I think most of us are pretty familiar with feelings of shame. Whether we admit to it or not, we have all felt embarrassed, less than, or ashamed of some part of our life experience.
Maybe you grew up in poverty and had to wear hand-me-down clothes, or you dealt with sexual abuse and carried it as a secret, or maybe you quietly lead a life of addiction that nobody knows about. Usually shame comes from an event or life experience that has caused us to feel victimized, inferior, or unworthy. It reflects back to us a shadow part that is calling for light.
It's often the case that underneath the Shame is a great deal of grief, rage, guilt, and other heavy emotion.
When we do Spiritual work, we peel back the layers so that we can re-discover what it's like to be ourselves without all of the heaviness, pain, and restrictions. We literally must re-learn and re-parent ourselves so that we can open up to more joy, ease, healing, and happiness in life.
The fabulous news is that IT IS ABSOLUTELY ACHIEVABLE! The old stories of Shame, are not who you really are. Shame is a mask that you have worn in order to hide. Because deep down, at your core, you felt unlovable.
How do I know this? Because this has been my path. As a gay, bullied kid, who was taunted and beat up, I learned early on to feel ashamed of who I was. Top that off with years of under-earning, over-spending, hyper sexuality, and struggles with finding my life's path, and the Shame was magnified.
But there are such beautiful lessons from Shame, if we will take the time and put in the effort to discover them. I learned and I now accept, after years of struggle, that I am UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING, GIFTED, UNIQUE, POWERFUL, and FULLY LOVABLE! And SO ARE YOU!
Forget the bullshit stories that you are somehow faulty.
NO-THING and NO-BODY can take away your power or make you feel ashamed.
Shame is a wonderful contrast. It shows us what we do not want, and reminds us of who we can be if only we believed.
Take the time to Breathe deeply and you will discover the truth of who you are without allowing Shame to dictate your present or future experience. Yes, it takes courage to look deeply into our emotions, but what is more important than moving toward the life that you really want without the Shame that you've been carrying for so long?
Love, Jay
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