We are Here to Become
As I was scrolling through things this morning, this jumped out at me! Of course, it did. I am in a place of transition again. The transition seems to center on the ability to express my deepest self and let others in as I do.
I am a very private person. How much of that is because I was never allowed to express myself as a child? Then that carried on through many relationships as an adult. When I was finally beginning to express myself, it was often awkward, angry, and flailing - and I am sure I hurt others. I don’t feel angry anymore, but more adventurous and curious.
Writing about other women has been easier, although I have never felt I was very good at that either. Writing for public consumption and criticism about myself? That is perilous. Finding my voice - a personal challenge. At the core of this is a certainty that I am not alone. Many other women experience this too and most likely shared much of the angst, turmoil, and fear of expressing themselves as authentic grown-ups as I have.
I had a dear friend who used to look at me and shake her head while uttering, “You are such a dreamer.” We served together on the executive board of NOW for several years and had many deep discussions about women, their rights, and their voice. While I loved this woman very much, I always felt offended by that remark, which she uttered frequently and seemingly as a criticism. If not a dream, then what? Dreams alone don’t make it happen, but from my viewpoint, they are the seeds that need careful tending in order to blossom!
I hope some of this resonates with you. Enjoy the read and the questions. Have a beautiful week, and thanks for stopping by.
How much of your ongoing suffering is a result of being unable to express and embody what's inside of you?
Have you considered the possibility that expressing ourselves requires the development of skill sets that allow our deep inner lives to live out loud?
Can you even imagine a scenario you could create that would allow you to embody your glory and your greatness?
Have you noticed that even your unbounded ecstatic state is forbade?
Do you understand the degree to which you have diminished your own self-presentation for the comfort of others?
Why is that stranger at the grocery store more important than your truth?
Why does the out-dated perception of you that your family of origin clings to still effect your ability to show the glory of the divinity within you?
Why do you care whose feathers you ruffle, being true to your own unique and unbounded self-expression?
We tell ourselves that we don't care, that we don't hold back, but the painful truth is that our culture withholds permission for us to live our limitless divinity. This is enforced politically, religiously and socially. If you want to gauge where you are in this process, consider Where, When, and How you express the archetypical and emotional truths within you from moment to moment.
Where, when and how do you express yourself in your body as:
A Divine Mother
A Sexual Priestess
A Wise Old Crone
A Galactic
A Witch
A Wild Woman
A Love Goddess
A High Priestess
A Little Girl
A Storm Goddess
A Mystic
A Warrioress
A Sacred Song Singer
A Shamaness
A Nature Goddess
A Healer
And any other resonant and wild archetype...
When and where do you express your rage? How?
When and where do you express your fear? How?
When and where do you express your broken-heartedness? How?
When and where do you express your creativity? How?
When and where do you express your ecstasy? How?
When and where do you dance from your yoni?
I can go on posing lists of questions all day, but you get the gist.
So, how are you bringing your wholeness, your divinity, your power into your body? How are you living? Are you really being true to who you are, or are you just making sure that the people in the office, at the grocery store, in the next bedroom are comfortable?
Take either path, but if you're here to change the world, you must find permission within yourself to embody the Divine.
If it stays in your head, it's useless to you and the world. It's only a dream.
We are not here to dream. We are here to become.
~Alison Nappi~
Photo: Art by Xuanwei Su