charts can be both a healing tool and help us gain a visceral energetic experience of the traits so as to better understand them.

For information and registration:

http://www.ecmichaelgathering.org

FROM THE SITE:

The 15th Annual East Coast Gathering of Michael Students will take place at Sevenoaks Retreat Center near Charlottesville, VA, between Tuesday, April 17 and Sunday, April 22, 2018.  The Gathering is like the best family reunion you could ever imagine combined with adult summer camp. It's a time to hang out with like-minded people, make new friends, hear interesting and informative presentations, learn how others are applying the teachings to their daily lives, take walks through the woods, meditate with a group, lead an activity, participate in fun or challenging games, relax by the river, create ceremony at the medicine wheel or labyrinth, share your experiences with others, and make essence contact. We would love for you to join us!

THE RETREAT CENTER:

https://www.sevenoaksretreat.org

I'm considering a visit to Manhattan either immediately before or after. If you need an apartment-sitter or have a guest room you'd like to share, please let me know.

On Saturday, April 21, I'll be doing a lecture on the Michael teachings at the Richmond, VA, IONS (Institute of Noetic Sciences) group at 10 a.m.

http://community.noetic.org/cg/richmond-community-group


 
 
2018 EUROPE WORKSHOPS
 
 
July 6–8 Zurich
July 13–15 Vienna
July 20–22 Mainz
July 26–29 Freiburg (full)

These are small groups in which each person has received their Michael chart from me in advance. We interpret and discuss the charts, both individual traits and how they interrelate. I'll also channel. In addition, there will be some Constellations work to give experiences of the chart energies.

Email me if you'd like a flyer.

If you'd like to see photo albums and posts about this year's Europe trip (my first!), see my Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/shepherd.hoodwin


 
 
 
 
TRANSLATIONS
 
 
I have a new page on my site for translations of some channelings and articles, so far in Dutch, Spanish, German, and Indonesian. The list is continually expanding. Let me know if you'd like to translate something.

https://shepherdhoodwin.com/translations/

In addition, my book Being in the World is being translated into Russian by a Kiev publisher!

We expect to have a German translation of excerpts of Journey of Your Soul available in 2018. I hope to have full translations of it into several languages at some point. If you have a contact at a foreign publisher, please put in a good word!

 

 

"EVERYDAY LIFE AS
 
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE"
​​​​​​​
Image
Michael Channeled by Shepherd Hoodwin


You are living in a period of profound transformation. This is not an easy time to be incarnate on Earth, but it is, from the soul's perspective, a very exciting one. We are not aware of any prior era in which so much positive change has occurred in such a relatively brief time.

You may not see what you read in the news or what is happening in your life as being positive. It is true that there is also much unnecessary suffering and hardship, as there has long been. But from a larger view, it can be seen that human consciousness is emerging into a more effective and sensible state. Some students of new thought are expecting even more than that: blissful transcendence. This may come for a few who do the work, but on the whole, we think that at least you will see humanity operating in a more sensible and effective manner, which would be a big step forward.

Consciousness needs time to grow. Once in a while there is a leap in consciousness that appears to be instantaneous, but there was always a subterranean process that led up to it. Those rare individuals who achieve a level of consistent joy that might be termed bliss have done a lot of work to make that possible, in past lives if not this one. Their "enlightenment" wasn't instantaneous, even if it emerged suddenly.

When you are discarnate (not in a human body) bliss is fairly easy to achieve because, for the most part, the astral plane does not have the weight and stresses that the physical plane has. A reason souls choose to incarnate is that if you can gain the ability to experience joy under very limited circumstances, how much greater your joy will be when it is less challenging. Challenges grow the soul. You live in especially challenging times, but being human has been quite difficult for millenia.

Some of you would like to evolve more quickly, which you can do by removing impediments. In the Michael teachings, we talk about chief obstacles, such as greed, the fear of lack or loss, impatience, the fear of missing out, stubbornness, the fear of change or new situations, and so forth. Working on your obstacle can help you accelerate.

Also, simply observing your own thoughts can accelerate your growth. If you notice thoughts that are not in line with the truth, you can begin to alter them into more effective ones.

However, you can only accelerate your evolution so much before it would be too much at once. You live in space and time precisely to slow things down and get a better look at the elements of your consciousness. You'll get the best results if you do a little work on yourself each day and trust your essence to place you in the flow that is best for you.

It is not a contest to see who reaches enlightenment first. Slower and faster are not better or worse. Sometimes going a little slower means that you absorb lessons more deeply. You may feel an urgency to grow if you are in pain. It is understandable that you would want to resolve that—pain does tend to light a fire under you. In the dense state of consciousness that most human beings have, they mostly grow only when pain forces the issue. If you are in pain, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, observe it. Be curious about it. As best you can, release your defenses against it. This step alone may reduce your pain.

Ask to know its source. You may regard a certain pain as physical, but it is useful to ask whether it is caused by something that is not physical, at least to some extent. If you have emotional pain, you might ask, "Is this truly mine, or have I at least, in part, taken on someone else's unhealed emotions?" Allow whatever belongs to someone else to float back to the owner, because you cannot heal another person's pain.

Conflicting thoughts are another source of human suffering. One effective way to resolve them is to write them all out and see whether you can discover new understanding.

The main reason for undertaking a conscious spiritual path is that doing so can lead to greater joy. Buried issues might arise that may increase your pain temporarily, but when you are free of them, you will be eternally lighter and happier.

Most human beings are oblivious to the fact that you live in a world that is created from energy. One of the best tools you can gain as a spiritual student is the ability to notice your energetic environment.


MEDITATION

Close your eyes and simply ask to see, know, or sense—however it comes to you—your current energetic environment. Look for a word or two that describes it. If you do this often, you will become more conscious of energy.

Visualize or feel/sense your personal aura. If there is anything in it that is not harmonious, ask for help from within to harmonize or release it. This is a simple technique for having greater joy.


Some would have you believe that your evolution will be quite slow if you do not meditate many hours a day or do other sorts of lengthy practices.

However, there is much you can integrate into your daily life that can help you accelerate without it requiring a lot of extra time. For example, if you commute, that might be a good time to check in with yourself and scan your energy field. If you do repetitive exercise such as walking, running, or swimming, you could also use that time for spiritual work.

There is much value to some time away from things, dedicated to some sort of spiritual practice, because when you are not distracted you can focus. If you do not currently have a dedicated spiritual practice, even taking fifteen minutes a day, perhaps before you leave the house in the morning, can be highly beneficial. But little things you do throughout the day can also pay large dividends.

In most situations, for example, you speak. If you slow yourself down a little and consciously choose high-vibration words, you give yourself an opportunity to elevate your consciousness, because when you speak words you are creating ripples that start in your own mind (and then affect others).

When you move, try being aware of your posture. How does your body feel? Would your body prefer to move a little differently, with more ease and comfort?

A lot of meditation techniques advise you to focus on your breathing. You're breathing anyway, but maybe not as freely as you might be. What if you paid attention to your breathing when you are not paying attention to something else, for instance while waiting in line at a store? Try that now.


MEDITATION

Notice your breathing. Could it be more relaxed? Could you breathe in more positive energy? Could you breathe out blessings to others? Do you hold your breath?


You can evolve using whatever circumstance you are in; you do not need special circumstances. If you are in a bad relationship, you might believe that you cannot grow until you extricate yourself from it. Doing so may be your best choice, but even while you are in it, you have many opportunities to evolve as you become more conscious in it.

Bad things occasionally happen to every person. How you experience them, however, depends more on how you handle them than the events themselves. Even the most catastrophic events can be used for evolution if you walk through them with grace and endurance. On a smaller scale, if you are having a bad day, can you still be kind to others and yourself?

All of life is a spiritual path. Some may be drawn to a more reclusive life dedicated to spiritual practice; that may be their soul's plan. But you are here to experience life, whichever aspect of it you are most attracted to, or wherever you find yourself. All of life can be interesting. All of life has beauty. When you live your life with a desire to share something beautiful with the world, your essence can radiate more freely.

Many teachers emphasize the value of service to others. It may not be that your path is to do something overt such as feeding the hungry, although there can be much beauty in doing so. But simply holding the conscious intention to benefit others without an agenda can increase your own growth.

What other ways might you accelerate your evolution in your daily life?

We can work on our body to release emotional and physical tension so that energy can flow through it more freely.

Often your body holds blocks from past lives and earlier in this lifetime. You can sometimes release them in a purely energetic manner or through body work: they don't all have to be processed intellectually—you don't always have to know what you are releasing.

Your body is your local Earth. By expressing love, kindness, and caring to your body—for example, through exercise—you are caring for the whole Earth. Many people undertake exercise as a chore, and although it is still helpful, it is more helpful when undertaken with joy.

I've been working with the idea of surrendering belief itself. Not a particular belief, substituting it with something else that is more accurate, but believing nothing at all so that I am engaging with whatever is actually happening at the moment.

That is an excellent technique. Minds do need some beliefs to function, but by recognizing where you do not require one and can simply be in the moment, your mind can relax. Your mind may be working overtime trying to interpret life, which could stand in the way of your experiencing it. If you have a strong belief in the need for beliefs, you will tend to stay in fixed patterns.

Most beliefs are unconscious. As you deal with superficial beliefs, it opens the way for you to become more aware of your subterranean ones. Many beliefs are false and self-defeating, and can benefit from the light of your awareness.

We can engage with the tensions in relationships rather than backing away from them.

Relationships are a potent arena for evolution. Most people don't have a lot of good relationship skills, so there can be a tendency to back away from or be in denial of their problems. However, you can use the tension in relationships as an opportunity to awaken further. Ask yourself, "What is coming up in me now?" Maybe some subterranean beliefs are being triggered. "What do I believe that is causing me to be argumentative?" for example.

Listening to others, and listening in general, is not only an important relationship tool but an excellent spiritual practice. Maybe you have friends who tend to go on and on, so you tune them out. You could use listening to them as a spiritual practice. Some yogis suggest concentrating on a flame in order to reach a higher state. You could concentrate on the words that are abundantly flowing, challenging yourself to be more in the moment.

We can be in wonder at everything.

Living in wonder is quite an advanced spiritual practice that children tend to be good at, but adults tend to forget. Wonder is observing life with an open heart. It is related to curiosity, which is wonder of the mind, but wonder of the heart is an even greater tool for growth. If you wake up and say, "I wonder what marvelous things life has in store for me today." you will tend to notice things that you would otherwise ignore or take for granted.

Noticing is itself an excellent tool of growth. You can focus your noticing on the spiritual world that is always present in and around you. The room you are in right now is full—of your essence, discarnate loved ones, guides, angels, and devas, among other things.

We don't often speak of angels, at least not using that term. These are intelligent helper souls who do not incarnate physically but help behind the scenes. (On rare occasions, they materialize briefly when that is necessary.) The way they are sometimes depicted in religions is charming but maybe a little limiting. They are master energy workers, and you could not exist without them.

There is a similar class of beings called devas. You might think of them as nature angels or spirits. They make earthly existence possible and beautiful. These have also been charmingly depicted in lore as things such as leprechauns and elves. They too are master energy workers, and are a delight to meet.


MEDITATION:

Feel your essence.

Notice who is with you now in spirit, including your guides and perhaps other discarnate loved ones.

Ask to experience, in whatever way you perceive, the presence of angels. Notice how your world feels richer when you become aware of these lovely beings.

Ask to notice the devas around you. Your own body has devas attending to it; notice them, too.

Thank the guides, angels, and devas for all they do.


When you become aware of the fact that in this moment, right here in your body just the way it is, you are living in a vast, multidimensional, extraordinary universe, it becomes easier to live with wonder.

Many of you are carrying a lot of grief at the sad events of the world, and you have also taken on a lot of grief from others. Living your daily life as a spiritual practice is the greatest contribution you can make to changing the world. If you feel drawn to political activism, charity work, or anything else, then that is your calling. But your effectiveness will always be greater if you are using your daily life as a means for learning to bring more light through all the resources you have.
​​​​​​​


Oct. 1, 2017
London, England
Transcribed by Yedilat Peguero
 


Image
Image