We recently had the chance to connect with Heather Elizabeth Neary and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Heather Elizabeth, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I chose this question because I feel that the way WE choose to begin the day sets the stage for how the rest of our day unfolds! This awareness has come from trial and error, so I feel I have evidence to support my opening statement of how the practice of mindfulness (or lack there of) impacts our lived experience.
I get to preface this by sharing that I recognize that I have privilege to incorporate a morning mindfulness practice into my day. The majority of humanity is experiencing extreme stress and overwhelm. It is a miracle to have time to breathe deeply, much less have a morning practice involving meditation, yoga, etc. What I will say is that even a minute or five minutes of breathing deeply, grounding with Mother Earth, and/or reciting a prayer/mantra/song can calm the nervous system so that the stress feels a bit (or a lot) more manageable.
My morning practice involves tending to my body through stretching, prayerful contemplation which includes pulling a tarot card and journaling insights that come through, and tending to the land I steward and our four-legged kids. I do not incorporate technology of any kind into my day until my mindfulness practice is complete. This has been a game-changer for me!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Heather Elizabeth and my path of service involves being a Peace Ambassador, SACRED Activist, Mystic, and Shamanic Practitioner . I’m the Steward of the SHINE 13 Moon Council and its heart project, the IMAGINE PEACE Promise Alliance, a peace building mission focused on healing and reconciliation work. With a background in Social Work, I hold a deep passion and dedication to the realization of human rights and social justice for ALL. I’m a student of Kingian Nonviolence, a philosophy and methodology of conflict resolution rooted in the teachings and practices of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
By listening to the prompting of my Soul, I founded SHINE (Supporting Humanity In Navigating EVOLution) in 2015. Through the facilitation of interSPIRITual WISDOM practices that promote UNITY within DIVERSITY CONSCIOUSNESS, SHINE serves as a sacred container for the alchemical process of the personal and planetary TRANSFORMATION at hand. The SHINE journey is designed to provide practical tools through individual healing sessions, mentorship programs, and BELOVED commUNITY BUILDING to discover one’s innate truth through cultivating meaning and connection-activating one’s capacity to live an authentic and joyful life in service to all sentient beings.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I’m calling upon my 6th grade self to answer this question because she felt extremely empowered when she was elected as the first girl to become President of her elementary school’s Student Council! I feel that this was a pivotal moment for me to follow the call to step into a leadership role in my commUNITY. I never doubted my ability to win or to do a really good job in the role. I felt confident in who I was, while taking great pride in stewarding an organization that was making a difference in the lives of my fellow students. I recognize that the incredible support I had from my campaign manager, JJ, and a circle of friends and family who believed in me made all of the difference! True AUTHENTIC power comes from humility, courage, and the willingness to stretch beyond our perceived comfort zones.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Wow…what a brilliant question. I feel the presence of a BELOVED Ancestor, Thich Nhat Hanh, as I lean in to answering this question. Ancestor Thich Nhat Hanh’s teaching of ‘No mud, no lotus’ is a core mantra for the SHINE 13 Moon Council as WE stay present with our own suffering and the suffering of the world while compassionately working for justice and peace to be made manifest…
My own experiences of suffering have opened me up to a Universal Wisdom of what it means to be willing to be present with my own humanity and therefore our shared humanity. Suffering has beckoned me to tap in to the DIVINE Feminine powers of vulnerability, transparency, and surrendering perceived control. Suffering has taught me how to allow my heart to be broken wide open to an experience of love that is more expansive than anything success could have begun to reveal to me. My capacity to fully show up as the compassionate, empathetic person I am is a result of navigating suffering and recognizing myself as a part of the Collective suffering of humanity.
Suffering has empowered me to reclaim the sacred arts of ceremonial rites of passage to create healing containers for myself and for the people I’m blessed to hold healing space with. This reclaiming journey is a core thread of how I am called to be of service to myself and to the world. None of this would have been awakened in me without the experience of suffering.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
In speaking specifically to the wellness industry and what might be deemed as fundamental ‘New Age’ spirituality, the absolute biggest lie is that those on this path are meant to transcend their humanity in order to become ‘enlightened’. I’ve witnessed first hand that this lie facilitates a disengagement with core aspects of the human experience, including an awareness of what marginalized groups are navigating on a daily basis. This lie creates a kind of tunnel vision focused solely on one’s own spiritual awakening with a disregard of the interconnectedness and interdependence of all creation.
Without a spiritual practice grounded in our shared humanity as stewards of Mother Earth, people can fall prey to toxic narratives rooted in the illusion of separation and the tendency to engage in dehumanization practices.
This lie also has a tendency to feed the capitalistic machine with a focus on “manifesting abundance” at whatever cost to one’s own integrity.
True wellness and authentic spiritual connection is a DIVINE birthright meant to be accessible to all beings.
Tapping in to our shared humanity can pave the way of co creating a world that works for everyone, not just the privileged.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
I’m going to preface my answer with a clarity of how I define “pay off’.”When I speak of “pay off”, I’m naming the truth that I may not see the flowering of seeds I’m planting for 7-10 years, or maybe ever in my lifetime. Because I’m dedicated to Peace-building and Sacred Activism on both micro and macro levels, I am realistic in the knowing that it took humanity a LONG time to get to where we are now, therefore the manifestation of justice and peace on this planet will be its own process of unfolding. I also recognize that there have been countless people working towards peace and justice for generations, so we are actually further along then it might appear! I live my life in an energy of active hope, which for me is an embodied faith that each seed of peace and justice will blossom in DIVINE timing. It is my job to continue planting, watering, fertilizing, and making sure those seeds receive plenty of sunSHINE!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shineheatherelizabeth.one
- Instagram: @shineheatherelizabeth
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shineheatherelizabeth
- Other: https://Patreon.com/SHINEHeatherElizabeth
Image Credits
Lauren Grace
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