Sherlianne

CD Sweet Tongue Sample

Here is a sample from our CD Sweet Tongue.

 Sweet Tongue CD Sample 

The Poetry of Balance

The Poetry of Balance

I have discovered a powerful practice of being in physical alignment. Dana Davis instructs clients in how to sit, stand, walk, and sleep in balance at her Balance Center in Petaluma and in San Rafael. Students experience less tension and pain in their backs and joints. One 82 year-old gentleman even added 2 1/2 inches to his height! I have had an individual session and I am looking forward to taking Dana’s five week course.

Dana writes, “Why do people in some countries have no back pain? 80% of the population in the United States suffers from back pain, compared to only 5% in many other countries, such as Portugal and Greece. These healthy people move slightly differently than we do. The teaching of the Balance Center is based on more than 35 years of research on these healthy populations. When you stand, bend, sit, walk, and sleep as these people do, your pain can be significantly reduced or eliminated.”

Dana has a web site that explains her teaching in greater detail. I highly recommend her work.  www.sonomabodybalance.com
You can also email Dana and sign up for her informative monthly newsletter at dana@sonomabodybalance.com

When Trees Dance

I pause to write and my heart soars.
Wings of angels brush my awareness,
fill the fresh air with sweetness.
The sky pours rain with constant zeal.
The trees soak up the moisture,
wriggle their roots like toes
for beyond their stillness is a joy that runs deep
and feels as if they’re quivering
with barely contained delight at being alive.
Looking closely, I imagine the bark
is trying not to crack wide smiles.
Surging life force fills unmoving branches
in readiness to burst forth
as bright new leaves in spring.
If trees could dance without the wind,
they’d stand on tippy-toed roots,
twirl in graceful pirouettes,
their boughs sweeping the sky
in flowing waves.
Oaks would laugh at being tickled
under arm-like branches
when squirrels scamper up their trunks.
Firs would leap with glorious abandon
over hills and down dales,
some with chattering squirrels clinging to limbs,
then bend to peek through our windows.
Though today, the trees are content
to envision willowy jetes,
simply joyous to be filled with the inner dance of life.
So don’t be fooled by inactive stances.
Look beyond their tranquil repose
to sense a vibrant ballet.
You may find yourself toe-tapping to lively rhythms,
even whirling around to sensed,
but unheard melodies.
Then, when trees can no longer stand still,
they invite the wind to play.

©2004 Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry, Sher Lianne Christian

*You are invited to our Third Sunday Poetry Reading & Poetry Open Mic: Sunday, September 20, 12:30 to 1:30 P.M. Our featured reader is Jewel Mathieson, poet Laureate of 5 Rhythms International Dance Community, Gabrielle Roth. It’s hosted by Sher Lianne Christian, poet, accompanied by John Christian on piano & accordion. Share a poem you or someone else has written, if you like. Donation appreciated, $1 to $10. Coffee Catz, 6761 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, 707 829-6600.

Warmly,
Sher Lianne Christian
Coaching, Editing, Proofing, for Writers

Listening to and Following Your Heart

Listening to and Following Your Heart

How can your daily life, relationships, career be more joyful, fulfilling? How can your health and sense of well being increase? Dis-ease can result from not following our hearts, being true to ourselves. Being authentic takes consistent effort and courage, yet the sense of fulfillment is the greatest reward. Modern dancer, Martha Graham, shares, “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all time this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any medium and will be lost.” The greatest failure to me would be to come to the end of my life and realize that I had not shared what only I could share.

I am an Iridologist, Intuitive Coach, and Poet with over 20 years experience. I have studied and taught physical and psychological iridology.  Patterns in our eyes show inherited physical and behavioral traits, gifts or talents, lessons, relationship patterns. We can learn what is needed for balance and prevent challenges in the future by strengthening areas of inherited weakness. I am also highly intuitive and can learn what behavior or attitude is creating a condition. 

In a session, one can ask a question about any kind of challenge; such as physical discomfort, relationship issues, problematic situations, career issues, any areas of desired change, to learn what is needed for successful resolution. Every circumstance has an opportunity for growth. Get to the root cause rather than just dealing with symptoms. (Mopping up the floor from a leaky faucet is necessary, and fixing the faucet stops the water from going on the floor.) In other words, we can keep dealing with the results of our thoughts and actions, or we can change them.

I bring luscious, spiritual poetry to inspire and deepen the learning process. My book of poetry, Star Kissed Shadows is a divining tool and can be opened with a question in mind for insights. My husband John and I created a CD of poetry and music Sweet Tongue, Assorted Poems & Music that delights the senses.* 

The intuitive work can be done over the phone. Hone your ability to use your intuition.  I offer trial sessions, $25 for fifteen minutes for those who would like to experience my work without spending a lot. (I also do half hour and hour consultations.) I'm happy to answer questions beforehand. I use my intuition for me as well as clients and find it incredibly valuable on a daily basis.

"The only real valuable thing is intuition." Albert Einstein

Following our guidance is the most powerful action we can choose for well being and fulfillment of our potential.

*A fun way to receive a complimentary consultation is to host an iridology class/party in which participants learn about the markings in our eyes and what they mean, then practice looking at each other's eyes. Email for details

*From a review of Sweet Tongue: "While Sher uses a unique blend of sensual expression and spiritual insight to convey the confessions, observations and emotions of her poems, John brings a splash of musical styles (Cajun, Jazz, Blues, Rock and Country) to ground her words in the moments lived.  He whispers when needed, boogies when called for and romances his keyboard as Sher untangles the mystery and magic of a night's firefly dreams. Though Sher and John's, Sweet Tongue, Assorted Poems & Music is a collaboration of two hearts, it sounds as if it is of one voice.” Bill Gainer, Cofounder of Nevada County Poets Society  

Email for an appointment if your heart guides you.
Turn challenge into the joy of transcendence.

Warmly,
Sher Lianne Christian
Iridology, Intuitive Sessions, & Poetic Inspiration
Phone Consultations & Classes
Voiceover, Music, & Recording
Book: Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry
CD: Sweet Tongue, Assorted Poetry and Music
Third Sunday Poetry Reading, Coffee Catz, Sebastopol, 12:30 to 1:30
Next one: Aug. 16 with Coya, Writer, Guitarist, Photographer

Children of My Heart

We all have children we’ve agreed to raise.
We may fe   ÿign ignorance, but we know our children,
Like mother seals that recognize their own in a sea of babies.
Our offspring represent what the soul wants to grow.
We’ll never be fully enlivened and fulfilled
until we answer the call of our creativity.
birth the children of our hearts,
provide consistent nurturing, encourage tentative steps
until they walk in the world on their own.
Hello little ones, children of my heart.
Have I abandoned you, farmed you out for adoption
by souls braver than me?
Are you withering while I chase
my yearning for material things  
care for those children who are not mine?
 Are you the source of my insistent longing?
My body knows and tells me through pain,
when I ignore the truth ou   ÷t of fear.
My psyche knows and dulls my senses to depression
as I turn away from my baby’s cries, afraid of responsibility.
Dear child, is my fear starving you?
I love you, children of my heart.
Please forgive my wanderings.
I am here to feed you again,
rekindle the fires of life’s passion.
I promise to rock you in the cradle of joy,
so you can light the world.

©2004 Star Kissed Shadows, Sher Lianne Christian

Acting on Creative Inspiration

Creative inspiration is accessible to all of us. Our muse sits on our shoulder, delighted to feed us ideas. The first step is to listen, then act. It takes energy and concerted effort to get our creative children in shape and out into the world. Writers must spend much time sitting at the desk honing their craft. However, the body requires more than finger movement to maintain the vigor needed for health and effectiveness.

I have learned this the hard way, by feeling my energy drain like old oil from a jalopy. This morning I jumped on our mini trampoline for five minutes before breakfast, then did leg kicks for a short morning break to get my blood pumping.

I had an informative session with nutritionist extraordinaire, Amy Smith in Sebastopol. She has me exercising more, reducing dairy and increasing greens, as well as taking supplements and doing salt scrubs to let go of sluggishness and move forward in life with vitality. I am to go on two walks a day and practice yoga each afternoon. My sedentary body is complaining, but I’m not listening, for I know not only thriving, but surviving depends on it.

I invite all of you to intertwine your daily hours with movement, so you might experience a life of vibrant fulfillment.

Wild Woman’s Beat

Wild woman beats upon inner rib cage,
until my body‘s a book of her tapping Morse code,
an inside tattoo that’s been hidden
from the world
and even me.
Wild woman, across each nerve synapse,
your insistent drumming sends messages,
softly at first,
that become louder with my ignoring,
“Sensual love. Love sensual.
Life dance! Dance life!”
Addictions have muffled your sounds,
Stuffing your mouth has muted
but not silenced you.
I’ve walled you up in muscle and joint,
held you prisoner
within the confines of my skin
until you breathe fire on those who are dear,
and those who come near.
Hot flashes are your heat that’s been denied.
My judgmental ways feed a wildfire
that burns out of control...
You dance within me on every full moon,
course through me as smoldering desire
which must be fulfilled through soul moves
or hardened into igneous rock
by resistance to your flow
I die before my time,
inch by rigid inch.
When I respond to your hammering,
you soften the mold of my becoming,
the true self rivers of experience surge me toward.
Your supple moves keep me young
with sensual delight.
Your arousal summons youthful succulence...
I harness your force to drive my dreams!
Wild woman, I breathe in your power
and rhythmic beat
to dance with your life, my life,
in ardent, moist heat,
sexy and mine,
juicy and divine.

Sher Christian
copyright 2004, Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry
and CD: Sweet Tongue, Assorted Poetry and Music

To hear poetry/music samples from Sweet Tongue scroll down to March post.
To Purchase your book and CD go to blog store

I am available for insightful, entertaining poetry readings with keyboard accompaniment for your group or event. I offer intuitive coaching (phone consultations), and iridology to help you create the life of your dreams. Email poetrysher@gmail.com for information.

Transcending Limiting Ancestral Patterns

I’m transcending limiting ancestral patterns through current challenges with my family. Because I care, I’ve had a tendency or addictive pattern to get sucked into their drama and feel guilty when I don’t suffer and they do. Of course, I want the best for them and do prayer treatments in their behalf, yet they have free choice and are responsible for their lives. I can have compassion and listen to their woes without being dragged down by them.

 I am learning to not become enmeshed with my family’s crises and their opinions of me when I don’t try come to their rescue and jump into the pit of misery with them. The daily inspirations in “Spirit is Calling” by Chris Michaels and Edward Viljoen are helping me take a stand for myself. Page 108 has a powerful statement I repeat often. It pulls me into the joy of the moment, this fabulous life of mine. “I am not a victim. I am a partner with God, creating a wonderful life.”

Sometimes after lunch, before jumping into the next task, I feel like being present to my abundance. I mentally sit in gratitude, thinking of and taking in everything I am thankful for. My horoscope in last week’s Bohemian newspaper said, “More than ever before, you have the power to want what you actually have...to enjoy the fruits of your labors...to take your attention off the struggle so that you may fully love the experiences your struggle has earned you.” Rob Brezsny

May you enjoy the abundance, love, pleasure, and beauty you’ve created!

I Have

I have this moment, these eyes that see,
This body that feels.
I have this breath, this heart of love.
I have this quiet, this light upon crystal and blue glass.
I have these trees, still in the sky of winter morning.
I have these sounds of animals and house-creaks, that enter the silence.
I have this home, this warmth, this kitchen filled with food.
I have miracles.
I have myself.

©2004 Sher Christian, Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry

"Healing through Pleasure and the Senses"

"Healing through Pleasure and the Senses" Online Class

Learn how creating a new and positive relationship with the five senses and sensuality heals body, mind, and soul.

In this class I will share poetry that deepens sensory awareness.  Participate in journaling, sharing, and sensory fun. Includes ending conference call. This is a four week class.

“Life shimmers with a vibrant magnificence that brings deep, satisfying pleasure when received with sensory presence.” Sher Lianne Christian

Email poetrysher@gmail.com for information on fee and registering. Class will begin when enrollment is done, a minimum number of participants have registered. Inquire about classes in Sebastopol. Sher is also available to teach a pleasure seminar for your group.

Bask in Sensual Pleasure

Let your life caress you with kisses:
The touch of a lover, a breeze in your hair,
Soft silk brushing bare nipples.
Sweet lips of love open to
Tingling pleasure slipping between soft thighs.
Taste your life with a succulent mouth:
Savor chocolate truffles, strawberries, tiramisu,
mocha lattes, brioche with lemon cream.
Revel in fragrance: violets in spring,
Bodies drenched with sun,
Little boys with earth-puppy smells,
Pikake and ginger blossoms, heady gardenias,
Pungent hot madias crushed by rain.
Feast on colors rich with light:
Velvet purple petunias,
Iridescent peach irises and hummingbirds,
Mountains sweeping to blue-violet skies,
Shimmering sapphire lakes and starlit nights.
Relish sounds: babies giggling, rhythm and blues,
I love you’s, hot words of passion, thunderstorms,
Wild drumming, coyotes howling.
Luxuriate in your days.
Make love with your life.

©2004 Star Kissed Shadows, Sher Lianne Christian

Bio:
Sher authored the book Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry and CD Sweet Tongue, Assorted Poetry accompanied by John's music. She enthralls listeners with her sensual poetry and lively vocal expression. Sher has performed at many venues in Sonoma County, California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Australia. Sher and John host The Third Sunday Poetry Reading and Open Mic at Coffee Catz. She taught creative writing at Sierra College and was a core leader of Nourish, the successful women's retreat in Sonoma.
Sher now teaches classes on effective writing through the use of sensory details.

Sher's words and voice invite us to step out of stress into the lush world of sensual grace. She is a pleasure coach offering phone consultations and classes for busy people who have a feeling of dissatisfaction, an undefined longing for something more, and need help savoring sensory pleasures of their lives. Clients experience the healing power of a satisfying awareness of the senses.  Their increased ability to receive pleasure enriches the activities and relationships of daily life. Well being is heightened as everything shines with greater clarity and sweetness.

Sher brings twenty years experience and teaching in alternative healing modalities, such as iridology, flower essences, aromatherapy, and intuitive counseling to her work. 

 

Poetry as a Lifeline in Difficult Times

The only thing that can save the world
is the reclaiming of the awareness of the world.
That is what poetry does.
~ Allen Ginsberg ~

    This is a year of hope and poetry can play a valuable part in making positive changes. We need to be vigilant in letting our egos step back and allow our hearts to lead us. We need to sink deeply into presence and grace to heal our pain, fear, and grief. Poetry can help us source our creativity, give voice to our broken hearts, then fill us with joy.
    Sometimes I don’t need to actually write or read poetry to feel grace. In the midst of a demanding day, I can remember the poetry of presence. I am in Phoenix to help my mom make necessary transitions as she ages and becomes less able to care for herself. It is a new and scary position as caretaker for her, and sadness bubbles to the surface. I express these feelings to my husband, have a cleansing cry, then do what needs to be done. Driving to do errands, I open to the blue Arizona skies, the loveliness of palm trees, saguaros, and flaming sunsets.
    I embrace the treasure of our love for each other and sharing this precious time together. My mom has become sweeter with age and is strongly connected to her inner child.  I told her that I always wanted a little girl, and she feels like my child in some ways. We went to Trader Joe's and had fun trying the raspberry stolen and coffee, looking at all the  treats we could buy. I am deeply thankful for the healing we have had in our relationship. I saw a license plate that read GR8FUL, reminding me that the world reflects our state of being.
    May you brush aside minor irritations, shower your loved ones with love, and cherish the time you have together.

Divine Mother

Divine Mother, hold me in caring arms.
I need to gaze into Your eyes,
Let my tears wash away all pain,
Find myself in Your love.
I long to drink in Your comfort
As you stroke my hair. Divine Mother,
A child in me is born anew whenever I change.
Help me nurture my children as you do me.
I gather my young ones close,
Welcome them with mother’s arms,
Fill them with praise and love.
Understanding how we learn,
I defend them against the shrew
Who lashes sharply for insignificant mistakes.
I am like a mother duck,
That feigns a broken wing to distract predators
from her fluffy babies bobbing on the water.
Our babies deserve no less.
What have you birthed that must be protected
And nourished to survive?
Guard your little ones     well.
To save the children of our world,
We must nurture our own.
Throw away thoughts of doubt and criticism.
Open Divine Mother’s cupboard
Which is full to bursting waiting
To shower you with delectable delights.
Love is the fiber of your being.
Feel love, know love,
Receive your Divine Mother.

©2004 Star Kissed Shadows

To donate to support Luscious Poetry go to http://www.paypal.com and contribute to my account, raindance@nccn.net
Thank you!

Sher

Messages from Spirit

We all receive messages from the outer world, intuition, and dreams. Spirit tells us when we are on our true path or going astray, moving away from our higher purpose. It is helpful and fun to be aware of these communications.

Sarah Ban Breathnach in her book ‘Simple Abundance’ encourages us to be receptive and alert to these communications. She suggests, “For one week operate on the assumption that nothing that happens in your daily round is accidental.”

I find much comfort as I notice and interpret synchronistic or serendipitous events. Last week I heard a radio interview with Devatara J. Holman, Practitioner of Buddhist Medicine. She declared that intention is everything and can even override actions that aren't quite on the mark. I took that to heart and began setting my intentions. My heart guided me to a lecture by Ernest Chu, author of ‘Soul Currency. His amazing success story began with prayer and intention.

The next day my husband had an upset and I went for a walk, mentally saying a prayer for him and an intention for me. Then I saw a red plastic heart with a smiling face on the ground. Walking a little farther, I saw a glove on a fence post. Someone had tied the thumb and two outer fingers, so the forefinger and middle finger were up in the sign for peace. The little heart seemed to say that the universe heard me and supports us with unconditional love. The ‘peace glove’ reminded me to be at peace during this time of transition to more conscious creation. It is encouraging to receive positive reassurance on my path, my literal path this time.

That night I dreamed that I drove through a tunnel and saw a skeleton holding a suitcase on the front porch of a house. My intuition interpreted the dream as needing to let go of excess baggage and get to essentials. (Maybe “get down to the bone.”) So I intuited what is essential to me, qualities that are authentic, like experiencing the abundance, pleasure, and joy of the moment through my senses, sensuality.

My heart guided me to the book “A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life Purpose” by Eckhart Tolle. I have been reading it to John after we eat. The concepts of wakening in consciousness are powerful and are helping us make dramatic awareness shifts that bring us out of suffering into the grace of being. I highly recommend it if you haven’t read it yet.

Be

Stop a moment.
Look at surroundings.
Soften your eyes to observe light and dark;
sunspots and tree shadows on the floor,
white lace curtains lifting with breeze.
Listen to prosaic sounds;
husband munching cereal,
the creak of our chairs,
a ticking clock, bird chirps.
Find the divine pulse that beats in all.
Feel your breath move in and out.
Touch your face, arms, and legs.
Note muscle and bone.
Smell the fragrance of your skin, a flower.
Perceive the miracle of your aliveness.
Open to being.

©2004 Sher Lianne Christian, Star Kissed Shadows

Email poetrysher@gmail.com if you would like information on Intuitive phone sessions, spiritual iridology (eye) readings, spiritual coaching, music readings, voiceover and keyboard tracks for recording projects.

Nourish Joy and Healing

    Our women’s retreat, Nourish was an absolute joy! Words cannot describe the sense of belonging, love, deep transformation, fun, and celebration I experienced with the group of women/Goddesses.
    My module, Tapping into Your Muse was the first event on Friday morning, and I went into it with a commitment to share my best with the group. I felt some trepidation, wanting to have all my ducks in a row. The women responded beautifully to the exercises (see my previous post) and several of us were moved to tears as we opened to our Divine Mother muse and our inner child muse through an automatic writing exercise and a divining poetry experience. Several women commented on the powerful opening and healing they had. One woman said she had been waiting for years to write about her mother’s death and finally gave the healing time to herself that day in class.
    It was such a joy to have my work, my poetry, myself embraced so deeply that when I returned home on Sunday, my heart opened to tsunami waves of love in a powerful, physical way. I had to keep taking deep breaths to allow the love to move through and I showered my husband and everyone I thought of with this beautiful love. The next day my face was swollen and covered with a dry rash that burned so intensely that I held ice to it for two days. My lower back and sacrum hurt, and I did not feel well for a week. My skin is still recovering.
    My intuition said that I was releasing the pain of past feelings of rejection. I asked why my face was affected and learned I was needing to “face” powerful emotions, such as anger. My back was letting go of trauma and pain around sexuality, since I was healing fear of intimacy.
    Now that I’m feeling better, I notice a stronger readiness to let go of feelings of rejection and sink into the ever present joy of each moment. I’m more aware of when I am projecting fears of hostility on others.
    A heartfelt appreciation goes to Cathleen Springer for listening to and following her guidance to create Nourish, to Cathleen, Karen Cappa, Diane Haris, and Heidi Noh-Kuhn for their relentless perseverance in preparing for Nourish, to the gorgeous, loving women who attended, and to my inner guidance for supporting me through the challenges and healings.

Arms of the Goddess

Alone, I ready to step into an unknown,
more authentic expression of my self.
The energy of change moves through my body
like a frozen river beginning to flow,
then cascades over boulders of limitation,
rushes to my goals with abandon.
Many years and lifetimes
of ancestral resistance
I have prayed for this thaw,
but its power brings a thrill of excitement,
which becomes fear.
I hesitate, one foot poised in midair.
A Goddess reaches out to me,
then another and another,
and we find a bridge
left by ancient Goddesses.
Though frayed and worn,
the span still glows with life force,
seen dimly through mists of time.
Together we see our promise grow brighter.
Arm in arm we walk
across the chasm of transformation
and celebrate our glorious Goddess selves.
We shed drab garments of doubt and fear
that had been hiding in our closets,
array ourselves in loveliness
which reveals our luscious divinity.
Dancing in our truth
we reclaim power and sisterhood.
Alone no more, I am held
in the arms of the Goddess
as I stride into passionate sharing of self,
stand in the light of my true being,
the Goddess of my soul.

from Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry
by Sher Lianne Christian

    The following class has sprung from Nourish. I offer it at the lap of Divine Mother and pray that I reach those who feel called to reap the benefits.

This holiday season give yourself a special gift of self-development.

You are invited to participate in a powerfully helpful workshop series,

“The Blissful Power of Deep Seeing”
“Hearing Your Inner Voice for Clarity to Do What You Love.”

• Do you want to move through your life with greater awareness, vibrancy,
effectiveness, and pleasure?

• Do you want to understand and move through obstacles to reach desired
results in your business, your relationships, and your daily life?

• Would you like to shift your attention from worrisome challenges into
the larger picture of your destiny?

• Would you like to ignite your passion for living, make a wonderful
difference through your unique gifts, thereby leaving a legacy to the
world and those you love?

From the classes you will learn…

• How your inner guidance sheds light with gentle encouragement on steps toward your goals.

• How to bridge the physical/material world and the numinous places of magic, opening yourself to imagery that helps materialize your vision and dreams.

There are six separate classes in the workshop series. There is an online series (for those who live at a distance or who would rather curl up at home on their own time schedules) and an in-person Sebastopol class (for those who prefer the energy of group connection).

*In each class we will use divining methods, writing exercises, body wisdom, dream interpretation, symbolic messages, and poetic inspiration to deepen our ability to discern and understand inner guidance.

ONLINE GROUP SERIES:
November 14 through December 19 with weekly follow-up

• Limited to 10 participants

• Each Friday you will receive an mp3 and/or email with your assignment;
you will email the group with your results the following week

• Share and receive positive feedback with class members in a confidential
setting.

• Receive helpful feedback from your facilitator (Sher) each week.

• End with a conference call to share insights and learning

SEBASTOPOL GROUP SERIES at Coffee Catz
November 18 through February 3

Six group sessions, first and third Tuesdays, 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM

COST

$125 prepaid by November 10, includes Sher’s book Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry.

$140 paid after November 10, includes Sher’s book Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry.

Barter and sliding scale considered.

Call 530 277-0147 or email poetrysher@gmail.com for information.

HOW TO REGISTER
Send a check to Sher Christian
P.O. Box 104
Bodega, CA 94922

Facilitator:

Sher Christian combines powerfully honed intuition with the magic of language, imagery, and vocal expression. Sher has been teaching since 1967, offering classes and consultations in Intuition, Creative Writing, Iridology, Flower Essences, Aromatherapy, and Menopause. She was a highlighted presenter at The International Flower Essence Conference in Sydney, Australia and a core leader at Nourish, a Retreat for Women. Sher is the author of the book, ‘Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry’ and the CD, ‘Sweet Tongue, Assorted Poetry and Music.’ She has presented at numerous events in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Her poetry invites a luscious presence or sensuality through reading and hearing it. See her blog at www.lusciouspoetry.typepad.com/

"My experience with a Sher Christian Workshop was surprising and insightful. We were led into the inner landscapes of ourselves with care and were helped to excavate our own yearnings and beliefs. The benefit of breaking into small groups and sharing brought us closer together and allowed our revelations to feel safe. All this was aided by Sher's choice of poems to share. I would do this again & would hope we could spend a longer time in this 'courting of the muse'." Diane Haris,
Kairos Therapy

Warmly,
Sher Lianne Christian

Intuitive Phone Consultations & Poetic Inspiration
Voiceover, Recording, & Music
Book: Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry
CD: Sweet Tongue, Assorted Poetry and Music

Nourishment and Tapping into Your Muse

    Nourish, our women’s retreat begins Thursday. I am one of the leaders and I will present a module on tapping into your muse. Our muse is vital to our creativity which is as necessary as food in nourishing the body and soul of individuals and the community. There is something unique which can be shared only by you. When that is blocked or ignored, we can feel anxious or beside ourselves. Unexpressed it is lost for all time. On some level we know when we are not living our truth. The body knows and tells us through discomfort, pain, hot flashes, insomnia, and so on. (P.S. There is one space left at Nourish for a fortunate woman. Call Karen Cappa at 707 665-0809 to register.)
    Women at Nourish will participate in a writing exercise to connect with their Divine Mother muse to discover what is needed for nourishment. In her book, Medicine for the Earth, Sandra Ingerman tells us when two or more are gathered, spirits create a divine child (or healing) and that we must receive love, divine light before we can heal with it. Sandra shares that the current societal imbalance of over giving coupled with the inability to receive is literally killing us. Profiles of cancer patients reveal they tend to give too much of themselves and don’t know how to receive love and nurturance.
    Part of the challenge is that we often work from a place of want or scarcity and drive ourselves to burnout and overwhelm by trying to play too many roles. When we take time to connect with our muse, we become aware of our authentic or essential roles and stay on purpose. We live and act from truth, grace, and joy. We are present to life’s pleasures and actually receive our blessings rather than focus continually on what is absent. We give and receive, like breath. We know what would happen if we only breathed out. Sometimes I catch myself with velcro on my forehead and wrist playing the victim when I’m the one victimizing myself. 
    Where is that muse when we need her? Besides writing there are many ways we can tap into her. There’s meditation, prayer, music, dreams, messages in the outer world, divining cards, and more.  Cheryl Richardson, personal coach and writer reminds us on one of her divining Grace cards, “Practice good soul care. The quality of our outer life is always dependent on the quality of care we give to our soul.” Thomas Moore writes “Let us imagine care of the soul as an application of poetics to everyday life.”
    My book Star Kissed Shadows is a divining tool and can be opened at random with a question in mind for insights.  Nourish attendees are going to do an exercise in which we connect with our inner child muse.  She represents our purest intention, our innocence, wonder, playfulness, and excitement about life. She is especially helpful when we feel a need to control everything to find fulfillment. Each person will take a turn opening my book with the question, “How can I best nourish my little girl muse?”  Star Kissed Shadows is available for purchase on this site. Go to the store. Our CD Sweet Tongue, Assorted Poetry & Music is also available and if you purchase both, you receive a complimentary fifteen minute intuitive phone consultation. May you have a long, satisfying relationship with your muse.

Alphabet Soup

My intuitive whiskers sense ideas
in the soft air of morning.
I sigh as feathery breezes skim over me.
Words slip on buttery sun
through an open kitchen window
into the empty bowl I’ve placed
for my muse to fill.
I lap up letter cream with a felicitous tongue.
L’s and m’s loll and hum between my lips.
Piquant p’s tantalize taste buds.
R’s roll on my palette, stop against artful t’s.
Juicy n’s slide down my moist throat.
Satiated, I purr, curl up in the lap of God.

©2004 Star Kissed Shadows, Sher Lianne Christian

Summer Heads South

    Another summer ends as autumn begins today. The leaves remind us that fall is about letting go of that which no longer serves us. In a guided meditation as part of a ritual yesterday, I discovered I’m ready to let go of rejecting myself, feeling inadequate for success, and my attachment to results from my efforts.
    John and I are available to create and record personal guided visualizations with music for life’s passages and to help you attain your goals. E-mail for information: poetrysher@gmail.com.
    I encourage you to use the energy of seasonal change to create your own ritual of letting go.  Then you can more easily embrace that which is manifesting in your life as we enter this time of harvest, the beauty of soft light and golden colors. In honor of autumn, I release summer.

Summer Heads South

Feeling like a clock wound tightly,
I stop to unwind.
Shoulder and belly muscles relax
as I respond to the spiraling down
of letting go.
Mind slows to drink in the moment.
The after buzz of being on the run
competes with refrigerator hum.
Hummingbird chatter and tree’s graceful sway
remind me to surrender like butter to sun,
as August slips into September.
Grasses dried by blazing heat
Roll under wind’s fondling touch.
Brittle leaves tumble and crackle
along the dirt driveway.
A gust works hard at clothes on the line,
making shirts flap as if waving goodbye
to summer’s warmth.
Leaves fall into fields of golden flowers,
like fall coming down too soon,
always too soon,
no matter how I long
for cool reprieve from sweltering days.
Summer is almost gone
and my heart aches at the loss
of silky water swims, warm sand on bare legs,
bouncing inner tubes
and balmy cricket nights,
sleeping under the stars
and picnics by the creek.
I say goodbye as summer packs her bags
and heads south.
“Don’t forget the mosquitoes
and meat bees,” I call after her,
then add, “I’ll look for you in June!”
She turns and holds up a satchel
filled with swarming bugs.
I smile at that, but then she breaks my heart
with the warmth of her sunny eyes.
I linger to watch her go
before I attend to the chore
of closing out autumn’s chill.

©2004 Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry, by Sher Lianne Christian