We were recently asked how to move out of guilt and shame. We wish to address this today.

Guilt and shame are energies that come from being in profound resistance to yourself or a choice you have made. They indicate that from your current perspective you wish that you could be, or could have been better. The problem is, because guilt and shame are such low vibrating energies, they make it difficult to shift into the higher expression of self you wish to embody.

If you are feeling guilt or shame from actions or choices in the past, it indicates that you have had an experience that is not how you wish to express yourself. This is wonderful news! You have learned and wish to redefine yourself. This experience has led to your expansion, and can, if you allow it to, help you show up in in a new, improved version of self. But you cannot find that new version of self while sitting in guilt and shame. You must use it as a springboard to move you up and out of that energy into a better match to who you really are and how you wish to express yourself from your new wiser vantage point.

If you experience guilt or shame by thinking that you are not good enough due to regret over previous actions, we ask you what advice you would give another who had done a similar thing. Would you forgive them? Would you tell them what matters is that they have learned and will make different choices moving forward? Would you want to continue to punish them if they had genuine remorse? Or would you want to encourage them to move forward by forgiving themselves and being more mindful? Of course you would! We urge you to give yourself the same compassion and guidance as you would give so lovingly to another.

It can be helpful to explore what needs you had that weren’t met that led to you making the choices you did. Are those needs being met now? If not, step up as your own guide, parent, and best friend and start meeting them for yourself with your own love, support, empathy, and compassion. As you create the safe space that acknowledges and addresses those needs, you heal the aspects of yourself that were driving that behaviour. They will get the attention they were so desperately seeking from you and will not have a need to act out any longer.

If you experience guilt or shame because you feel like you should be doing more in your life, we suggest you surrender into being of your highest service, or having your highest life expression and then trust what unfolds for you and what is supported. Surrender always takes the guess work out of things.

Your essence is good. You are divine. You are perfectly imperfect. You will make mistakes but if you take the lesson and use it to mold you into a better, more satisfactory, more aligned version of self, those experiences will serve you well. You get to redefine yourself, and re-express yourself in each Now moment.

Dear Ones, you simply cannot berate yourself or punish yourself into enlightenment. You cannot thrive and be in resistance to yourself at the same time. You must find your way into acceptance by forging forward, guiding yourself with your own love, compassion, and wisdom. Give your regrets purpose by allowing them to serve your evolution and through that newfound knowingness, shine your true nature even brighter today. ~Archangel Gabriel through Shelley Young