It's What Lights Us Up That Gets Us Moving!

I saw a witty political meme this morning where Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is emphatically asking where all the Women's Protest supporters were on election day. I'm sure many people are asking this very same question in light of the crowds that event drew. What sticks out in my mind is not so much the women's rights aspect of things but the anti-Trump sentiment what was pervasive in the atmosphere--especially in many of the highly publicized speeches. The simple fact of the matter is this: Hillary Clinton is not a candidate people get passionate about. Donald Trump, on the other hand, definitely inspires passion, be that positive or negative.

I don't believe Donald Trump is our savior. I don't believe Donald Trump is a demon. What I do believe is that he is here to inspire us and kick us into high gear. It is the very fact that the Donald lives an extremely colorful life that has put him into the spotlight in the first place. He is larger than life. His flaws are all on display of the public and he holds nothing back. He is definitely not a politician (or like any politician we have seen before). That said, I believe it is his bold uniqueness that has propelled him into the ultimate spotlight. The people who voted for him did so because they are looking for monumental change. The people who didn't are fighting mad because they are looking to keep the establishment identity intact. Either way, people are energized in powerful ways--and that's the point!

We are at a time and place in our history where change is required if we are to free ourselves from the bonds that have enslaved us for centuries. Most of us are guilty of sleeping while the psychopaths in charge manipulate our money, resources and power for their own personal gain. We the People have not been a part of that process for a long time. (We ironically believe that voting is what gives us power, all the while that has been manipulated as well!) In this time of worldwide suffering and pain, it is necessary that We the People shake off our apathy and begin to reclaim our own power.

Donald Trump has inspired us to do that. His supporters are looking forward to radical changes in the way the President does things. His opposition looks on in abhorrence at the fact he is not following the normal playbook. Either way, Donald Trump is making people stand up and take notice. He is energizing people in ways that no one saw coming just a few short years ago. It's pretty much love or hate. There is no in between with the Donald.

Donald Trump might be the best thing that has happened to the United States of America and the world. He might be the worst thing that has happened to the United States of America and the world. Ultimately, Donald Trump's place in history depends on what We the People choose to BE in this moment and in the future. If he inspires us to BE the change we wish to see in the world, it is my belief he has fulfilled his mission.

It will be interesting to see how many people attack me today because they read this and assume I am a Trump supporter! Are you one? Let's get this party started! Comment below!!!

The Reason We Fight

Several months ago, I met some church friends of my parents who had come to the hospital where my mom was having tests run. As they had heard various stories involving myself and my sisters, who were also at the hospital, they asked questions in order to understand which one of us went with various stories. Apparently, I said something that hit home because the man said, "So you're the conspiracy theorist." I laughed and confessed that was me.

The irony is, my parents would never have described me to anyone as a conspiracy theorist (even though they know I am one). Until that moment, I had no idea the people from the church community I grew up in called me that behind my back. It does not come as a big surprise (nor does it upset me). I have had quite a few of them unfriend me on Facebook because they cannot stomach much of what I post on my page (which is oddly tame compared to the stuff I research). There are probably many more who have unfollowed my page in order to keep themselves sane. It goes with the territory when you make the decision to be as transparent in your beliefs as possible. I have never had problems standing up for what I believe in, even when it means standing alone.

It dawns on me now that the political divide we are feeling in the United States of America and the rest of the world is really not about differences in political philosophy as much as it about resolving the cognitive dissonance this election has brought up within ourselves. Face it. The world is changing in BIG ways. Change is difficult for most of us in the best of times. When the whole world is in upheaval at the same time, it is going to bring up some pretty big garbage that needs to be sorted through and dealt with.

Cognitive dissonance occurs when our rational minds are confronted with information our hearts tell us is true but are not quite ready to deal with in a rational way. We will run from it, go into denial, argue, and even fight in order to get away from this growing awareness. The thing is, cognitive dissonance will not go away, even if you change who you hang out with or your physical location. Truth will seek you out (and sometimes hunt you down) until you choose to look at it.

How do you know you are in a state of cognitive dissonance? You know because certain topics set you on edge (or sometimes on fire). You feel compelled to argue and justify why you believe as you do. As you go deeper into the process, you find your "rational" arguments begin to lose their power but you argue on. Sometimes you go so far as dismiss arguments altogether, justifying your beliefs solely on the thought the other side is "stupid" or "ignorant" and just hasn't thought it through.

My interactions on social media lately have been interesting. When I post anything that could be interpreted as positive toward Trump, I am immediately labeled an ignorant, conservative Trump supporter and told why my approval is baseless. When I post my approval of the Women's March that swept DC and many areas of the country, I am told it was all funded by George Soros and is just a way to keep Trump demonized in the minds of the people. (I do need to confess I enjoy playing the devil's advocate. I don't expect people will agree with me, but I do want people to assess why they believe as they do.) 

My own personal areas of cognitive dissonance involve my own ego when it comes to dealing with personal attacks. I am learning to deal with attacks in positive ways, attempting to bend and adapt in ways that do not break me or my composure. I have a long way to go before I get to that place of inner peace. I'm sure more garbage will naturally appear once this one is dealt with in full. I, too, am a work-in-progress.

The next time someone or something makes you angry enough to argue or fight, take a moment to ask yourself why. It may just be that your heart is bringing awareness to your mind so you have the capacity to face it, deal with it, and heal it. Our whole world begins to heal when we deal with the cognitive dissonance within ourselves.

~CSE

  

Resolutions

It is officially 2017, and most of us are busy planning how our lives will be better. This is where resolutions come in--those pesky little promises we make to ourselves to try to become better than we were the year before. For many of us, those resolutions fall by the wayside within the first few months as old habits and patterns are remembered.

This year, I have one resolution: I am going to begin asking for what I want. That might sound like an easy thing to do, but I have spent most of my life doing things for everyone except me. It has dawned on me that my life is not where I want it to be because I have not opened myself up to the possibilities.

Part of my problem is low self esteem. Regardless of my outgoing nature, the simple fact of the matter is deep down I have never felt worthy to receive. Some of this stems from negative messages I received about myself when I was a child. The other part of this was my religious programming where I was taught my life was all about God and others--never about me. Thinking about myself was "selfish". I never came first. Consequently, I have lived a life where I am not part of the equation, other than to be used for the benefit of others.

Now that my children are grown and out of the nest, I have had some time to analyze and understand why I am where I am. I have time to think about what I want and what is important to me. I have time to meditate and call upon the wisdom of God/Source/Oneness to guide me into new paths.

I have no idea where this year will lead me. I just know that I am allowing myself to be open to new possibilities as I reach out and ask the Universe what more is possible. I am excited to see where this will lead me.

~CSE

  

Life Jacket

I possess a life jacket.

I saw a man in the water beside me,
Drowning.
The waves were rough.
He could not keep his head
Above the surf.
I threw him my life jacket
Because I could swim.
He tried his best to put it on,
But he was swallowed by the sea.

I grew tired
Of fighting the waves.
I found my life jacket
And put it on.
I became the jacket
And allowed it to save me.

It was only then I noticed:
Another life jacket floated above the place
The drowning man went down.

~Cindy Shippy Evans

My Christmas Wish For You!

Twenty-sixteen has been a struggle for many of us. Illness, death, financial struggles, employment setbacks all seem to have combined to create massive upheaval and chaos in our lives. The energies have been intense and not particularly pleasant for those of us who have chosen to become more than we are at present.

You may feel that all is lost and there is not much hope, but understand these are exciting times we reside in! It is through pain and struggle that we become so much more. Life is not lived on the mountain tops, but in the valleys and slogging up and down the sides of the mountain. Yes, the view from the top is great, but is is only the pain of the journey that allows us to see it.

As I sit here in the quiet of this Christmas morning, I feel the pain and struggles of humanity. While I know this too shall pass, it doesn't make the process any less comfortable. We will continue to struggle in the year ahead, but I do believe 2017 is a year we will begin to see significant change. The more we allow ourselves to go with the process, the more quickly and easily the process becomes.

My wish for you in the coming year is that you learn to appreciate the process! Understand change only happens through great pressure. Many of us undergo the adjustment kicking and screaming because we are being removed from our comfortable ruts. Becoming better is not easy or pleasant, but it is required if we desire to live in a better world.

Merry Christmas! May 2017 be the year you break out of the dark cocoon of your imprisonment and learn to use your wings!

~CSE

Forgiveness Doesn't Absolve the Offender, It Frees the Offended

We need to get over the belief that, somehow, forgiveness is all about letting someone else off the hook for something they've done to hurt you. Forgiveness is not about them! Forgiveness is all about you--your learning, your progress, your freedom! Forgiveness does not make the wrong right. Forgiveness allows you to move out of harmful energy into a state of empowerment! Allow yourself to let go of hurts. You may find yourself in a whole new glorious way of BEing!

~CSE

An Empath Reads the United States of America

The aftershocks from the latest Presidential election have been jaw dropping. In my 51 years of life, I have never seen such a divisive and explosive campaign or result, and it crosses both sides of the aisle. People have literally lost their minds to the point they are no longer thinking rationally but are acting through pure (negative) emotion. Even people I consider intellectual--who pride themselves on thinking logically--are displaying wounded animals instincts.

My message to Trump supporters: Get over yourselves. You can say what you want about sucking it up during the Obama years, but this is not the same thing! The Divide and Conquer tactics of the supposed "elite" have ramped this election up to new heights because Trump was not their man. You could see it in pretty much every story put out by the mainstream media. Although FOX sort of came around, they pretty much only did so because Trump supporters are their market share. Obama and Hillary are totally controlled by the "elite" so of course they do not have to deal with the same backlash from the media propaganda machine. Look at what has happened over the course of the last year. Even the Bush family all voted for Hillary! If that has not told you how controlled we are in this country, you are blind. Telling people you don't have to respect them or their choices because they didn't respect yours during the Obama years is petty and childish. Two wrongs do not make a right! Grow up and show yourselves to be bigger than that! Show these people you still love them! Only that will show them the sort of people you truly are.

My message to Hillary supporters: Your family, friends and neighbors who voted for Trump are still the same people you knew and loved before the election. They are not racist, homophobic bigots who are ready to rescind immigrant status. They still love you. They still love their families and desire to see people provided for. This usually just happens to focus on jobs as opposed to focusing on welfare. Understand they have been trained to believe welfare takes up a bigger chunk of tax money that it actually does and have been brainwashed not to see the much larger portions of tax money that go toward corporate welfare and the war machine. They really don't desire to see people disenfranchised and starving.

The bottom line is this: Regardless of who is President, know that true power does not lie in that office. True power lies within each and every one of us! Regardless of Presidential policy, regardless of the way the media is used as propaganda, we all have a choice. We can choose to become the mindless animals the "elite" want us to become and fight each other until they have to lock us all up to control us. We can choose to remember the beings of light and love that we are and come together to fix the massive problems in our country today.

What happens in our country tomorrow will be the direct result of how we respond today! Make your actions count! Choose to come together with your fellow human beings to change the world! BE the change you wish to see in the world! Think and be deliberate instead of playing to someone else's script! We are so much more than we are showing ourselves to be at present!!!

~CSE

Choose LOVE!!!