gratitude – SHIFT

Love in a Time of Fear

March 22, 2020 deniseshift

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The last couple of weeks have been quite a ride for most of us. And there’s a part of me that thinks because I’ve done a lot of personal growth work, that I should be able to weather this storm with more grace than I have been doing. That I should be able to trust and have faith and rise above the swells of fear that threaten to engulf me some days. And most days I can. But the truth is, some days I can’t.

Like the day I learned that the borders were closing and my youngest daughter and her partner were on the other side of that border trying their best to make it home in time. Or the day that I learned that my oldest grandson had been exposed to someone, who had been with someone with the virus.

Prior to that I was able to keep the threat of the virus distanced from me. But now that it’s literally come knocking at my door, denial is not a very warm companion on this sea of isolation.

I realize that I am writing this from a space of privilege…neither myself nor my family have exhibited symptoms of the virus. My family is self-isolating to stop its potential spread. And I have not lost anyone close to me. Yet I feel the angst of the world, deep in my heart. And I wonder if there’s a way that I can help.

How can I be a force of light in the darkness…a voice of love in a time of deep fear and panic? How can I be an infectious agent of the virus of love? I am still searching my heart for those answers, but I am seeing things more and more clearly every day.

I see the world coming together as one, like they have never done before. Many people are experiencing and expressing gratitude for things they have previously taken for granted. And for the most part, we are being much more kind with ourselves and with each other. We are offering gifts that have nothing to do with money; the gift of our time, the gift of our love, the gift of reaching out to help others in need, where and when we can, and the gift of connection.

What gifts can I use to offer love and light to the world right now? As a writer, I make sense of the world by writing, so my plan is to do more of that. And as an energy healer and a metaphysical minister, I know the power of energy healing and the power of prayer to bring about positive change. Each night I will be sending out distance Reiki healing energy, and holding the world in affirmative prayer. If you would like your name, or the name of someone you love added to the list of people I am sending Reiki to, or holding in prayer, please let me know.

The names can be sent to me at denise@theshiftfactor.com or in a private message on Facebook.

Until we meet again, keep well and keep safe. And please bring your gifts of love and light to the world in whatever way feels appropriate for you. The world will be a better place for you having done so.

Much love,

Denise Cunningham

No Matter the Question, Love is the Answer

August 11, 2019 deniseshift

I had the absolute privilege of performing a pagan wedding ceremony yesterday for a beautiful couple. There is something so precious and life-affirming about celebrating love. Unlike some of the other things that I “do” in my life, when I am creating and holding space in ceremony, I can feel my whole self just “being”. The bride was exquisite, and the groom was adorable in his anticipation of seeing the woman of his dreams join him at the altar. The love was palpable in the air. Not just between the couple getting married, but with everyone who was witnessing the ceremony as well. I am feeling so blessed to have been a part of this couple’s special day. To have had a glimpse into, and a reminder of, the power of love.

There is so much going on in the world right now that would indicate that as a species, we are determined to annihilate ourselves. The media is filled with stories of hatred, and fear. There are days when I have more questions than answers. Sometimes it can be really difficult to find a kernel of hope, or a space of sanctuary from the insanity. And then, in a gazebo, in a park, in a town that barely makes it onto a map, 2 people brought the highest of themselves together to remind us of the truth about life. For 30 minutes, one pin point on the planet was transformed by love. And then the impact of that 30 minutes rippled out into the wider world; via the bride’s laughter echoing through the trees in the park as pictures were being taken, through the smiles on the peoples’ faces in the park who got to witness the ceremony because they just happened to be in the park that day, by the joy that I got to carry into my world as a result of having been part of such a momentous occasion. And the ripples just keep expanding.

I am so grateful to have been reminded that regardless of what is going on in the world at large, each of us can bring our own light and our own love into our tiny part of it. That what my seem small in the grand scheme of things, is actually huge in all the ways that matter. And that no matter what questions I may have about the future of our planet, love is the answer.

Shining Your Light

July 7, 2019July 7, 2019 deniseshift

Sometimes life’s greatest lessons come from what appear to be the most unlikely of sources.

Yesterday, I had the honour and privilege of taking part in a celebration of life for an incredible, majestic, Paint gelding horse named Romeo. Romeo lived life large in every way, and impacted the lives of people all over the world. He was an equine guide, a master of humour in the barn he called home, and a force to be reckoned with. If you lacked boundaries, Romeo would keep taking up your space, until you could ground yourself and claim it. If you were taking yourself, or life, too seriously, Romeo would toss his huge head up and down, flashing his enormous teeth as his gums flapped about in the breeze. Kind of like Mr. Ed the Talking Horse, in that old television show from the early ‘60s! If you were out of your body, or not fully present in the moment, Romeo was not averse to giving you a nip every now and again! Not in a malicious way, but the strength of the nip depended on how far out into the twilight zone you were. And if you needed to be reminded of the breath-taking beauty of strength, power, and grace in motion, all you had to do was watch Romeo running free in his pasture.

Romeo was only 16 years old. What should have been the prime of his life; but the Universe had other plans. Like many beings that leave the planet early, it was as if his soul knew that he would only be here for a short time. So, he packed a full life-time’s worth of living and light into one short brilliant 16 year burst. His human shared how Romeo greeted every single day as if it was the greatest thing that had ever happened. I’m trying to imagine how different my life would be, if I greeted every day that way too.

We all have the same light that Romeo shared with the world. Sometimes it gets buried, or dulled by worldly circumstances. But remembering that light, and shining it, is just one choice away in every moment. Thank you Romeo for the incredible being of light that you were. I will never forget you. Thank you also for the reminder to shine my light everywhere. I know that the world will be a better place each time I make the choice to do so.

What Lights You Up? – Reflections on Creativity

November 26, 2017 deniseshift

The Journey Home Cropped

THE JOURNEY HOME

Machine Pieced, Hand Embellished, Machine Quilted

At a workshop last week, I asked the participants to share something with the group that really lit them up. The diversity of the shares touched my heart. One of the participants asked me to share what really lit me up. My answer, without a second of hesitation, was, “Creating intuitive fabric art!”

When I’m working in concert with the creative muse, revelling in the kaleidoscope of colour before me, and feeling the texture of the fabric as it moves through my fingers, I am in the zone. In this place I am fully in the present moment, and have no sense of time passing. The so-called ‘real world’ is the illusion, and anything associated with it becomes irrelevant. I am transported beyond the confines of the ordinary, to an extraordinary world where every possibility lies before me.

My favourite part of the whole creative process is when the piece I am working with, speaks to me. I begin with an idea of what I want to create. Eventually I get stuck, and the ideas stop flowing. At that point the muse asks me to set my ego aside, surrender, and allow the piece to tell me what it wants to be. As soon as I am able to let go of my small ideas and open up to receive, miracles happen.

Love & Light 2

LOVE AND LIGHT 2

Machine Pieced, Hand Embellished, Machine Quilted

When I allow myself to be a clear channel for whatever is calling to come through me, the resulting work is divinely inspired. At the end of the process, I gaze upon my work, as if seeing it for the first time. I stand in awe, and recognize that the piece has come through me, but is not of me. And I feel such deep gratitude that the universe chose me to birth this piece of art into the world.

This is what lights me up 🙂 What lights you up?