Wherever I go I meet people hungering and thirsting for more meaning and purpose in their lives. "Who am I?" and "What am I supposed to be doing with my life?" are the two questions‹really quests‹that so many people are asking, overtly or below the surface of their external pursuits. In a culture where so much emphasis is placed upon material success, our deep need for spiritual fulfillment is powerfully magnified.
When someone comes along who can assist us to find the answers to our personal quest, it is a great blessing indeed. What a gift to meet someone who can guide us to the fulfillment of our own dreams! Such a one deserves our immediate and focused attention. Sharon Gardner is such a guide. Sharon is a powerful teacher because she is for real. She has experienced both earthly hardships and heady joy; she has worked her way through physical and emotional pain and made sense of them as stepping stones on her journey. Sharon has looked herself in the mirror on a regular basis and striven to match her actions with her values; she has learned to love herself and carve out a relationship and career in harmony with her heart's desires. She has learned to walk her own path without apology.
When I first met Sharon over 12 years ago, I felt that I had been reunited with a soul sister. She had that look in her eyes, as if to say, "I know you!" She did. Since that time we have become good friends and seen each other through many of life's challenges and celebrations. During all of that time, I have found Sharon to be a woman of the highest integrity. She is dedicated to truth and spiritual service.
When I was going through a painful experience I went to Sharon as a counselor and healer. In my vulnerable state, I shared my heart's aching with her, and called out to the universe for support, through her. And she was there. She was really there. I felt unconditionally loved and supported, and empowered to move beyond my fears and self-imposed judgments. Intuitively Sharon found the place in me that was calling for nurturing, and gave it. I walked out of our session feeling renewed and healed. I have since consulted with Sharon on a number of occasions, and have always felt validated.
I have also invited Sharon to teach seminars with me, and our participants have issued glowing reports of the remarkable transformations they have experienced through their work together.
Now Sharon has recorded her story and her wisdom. This book is a gift. Unfolding Journey contains all the elements of the spiritual path that you are likely to encounter, artfully illuminated by one who has learned to tread that path with dignity and love. Sharon pulls no punches in describing the difficulties she has encountered, nor does she compromise in declaring the spiritual truths she has discovered. This book is both lofty and grounded, a perfect syllabus for integrated learning.
What I like most about Unfolding Journey is that it is practical. This teaching is for people who want to make spiritual sense out of their earthly journey. It is about health, relationships, love, money, family and all of the things you so ardently want to make work for you. If you study these principles and put them into action, I promise your life will change in the most wonderful way.
One more note: Sharon Gardner is an impeccable model of a woman in her own power. I meet so many women (and men) who have given their power away to their spouse, family, work, or society and then forget who they are. Much of the spiritual work of women in our culture is to reclaim their ability to live their own life rather than the life others would ask of them. Sharon maintains a beautiful synthesis of her feminine and masculine energies and weaves them into an excellent model for both women and men. Practicing the principles in this book will surely assist you to do the same.
My deepest thanks to Sharon for recording her wisdom, and to you for discovering your own.
Alan Cohen
