Maturity by Shawn M. Cohen

"I Never Thought I'd Live to Be 100"

by, The Moody Blues

It has been a long time since I have come to write upon this page and this blog.

It has been a long journey and so much happens that it seems almost impossible to document it all, nor would I want to. 

Just the highlights, just my thoughts, experiences or what I have felt were, are important to say. 

The video above sets the theme of this long coming blog entry: Maturity. 

I look around me at the ripe age of 58, soon to be 59 in 4 months and I see I have come upon the stage of my own life where words like, "retirement" and "Second Saturn Return" light up my Metaphysical and Astrological mind. 

I came all the way from America to the UK in my first Saturn Return, age 29, which was in 1985. Now, almost 30 years later and a full Saturn cycle later, I am once again hearing the bells ringing of Saturn, the Old and Wise Taskmaster, who says, "It's Time" (which Saturn rules)  as he makes me aware of the next leg of both journeys, human and divine. 

Who amongst us can remain a Puer *? (*A person who can never mature and will always act Forever Young)... For does it not set the stage for extreme disaster to not grow, mature and allow the world to spin, not to see it, perceive it and actually acknowledge it for what it truly is? Puers and other immature people keep the fantasy of the young, youthful wish-fullness; themed with endless fairy tales that MUST come true and Handsome Princes and  Beautiful Princesses who always live happily ever after? Does the world play fair, give us what we desire, meet us as equals and provide us what we want/wish it to be? NO. The Mature person understands this, having lived it out and seen and experienced it for themselves. The Puer says "I won't grow up, I don't want to be an adult!" As in the song, from Peter Pan,  declares! (Peter was the ultimate Puer, also played by the late, great Robin Williams, who had just hit his 63rd birthday and could take it no more, killed himself to all our shocked disbelief...he was also a true comic genius whose childhood was lost and could not find it except in acting/comedy even serious dramas as the " Puer".)   As science has it's breakthroughs,  there are no reasons to look old, with make-up, Botox, plastic surgery, you can look any age, reverse the clock, bring yourself back for a second, maybe even a third chance of what you missed when you were younger and too immature to make the correct decisions for your life.  Men are having plastic surgery now as much as women and this really tells just how sick and sad a society of babies/lost in our delusions, we really are! 

By doing this, we lose so much! Society loses so much! We, who are over 50, even 40, tell ourselves we don't have to be like our Grandparents and yes, we do not. We are the Baby Boomers, The Beatniks, The Hippies, Peace, Love and Freedom! Uranus is in Aries (the sign of the baby, the child) as it was in the 1960's and we see this again. The need to rebel, to create chaos, to demonstrate against the "Establishment"! And I was there the first time around, so I know, it can make changes happen, good and much needed changes which society needs in order to grow, and work for all, not just the rich or the powerful.

I have seen both sides of this. The need to be rebellious, create change and bring in new ideas and information first hand. Now I am of Saturn's age, where I can reflect back on what works and what did not....where change can come through hard work and discipline...two words no one seems to like or admire anymore. 

The society Puer wants everything for nothing and in an instant (gratification)! The children of today push a button, click on a link and all knowledge is theirs, all homework answers available in a nanosecond. We had our fingers to count on and if we were lucky a calculator but we were not allowed to use it in class. 

I look around me at many of my friends I grew up with and many are becoming Grandparents or are already. I wonder if they even understand how their sacred knowledge and time is so important to their offspring's generations. James Hillman is a Jungian Analyst and Author and he wrote a book cheering on and showing why older people's lives can be and should be cherished and embraced, not just by society but also by ourselves, for those of us looking into that last 3rd of our lives.  His book is called, "The Force of Character and the Lasting Life". Here is a video of James Hillman explaining this. 

As you can see by this video, when we do not embrace maturity and all the benefits and purpose of it, we lose. We lose the dignity and grace which follows a long life, where the experiences are many and the opportunities to be remembered and even valued for our contributions, love and wisdom are available. If you leave behind childish things, when you become an adult, you allow your children the insight as to how to grow up, mature and deal with life's many responsibilities, choices, career and health issues as well as their own happiness and love. As you see, a baby can not lead, it takes a mature person to lead, to show by example. Where there is a whiner and a complainer and a person who looks to be saved, rescued and constantly reassured there is a broken inner child who refuses to grow up and mature, always looking for Mommy or  Daddy because they do not want to be responsible for their own life!

How can a child lead or a baby or an infant who has so many unmet needs, looking to plug into the next bottle, tit, nurturer, sugar daddy,  and refuses to see they themselves are refusing the correct path which is always self responsibility and maturity. 

Stay immature at your own peril. Stay in the delusion that Superman, Angels, God, Jesus, The Prince on the White Horse and any other manor of energy we can't see or hear, even our Dead Relatives and Loved Ones in Heaven who do NOT have THE Power to LIVE your LIFE for YOU. Nor can they make you grow up! They can only ever offer some sort of encouragement. This has been my experience as a Human Being, a Psychic Medium and Metaphysician for over 32 years professionally. No, they can not bring down the Moon for you, nor can they magic up the next boyfriend or job or cure your disease! Only YOU can do that. That is called, "Responsibility" and it goes hand in hand skipping down the lane with "Integrity"! 

Remain creative and come again to the inner child for inspiration, love unabashed from the inner child but before you do either, consult the inner Adult for whether it is realistic and viable.  They are two beautiful words when you are a mature adult, they just save you so much Hell, if you listen. 

In conclusion, when a women has a face lift she may get away with lying to the public or even lying to herself but her body never lies. Instead of being ashamed of being older, why not embrace it as the rich and truly rewarding time it should and is suppose to be, one filled with dignity and self worth and truth and the substance of a life well lived? It matters not, in the end, how many cars, houses and phony friends you have who think you are "something" or "nothing" but what YOU think of yourself and your own achievements both internally (emotionally, mentally and spiritually as well as the knowledge you have gained) and physically (did you travel, see the world, help others, make new friends, become part of a community, enjoy your work, contribute to the world, help animals and the environment and love, did you love and were you loved in return??) These will be the only things that matter when you are finished with this life on this planet and in Heaven in a life review. This, then, will be the summation of your life. So make it count, live it fully and not just a repeat of when you were young, which you can  do by growing up and taking responsibility for all you are. If you do not like who you are, or what your life looks like then have the courage and the insight to change it, it is that simple. 

The rest will follow sure as night follows day. "Crones" are  wise older women who have embraced their wisdom, experiences and use them well to teach the youth. The cycle of Saturn is complete and all is as it should be. 

This Metaphysical Blog called, "Shelter From the Storm" is written by Ms. Shawn M . Cohen (c) latest entry called, "MATURITY, using for fair use policy, The Moody Blues song "I Never Thought I'd Live to Be 100" written by the Moody Blues and the interview with Jungian Author and Psychotherapist, James Hillman. No copyright infringement is intended. 

London, Dec. 28, 2014 

please comment below and share your own experiences or comments. 

and visit my website for any services of consultations: Tarot, Astrology, and so on I offer: http://www.tarotbyshawncohen.weebly.com

An Attitude of Gratitude by, Shawn M. Cohen

If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you. If the mountain crumbled to the sea, it would still be you and me. 

Led Zeppelin wrote those words 4 decades ago now. And the title of this song is, Thank You.  It speaks of a great love and that one is grateful for it. Both my great loves in my own life were born in February, both are passed on, so this song is dedicated to them. However, it is a great song for being grateful for being loved in any way. I believe it speaks of eternal love and that means all of us as we are all eternal beings. So here is my take on being grateful and saying Thank You! 

Since I have been busy and not able to write my usual monthly entry last month, here are some thoughts on why being "grateful" or "an attitude of gratitude" can heal so much in not only a spiritual seeker's life but in any life. 

Valentine's Day with all its furore is usually a day of expressing love and thanks to our partners or people we love. That is a lovely idea and it works for those who have someone to express love to. But what if we sat down and made a list of all the really painful experiences we had in our lives and expressed gratitude for them? What do you think would happen if you did this? Why would you do it? 

Well, let me demonstrate, as in my own painful life experiences here: 

Thank you to my Father, for being so hard on our family, for telling me I was not worth much to you because I was not a son. Thank you for telling me I was not intelligent enough for you to want to pay for my college education, even though you had the money because girls just grow up to "get married". Thank you for teaching me women were inferior and only good for cooking, cleaning, looking "pretty" for men and being subservient. You taught me so much in these lessons of pain, exclusion, humiliation, suffering and abandonment. You taught me to be STRONG though you did not realize this at the time. You taught me COMPASSION for all the women and females in the world who, like me, were told they were not worth much. I CHAMPION their causes and work to heal these patriarchal issues which have harmed their self worth and value.And I work with men too who have also been victimized by them.  I chose to become a HEALER from the pain you inflicted, perhaps through ignorance or ancestral inheritance or your own need to control. When you left my mother for another woman and abandoned us, leaving her with not a dime, I went to work in a Jazz night club as a waitress, which I did not want to do but felt forced to do. Not only did I learn a trade to make money,(and eventually used this to pay MY OWN WAY through the many colleges and universities I eventually went to) but also helped my mother who was devastated and helped her to find her worth, thanks to you. Even with the weight of the world on my back and at the tender young age of 19 going on 20, I also met my SOUL MATE there at the very job I would not have chosen to do! If you had not left, that would have never happened. (See my other blog; and The Pittsburgh Phantom and Me which tells this story in much detail and beautiful music. Here is the link: http://pittsburghphantomandme.blogspot.co.uk ).   

Thank you my Father,  for making fun of my psychic abilities and telling people I was "crazy". Being born with a caul* and told from my birth that I would be "psychic" must have been quite a threat to your own lack of understanding your own intuition and your own inner female side, where all feelings and tenderness and intuition comes from.  Needless to say, my journey to how I became a professional Psychic and Medium had many ups and downs and many people, both friends, family and others who did question my "sanity" BUT this made me work harder, seek MORE information, training, education, years of inner development and looking within, and I read tons of books on so many subjects, studied with so many, and finally to become the very expert in my field. THAT was fueled by my soul's need as well as your fears about my gifts. That I am a strong, self reliant, a Psychic, Medium and a obtained a degree in Metaphysics, which I have used to helped thousands of people in so many parts of this world find peace, healing, light and understanding has made this all worthwhile. To have so much inner awareness to life, the Higher Realms and as a consistent SEEKER of TRUTH is MY choice, but it is clear the adversary role plays its part.

 Thank you to my Father, for taking on this "role" in my life. It made me face all the pitfalls of the path. It showed me what I could handle and what I needed to learn to face, be braver and stronger and more resilient and to know eventually that PAIN can become the greatest SOURCE for ENLIGHTENMENT as well as LOVE.  In so many ways, my Father showed me the very way to grow. He was not conscious of this but his fear, insecurities, lack of compassion and even his upbringing were responsible in part to his issues. He passed away in March, 1998 but we came to some understanding right before he died with him finally accepting and even acknowledging my path.  On a Higher Plane and in Spirit, he would have chosen to be the "bad guy" in my life as a soul contract. Soul Contracts are made between the lives,  in Heaven or the  Astral Plane, where all souls reside and all are in agreement or we do not "play". Knowing this is key to understanding why life is how it is and who is in it and why and for what purpose. There are many good books on "Soul Contracts" but I always recommend Robert Schwartz' book, "Your Soul's Plan" which can be found on Amazon or here: http://www.yoursoulsplan.com

See what I mean? No one is exempt from pain. But instead of letting pain overwhelm you, break you, cripple you, understand it on a deeper level, one should investigate it, analyse it, figure out why it is there. Pain is a path to enlightenment and it is explained well here: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-9928/yes-the-path-to-enlightenment-is-painful.html  

All children love their parents. No matter what. It is a conscious choice which parents we have, even if we are adopted. All souls chose their path and in the end we can see this when we pass over. The life review each soul has shows us without a doubt, that we chose those experiences because they would in some way, allow us to become who we wanted to become, to mature, develop, evolve, share our gifts, learn and help others. Yes, be grateful for the pain. Be grateful for the love. Be grateful for all the "successes" and all the "failures" too because without them, there is no need to seek and if one does not seek, one stays small, stagnant, ignorant and life is meaningless. Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage and we are mere actors playing our parts." How right he was! 

I am so grateful for the broken path, the ups and downs, the ins and outs and all the shifts of consciousness which came with them all. If not for them, who would I be today and where would I be? If I did not rise above with sheer determination and rage against the very obstacles put in my way, I would not have the life lessons I have learned. The deeper meaning of my own life would have been obscured and my own validation for being here on Earth at this time would have eluded me. How hard it has been to come here but how happy I am for it all! Time tells the tale of our lives and eventually we see the entire plot to our play, the reason for being, the love behind it all, even with the so called bad experiences we had. 

Life is meant for our growth and for developing into a Conscious Being. It has no more points to gain, no more races to win, no more competing or judging or wallowing in self pity! It is a consciousness game of evolution. Understanding this makes the journey worthwhile, for it gifts us with dignity, purpose and deep meaning. It heals the wounds of the past and past lives and allows our soul to soar with growth. This conflict of light and dark is what this whole world is based on. Without the dark would we seek the light? Without the pain would we even bother to grow? It is clear we need both to become whole, aware and know the Self. 

 How are you seeing your own life, the "good" and the "bad"? Will you see it  now with gratitude so that you can say to yourself and all you have ever known, all the experiences you have ever had, "Thank You"? It is my wish and hope that you will.  

 Thank You for reading my blog. Comments are always welcome and please share your own experiences too. 

* The caul is a baby born within the casing of the amniotic fluid and membrane intact, so this did not break before birth. The Old Wive's Tales are that if a baby is born this way, they will be psychic. My Irish grandmother who was not at my birth in Pittsburgh, Pa. but in New York City, was called as soon as I was born by my Father. My Mother saw I was born in the sac and was frightened and asked the doctor, what's wrong? He opened it to allow me to breath in air and said to my mother, "nothing, she is a healthy baby girl". My Father was talking to my Irish Grandmother on the phone from the hospital, assuring my Mother's Mother, saying that my mother had me. My Irish Grandmother was also psychic and said to my Father, "I know, I heard a baby crying, so I knew she has been born." (meaning she psychically picked up on my birth, clairaudiently hearing a baby cry.) My Father explained I was born with the sac still intact and my Grandmother said, "Oh she too will be psychic!" I was named after her, Margaret, my middle name.  So from the moment I was born, my life's story was not only foretold but the caul intact declared my gifts!  It has also been used by sailors and much sought after because it was said to keep one would prevent the sailor from drowning. Even Charles Dickens wrote about it in his book, "David Copperfield" and has been cited in much literature and poems.  Were you or your child born with a caul? See this website for more info on it and what it means here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caul  and also here: http://voices.yahoo.com/why-some-babies-born-caul-133065.html?cat=72  and others tell their stories of being born with a caul: http://caulbaby.com/your_stories.html

Shawn M. Cohen (c) Feb. 21, 2014 London, UK.  

Fair usage act for Led Zeppelin video, and the song THANK YOU. No copyright infringement intended. 

My website: http://www.tarotbyshawncohen.weebly.com

ANNOUNCEMENT: I will be a guest on Blog Talk Radio, March 13th*, 2014 talking about my Metaphysical life, Psychic work and Mediumship and taking some of your calls for Readings by me,   so please join me at New Pathway to Healing with host Petey Silveira. Petey has a long list of wonderful and interesting guests on her show and I feel very grateful (Thank You, Petey!) and happy to be asked to be her guest for the entire hour,  so please tune in and call in! The link is here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/peteysilveira/2014/03/13/new-pathway-to-healing-an-interview-with-shawn-m-cohen  

(*March 13th (1998) was the date my Father was buried. Ironic and yet, what an amazing synchronicity. One wonders "who" chose this date! Thanks, Dad! lol )