The Shadow Effect Movie can help you step into your Divine Purpose!

Click the picture above and watch Debbie Ford’s movie.  It has the ability to reveal to you what has been limiting your potential.  There is so much inside of you that you hold back.  There is so much that you can do in the world, if you just stopped limiting yourself.  What is it that holds you back?

Is it a fear?

Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of abandonment, fear of punishment, fear of being alone, fear of not being able to do it all, fear of money, fear of ….

Is it an excuse?

I don’t know how.  I don’t have enough time.  I don’t have enough education.  I don’t have the support I need.  I will let ‘them’ down.  I will be alone.  I won’t do it right.  He/She is better at it than me.  I don’t know what I want to do.

There is so much that can limit your ability to share your spiritual gifts.  Perhaps it is a belief that you have or a commitment to something other than what you say you want.  Maybe you are limited by what people might think about you.

“I saw The Shadow Effect movie and it changed my life.”

Even after all the work I’ve done on the topic of projection, I had a profound shift when I saw this movie for the first time as a guest of (and coach trained by) Debbie Ford.  I felt the shame of being German wash over me.  I couldn’t believe that my relatives might have murdered innocent victims of the holocaust.  Allowing myself to go a little deeper I sobbed allowing myself to feel the full impact of the shame I felt thinking about this possibility.

Edie, a holocaust survivor, reached out to comfort me.  I felt more shame!  After the movie, I shared with Edie that by watching this movie, I realized that I might have just followed orders.  I might have been more afraid for my own life than to stand up for what’s right.   I shared that I want to know myself well enough to know that I would protect people, and that I would have been willing to die for what is right.  Intense shame…

What I’m realizing in this moment is that I’ve been projecting my own willingness to follow–without questioning the person in authority–onto Nazi Germany.  I’ve been projecting my own fear of leading onto Nazi Germany.  Afterall, I don’t want to hurt anyone.  I’ve also been projecting my fear of following onto Nazi Germany–it’s not safe to follow, because someone might get hurt.

I’m still in the process of taking back my projection onto Nazi Germany.  The power of Debbie Ford’s movie and the shadow work I’ve done with her in training to become a coach is making it possible for me to step into a leadership role around Divine Purpose.  I am leading people to their highest calling.  I am turning people back to their own voice and their own heart.  I am eradicating shame from the planet.

I’m not the only one who had a shift.

Stories are coming in from all over the place on The Shadow Effect Blog.  People are having profound insights into their behavior and life patterns.  You can even read about a profound shift a friend of mine had while viewing the movie over at my other website,  Shadow Collage.

When we deal with our projections, we will be able to share our authentic selves with the world.  We will step into our next highest expression.  We will forgive ourselves and begin to create a live that we truly love–feeling deserving of having it.

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Mark David Gerson was on Live Your Purpose Radio the other day.  Please download or listen to this podcast on living your Life with Purpose and Passion!

Here’s a bit about Mark David:

Mark David Gerson is an internationally recognized author, speaker, mentor and coach whose inspirational writings are read in more than two dozen countries.

Through more than 15 years of classes, workshops, coaching and consulting, Mark David has guided groups and individuals to connect with their innate wisdom, open to their creative power and express themselves with ease.

Poets and playwrights, novelists and educators, amateurs and professionals, people who don’t believe they can write and people with a compelling call to write — all have benefited from working with him, as have nonwriters seeking to move through life’s challenges and awaken to their highest potential.

Mark David is author of the award-winning novel, The MoonQuest: A True Fantasy, and of The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write, a book and companion 2-CD set of writing inspiration, instruction and practice.

He is currently at work on a screenplay adaptation of The MoonQuest and on the first of two projected sequels to the book.

When he’s not on the road with his talks and workshops, Mark David makes his home in New Mexico.

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I promised that I would talk about light projections. In sharing your spiritual gifts and living your life purpose, it is just important as the dark projections. Any time you look outside of yourself in comparison, you are projecting. Any time you think that someone else has a quality you wish you had, you are projecting.

How can this help you live your purpose? When you take back your light projections, you have access to the qualities that will propel you toward the life you desire. This isn’t always easy.

I remember when I met my business partner, Michelle, in the parking lot of Sammy’s Organics grocery store. We exchanged cards and agreed to meet. I did some work for her, and she did some work for me and then we just naturally, organically, fell into this wonderful connection that was filled with inspiration and empowerment for both of us.

We didn’t know each other.

If we had known each other, I don’t think it would have been so organic because I am sure I would have been projecting my light all over her. Michelle has owned multi-million dollar businesses in the past, she has developed products and manufactured them. She has been the president of more than one company. She is a confident and powerful woman who knows everyone. She is a top notch speaker and facilitator. She is compassionate and empathic. She is easy-going and humble. (She would never tell you these things about herself, you will have to find them out yourself like I did.) Michelle possesses many of the qualities that I want too!

In taking back my light projections, I need to rephrase my last statement: Michelle possesses many of the qualities that I have also. What is it that compels us to minimize our brilliance? For sure we have been taught (at least in the United States) to downplay everything good about us, because G-d forbid if we are conceited. What will people think?

That’s it. Right there. The thought, What will people think? compels us to play small. There is a lot that I want to say in support of you living and playing full out, but for today the emphasis I want to make is that you stop worrying about what everyone else will think and just live your freakin’ life. Is that straight forward enough for you?

If you are worrying if someone will like you or not, I’m telling you that changing your behavior won’t change anything. They don’t like you anyway! Just live you life and the people who like you will like you because you are you. Like the way I like Michelle because of who she is. It isn’t about anything she has done or accomplished, because I didn’t know anything about her.

Do you think that’s weird? Back to light projections…

In my coaching business, I guide people back to themselves and a lot of the work is making a space for people to like themselves. One tool I would like to share with you can help you retrieve some of your light.

Name three people that you admire. List the reasons you admire these people. Choose one of the qualities you would like to develop over the next few months. Take a moment to get quiet (at least a couple minutes), and then ask yourself, “What can I do to develop this quality?” Stay in the quiet and listen for the response. The most important step is to TRUST the answer because it might not make sense. Schedule it in. Here’s an example:

I admire Oprah Winfry. She is confident and speaks her mind. Over the next few months, I would like to develop the quality of speaking my mind. The answer I received in my quietude was to start an Artist’s Way group and to complete the entire program.

As I engage in this process, you may find me getting bolder in speaking my mind. Try the exercise and make a commitment to take back one light projection. Just one. Baby steps are good. I will do it with you!

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Take Back Your Projections! What are projections? How do they work? What are their gifts? And how can taking them back lead me to living my life purpose?

One of the most difficult concepts that I teach is projection. It is also the most juicy for me, because I am seeing the power in my awareness of when I am judging another person and how that judgment is really a projection of my light or my dark. Anytime I am judging someone as good or bad, I am in projection. Believe it or not, you are too! When you see someone that you dislike or are repulsed by and you say, “I’m NOT that!” you are in projection. We are automatic projection machines and our projections are one of the most damaging behaviors that keep us from expressing our life purpose. Oftentimes we automatically react to people and situations and it requires awareness to take back our projections and consciously choose our behaviors so that we can live our life purpose more fully. Let me give you an example.

My projection is: Inappropriately Abusive.

The situation–A woman shames her child in public and I watch–judging her inappropriately abusive behavior. I feel righteous in making her wrong for how she is treating another human being that she obviously has manipulative influence over–someone who depends on her for his care and sustenance.

The projection–I’m not inappropriately abusive. I would never talk to my child like that–at least not where anyone could hear or in that way. I can’t be with my inappropriately abusive quality so if I do talk to my daughter like that I might blame her for her behavior and make her wrong for what she has done to “make” me talk to her that way. If I can’t be with my inappropriately abusive quality then I will only be able to see the quality in others–not myself. What do qualities do you deny? Rude? Cold? Uncaring? Manipulative? Disgusting? Wounded? Cry Baby? (I’m all that!) To identify the qualities that you are projecting onto others, take a really honest look at who and what you are judging. You will find yourself saying, “I’m not that.” Maybe you will find yourself gossiping about the person you are judging. When you catch yourself, and you will catch yourself, look to see how you have exhibited this behavior (or could exhibit this behavior). See if you can say, “I am that.” I have only one requirement that you agree to before participating in this exercise of awareness: You may only be gentle with yourself with what you find. With this agreement, let me know what you discover about yourself. Read on, because I would only ask you to do this knowing that there are gifts attached to each discovery. Yummy gifts!

The gift–Every quality has a gift. Because I have pushed away the quality of inappropriately abusive, I have developed my compassionate quality. I am the most compassionate person you will meet. And all from shunning my inappropriately abusive quality. We will behave in ways that hide the quality that we are projecting onto others. I have had such judgment on inappropriately abusive, that I had to find a way to be in the world that would show everyone that I am not that. This is a wonderful thing. What are your gifts? What have you developed to show how wonderful you are. You are that! You are the generous and compassionate friend. You are the strong shoulder to lean on. You are the capable person everyone can count on. You are all that and, if you choose to look, you will find that these gifts were developed to hide the part of yourself that you can’t be with. But there is a little problem.

The cover up–If I can’t be with my inappropriately abusive qualities then I don’t have access to them when I need them. I am so busy trying to be nice and gentle so everyone will know how compassionate I am that when I really need its counterpart only nice can come out. Here is my personal example–I was in Santa Cruz, California with my 15 year old niece. She was wearing a bathing suit and a short cover up. We were at the beach and as we approached the car, a man walked up and looks at my niece and slurs out, “Niiice dresss!” He seemed to be on some kind of medication. He seemed to be lacking the social skills that would be appropriate around my niece. What “should” have been my response? I know…I know… Let me answer: “Get the $(%*^* away from my niece ^*%&^(#” Right? That would have been appropriate. Perfectly appropriately abusive. If you were there you would agree. Because I don’t have access to my inappropriately abusive qualities I responded…nicely…

Take the same qualities you are projecting and the gifts and see how you could have used the qualities that you don’t accept about yourself if you could be with that quality. It is surely a part of you. Don’t naysay until you give it a vulnerably honest good look; here’s why:

The damage–If I can’t be with inappropriately abusive then the quality will come out in ways that are unexpected. Maybe even going over the edge. Maybe I am inappropriately abusive to myself in my judgment of the above example. Maybe I fly off the handle at inopportune times…use your imagination. Can you see where those qualities that you don’t want blindside you and leave you feeling bad about who you are? Maybe even guilty and shameful?

How does this all fit with living your life purpose? When we unconsciously project onto others we are limiting our authentic expression. If I have access to all of my qualities then I can call on them in the moment they are necessary and I am left feeling empowered to live my purpose. Instead of being on automatic pilot, I can bring consciousness to my words, thoughts and actions. And in taking back my projections I gain access to my innate wholeness.

It’s freedom. It’s worth it. And guess what? There’s more. We project our light qualities as well. I’ll talk about that later, but for now let’s go to the dark side. What’s up for you?

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Debbie Ford invited me to be her guest at the April 2007 Shadow Process. Each time I have assisted or participated in this transformational work I got a piece of myself back that I didn’t even know was missing. In her book, The Secret of the Shadow, Debbie talks about our unique recipes. She shared the exercise with us at the workshop and I want you to share with you what I got out of it.

What are the top few things that you believe you could have done without? Did you go through a divorce, and you think you shouldn’t have? Did your parents split up devastate you? Were you fired from a job you hated anyway? Were you molested as a child? Did your business partner screw you out of millions?

Have you been afraid to open your heart? Not only to your friends, family, a mate, but to yourself and your dreams? Do you let your pain keep you stuck in the patterns of the past? Are you ready to use your pain to move you powerfully into a life you love?

What if you knew that the very incidents that give you the most pain have the most valuable lessons and gifts and provide the DNA, so to speak, to give you exactly what you want in life? Would you look at your pain differently? Would you give up your blame and excuses and search for the gifts?

Think about it. And then think about it some more.

How did you learn compassion? or generosity? Where did you get your integrity? or your intolerance for bully’s? How did you come to your dedication? or your loyalty?

The reason for our pain is to open the door for our evolution. Identify the top 5 most painful events in your life and then see if you can identify the wisdom…the gifts…the purpose of your pain… Are these the events that make you who you are today? How can you be grateful for what has happened in your life?

The top couple things for me are:

• A mom who left at least 3 times without saying goodbye and never crying over it as a child. (I recently grieved this event and found the wisdom.)
• Being sexually abused as a child.

What could I have learned from these incidents? Mistrust or trust? Is it a choice? What could be the gifts? My top gifts are compassion, empowerment, and non-judgmental holding of humanity. Can you see how these gifts might have been born?

What is your pain? Extract the wisdom from your experiences so you can use it today for the greater good of us all. We need your gifts… What if this is where your life purpose stems from… Perhaps the circumstances of your life can propel you into a perspective that helps lots of people…

Are you living too small? If you are not using your pain, your pain is using you and you are limited in what you have been able to share with the world. The pain you have endured is for a reason and it is to help many more people than you have. Don’t keep it to yourself. What is your purpose? Perhaps it is to love…. Yes, what if that is all… Could your love change the world? It certainly could change your world if you loved yourself. And if you love yourself you will show up in the world differently than you have. Loving yourself will send ripples out touching people you will never meet. Yes, I believe we are all connected.

How can you use your pain? Do you know? Do you need help seeing it? Here are some things you can do to see it more clearly: read The Secret of the Shadow, call me for a session (complimentary of course), meditate on this and then journal. Make a commitment to extract the wisdom from your pain and to make a difference in the world.

How do we live a life of passion? No guilt, no shame, no blame, or excuses. Only gratitude and wisdom. I have learned a lot from my pain. What have you learned?

Maybe you can see your passion and purpose if you think about what you would be doing right now if no one were watching. What is it that you would be doing if you didn’t think you should be doing what you are doing? What is it that you would be doing if you weren’t blaming the people for hurting you and “breaking” you? Maybe you could find some clues in these questions… Let me know….

If you are further along your path than I am giving you credit, how can you live you purpose even more fully? What do you need to give up or let go of? Who do you need to stop blaming? What excuses do you need to give up to go even deeper? What if no matter where you are on your path, you were living too small? Don’t discount where you are, but do ask: what is your next evolutionary step?

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NAVIGATING YOUR FINANCIAL DESTINY with JULIE MURPHY CASSERLY

Julie talks about living your passions and creating wealth from the inside out. You can’t manifest money if you aren’t living a life of passion.

Her book, The Emotion Behind Money delves into our blockages from creating a life of wealth.

30 minute podcast. Enjoy!

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Not there yet!

Have you read East of Eden? Kate is the most ruthless person I could ever imagine. And I hate it. I hate her. She used her ruthlessness to hurt people and hurt people and hurt people. I would never do anything even close to what Steinbeck created in this classic novel. This is, as I have mentioned before, my darkest shadow. I feel scared sharing this publicly, because you might think I am like her. I have never met anyone like her in real life, but in my heart I know I am her. In avoiding any similarity to her persona, I have held myself back from what I can create in this world.

I have been viewing ruthless as a destructive quality. I have been judging ruthless as bad, and indeed ruthless can be very hurtful. Hitler was ruthless.

I am now in a space of exploring how ruthless can be constructive and used for the benefit of humanity. And how ruthless can be used in the living your life’s purpose.

If I can get this, I can use my ruthlessness to make positive changes in the world. I could use ruthless to end self-abuse. I get this is to our benefit for me to embrace this disowned quality in myself. To use ruthless responsibly and consciously–not out of fear and protection. Or projection!

In order for me to embrace ruthless, I need to know that ruthless is a positive quality. Help me see this more clearly:

• Who do you know that is expressing ruthless constructively. This could be yourself, someone you know, or someone you know of. Maybe a political figure or someone from history (not the books okay?), or a celebrity…
• How can ruthless be used constructively? To create. To empower. To manifest peace.
• How have you been ruthless? The shadow side and the light side?

I don’t want to hurt anyone and being ruthless, even for the benefit of our planet, maybe I will. I don’t want the fear of hurting someone to hold me back from embracing this quality because on some level I know that my ruthlessness is needed. On some level I get that embracing ruthless will add to me and empower me to demand the changes in the world that will bring us into expressing the wholeness that we are.

Part I of this post about Being Ruthless

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A ruthless person:

• is cold-hearted (or doesn’t have a heart)
• is out for him or herself
• doesn’t care about anyone

I hear myself screaming inside, “I’m NOT THAT!”

None of my friends would consider me ruthless. If someone called me ruthless I would cry, die, hide… Killers are ruthless. I just found out that my business partner is ruthless!

Ruthless is my biggest shame. The universe is providing me an intense opportunity for healing. It is painful. I want to hide under a rock. And at the same time, I am so grateful. Thank you, GOD! I am grateful that I can see the possibility in my willingness to look at the gifts that ruthless has to offer.

The shadow work that Debbie Ford teaches reminds me that there is a gift that ruthless has for me. I don’t know what it is yet, but source is compelling me to look, to remain open and willing to the possibility. I am starting to notice how I show up in the world when I push away ruthless. It’s not pretty! I roll over. I play dead. I give myself away. I minimize my contribution, my ability, and my connection to the Divine. Source has come through me for the greater good of the planet and I am willing to drop the ball. (I am also a coward.)

I don’t want to hurt anyone.

Ruthless is my darkest shadow…

I’m sharing my process with you to empower you to look at your own shadows. What is it that you don’t want to be? What is it that you push away? How could embracing that part of you empower you to live a more authentic life? How could the Divine come through you even more strongly? These are the questions I am asking myself.

What is the shadow you are ready to embrace? My next evolution is to embrace ruthless. My ego screams at me, “What possible good could come from that?”

What if being ruthless was about not giving up? What if ruthless means that my heart is so big that I will lay down my life for the greater good of our planet? What if it means that I am here to protect the weak and vulnerable? What if it means that when I embrace ruthless, I will demand that we collectively take responsibility for the condition of our planet? For each other? What if being ruthless means that nothing could waver my commitment to being used by source to empower, connect, and serve the collective? What if my being ruthless ends abuse? Then I would have to ask myself:

Who am I not to be ruthless?

Please share your comments and the gifts that you have found in your shadow. Just don’t call me ruthless, I am not quite ready for that yet.

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Do you always put others first? Their requests, their needs, their agendas, their dreams? Do you say yes, when in your heart you mean no? At the end of the day do you feel drained of your energy and resentful that the things you wanted to do for yourself didn’t get done? Do you feel angry that you aren’t living your dream?

What would it take for you to live your dreams? What would it take for you to be on fire with passion for your life?

Step 1: Put yourself first. Meet your selfish self. Decide, right now, that nothing will stop you from living your best life.

When we push away this shadow side of our humanity, we become resentful. We want to be selfish, but we are taught very early in our lives that selfish is bad. You have met those selfish people, right? You know who I am talking about. Those people who don’t care about anyone but themselves. My guess is those people really don’t care about themselves at all and this is their shadow surfacing in the outer world. This is unconscious selfish.

I suggest that we be consciously selfish. Identify your dream. Identify the elements of your life that make it worth living. Give yourself your dream. Give yourself what you need to live a happy and purposeful life. Do you need a walk everyday? A weekly massage? Maybe you are taking care of other people, but that is part of your dream. I have been around people who are consciously selfish. I like them. (I am one of them, but I haven’t always been.) These people have clear boundaries–with themselves and others. They (I mean we) say things like: I need my computer now. We say things like: no.

Step 2: Write a plan to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

Lay it out for yourself. Be very clear. Where do you want to be in a year from now? What, exactly, do you need to do to make it happen? Identify the thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors that might sabotage your plan. You know what they are–be honest with yourself.

Step 3: Take consistent action toward manifesting your dream.

Once you identify the steps that naturally lead you toward the life you want to live. Take consistent action toward your goal. Block out time on your calendar. Say no to choices that take you away from your dream. Get support! Check in with your plan when making choices instead of your emotions in the moment and continue the steady movement toward living your Divine Purpose more fully.

What other steps can you think of? We welcome comments below.