Shame as a Blessed Teacher

Shame has been a kink in my spiritual flow of abundance for years. Of all the emotions, it’s the most uncomfortable one for me and, I suspect, for many people. Shame is ancient. It’s one of the first emotions mentioned in the Old Testament; Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden, fig leaves at the ready. How humiliating.

That’s what shame feels like – utter humiliation.

Most of us who feel shame try to hide from the emotion. We avoid thinking about the act or situation that brought on the embarrassment. Our spirit grows dark as the shame kink tightens the flow of abundance in our hearts.

But what if, instead of hiding from shame, we honored it? What if we gave the shame in our hearts space and attention? What if we invited it to teach us lessons about ourselves, lessons that point to our bright spirit, telling us of the depths of love and beauty within rather than seeing shame as a crippling wound of unworthiness?

I would love to collaborate with others in creating a ritual to honor our shame and release it. I believe that by sitting together perhaps in silent or guided meditation and holding a sacred space around our shame, the tight, hot ball of it will loosen. Shame will release its lessons to us, and the flow of abundance and love will expand in our hearts.

Perhaps we can drum and chant together, sing together, write stories, draw, dance — whatever creativity the released flow of energy draws forth.

It could be a ritual of a couple of hours or more. Or maybe even less! We could offer the celebration in a series, each ritual building upon the other.

Please comment here or reach out to me if you are interested. I realize I may be alone in this. That is my fear, and it feels like shame! But if that is the case, so be it. I release my shame to the universe! I speak my truth and the Self I claim to be.

Much love,

Polly

“That which makes the mind think,

but cannot be thought by the mind,

that is the Self indeed.

The Self is not someone other than you.”

— The Kena Upanishad