What are facts?
And whose facts are they?
What we consider to be facts are simply someone else’s published opinion or assessment. In these days of the internet that’s become a squirrelly proposition because anyone can write words on a page and publish them. A snippet of the whole can be take it out of context and called a fact. And since the advent of photoshop, even photos aren’t confirmation of the truth anymore.

So where do we find the truth?
No matter how many facts you accumulate, there is no truth to be found in facts because there will always be one more fact to be considered. That’s the way of a universe that’s in constant expansion. Today’s facts will always be superseded by tomorrow’s revelations. It used to be a fact that the world was flat. Facts are facts, until there’re not. So in reality, there is only one truth. That is your own Inner Truth.

How do you know what’s true?
How can you trust your Inner Truth?

By reflecting on how you feel. Unless you’re at peace about something, it’s not in alignment with Who You Are. That’s your unfailing truth meter. If you’re riled up about something it’s because you’re barking up the wrong tree, usually someone else’s tree. And if you’re attacking someone else’s opinion, attempting to convince them you are right, it’s your own perception of rightness you are attempting to defend.

I’m all for open discussions. Discussions that are rooted in listening rather than defending. When we listen with an open heart, we are open to hearing. When we’re busy defending, armed with an arsenal of facts, all of our attention is on what we need to say next, rather than absorbing or considering what another has to say. Therefore, neither party is able to hear anything and it becomes in internal self centered dialogue in the gerbil wheel of the mind.

I have to ask, what are we so afraid of that we need to have everyone agree with us and think the way we do? Are we so disconnected and untrustworthy of ourselves that we’re searching for acknowledgement from others?

It doesn’t matter how many others acknowledge and agree with you. Until you acknowledge Who You Are, you will never be at peace, always looking for others to acknowledge you. When in reality, you are the only one that can acknowledge yourself.

Thus, being at peace with your Self provides you with the ability to listen with an open mind, engaging when it’s appropriate or walking away when it’s not. Your Inner Truth never needs defending because it’s in alignment with Who You Are and you’re able to honor the Inner Truth of others allowing you to connect heart to heart.

These are all questions I asked of myself when I was blindsided by several people this last week during the disruptive energies of these two eclipses. Each time I choose to walk away. Each time my mind tried to argue that I was being a coward. Each time my heart was at peace because I did not choose to argue. Why would I do anything to disrupt my internal peace?

Peace is something everyone hungers for. We’re all tired of war and we desire peace. But peace is not an outside battle. It’s an inside battle of the mind. Therein lies the oxymoron. It’s time to lay down the (s)words of the mind and listen to and with the heart? Therein lies the peace that passeth understanding. It has taken many years of practice to find this peace within myself, knowing when to speak up and when to walk away.

So I thank those who blindsided me this past week. They facilitated these questions in my quest for truth, in my quest for peace. What I’ve come to realize is….. Facts are facts, unless they’re not.

The song “The Gambler” by Kenny Rodgers comes to mind. “You gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, know when to run.” As one who is willing to gamble with the fullness of life, the way I know how to respond is when my heart is at peace. That’s a fact!!!

~Sharon Lyn Shepard~
“message from my inner wisdom”