reflecting - already

'deep breath' seems to have struck a deep chord, the same one that zinged in me as i read akilah's post... it is something to rejoice about and something to mourn... i am happy that you have now thought more positively about embracing your Selves, sad that we drown in the negative voices inside of us that warn against such acknowledgment...

we are not talking 'shout it from the mountaintops' daily pronouncements... we are talking about feeding ourSelves a positive diet devoid of derogatory thought, of listening to a soft voice that whispers that we are valid, important entities in this world, going thru it with the attitude needed to create and perpetuate change... to be a part of the Solution & not a part of the Problem...

we are willing to take the time to read labels on foods to eliminate trans fats, exercise or diet to take care of our physical selves... seriously, how much money is spent per year by the populace on weight reduction/exercise programs? and yet we leave our real, our inner Selves so neglected...

very... BIG... problem...

why have we been so conditioned to believe only the self-destructive thoughts and not the self-affirming? my doing this exercise challenged the very deeply ingrained 'don't toot your own horn' message (even to my own Self) that was blaring in the background... i fully believe in listening to your gut, i think we lose the innate ability to respond to things on a very sensitive level... but this message did not resonate from the gut, it came from the mind...

it has obviously been hovering in my subconscious as i have been creating pieces with affirming messages... but as usual, i have to sometimes be whacked upside my head with a stick to get it... t. allen-mercado writes incredible, thought-provoking posts... and one of hers really got to me lately as well...

we have to learn to listen to our inner voices... stop shutting them out... we know what we need and, really, how could anyone else know better than we?

this challenge came at a very critical time for me... because once the negative pulls you down to where only your eyeballs are above surface of the pit of muck and mire, it is a lifetime journey just to get out of it... don't you want to use your life for more than that? the women i have had contact with in this community are gifted, savvy, smart and have so very much to offer... what a waste it would be!

i have heard the phrase 'thought is power' so many times... it is now time to listen!

'by choosing your thoughts,
and by selecting which emotional currents you will release
and which you will reinforce,
you determine the quality of your Light.
you determine the effects you will have upon others,
and the nature of the experiences of your life.'
- gary zukav

peace...

and i am waiting...

to hear from you!

intrinsic value

this is a small statue that i remember seeing always at my norwegian grandmother's home... she died last year and so i share it with my mom... but it has recently got me to thinking...
afterall, it is obviously a miniature of 'the little mermaid' who resides in copenhagen bay, denmark... 'the little mermaid' is a tale written by hans christian andersen in 1836... it is nothing like the disney film... the mermaid makes great sacrifices to herself in order to get a prince to love her...
so, did my nana have this merely as a souvenir? i think not... she was in a marriage where her heritage was smothered, where she was not fully herself... i remember her as a very self-sufficient woman... a reader of anything she could get her hands on; though she had a soft-spot for henrik ibsen, a norwegian writer considered to be very progressive in his thinking... i think the little statue was a reminder, of the sacrifices that are made that can end up destructive to oneself... she eventually left my grandfather...
so where is the line drawn between sacrifice and self-sacrifice?

'the sacrifice which causes sorrow to the doer of the sacrifice
is no sacrifice.
real sacrifice lightens the mind of the doer
and gives him a sense of peace and joy.
the buddha gave up the pleasures of life
because they had become painful to him.'
- mahatma gandhi

i don't think that anyone wants to be in this boat, no one goes looking for it... but it happens... how do women (and definitely some men) end up in such horrible positions? why is their self-esteem so low? beautiful stories like 'the secret life of bees', 'hannah's daughters', 'the good earth' and even shel silverstein's 'the giving tree' explore this topic... i used to love 'the giving tree' until i got older - and i realized the boy/man only took... and that even though the tree wanted to give him anything he needed, he let her become nothing but a stump... that story pains me now... because there are so many people doing that same thing... and they are hard to help... self-sacrifice leaves you less than you were, sacrifice can make you more than you are...

when i saw the green girl studios mermaid, i made a connection to the keepsake, to the statue, to the story... you have an intrinsic value that should be untouchable... it is yours to share but yours alone... this beautifully created mermaid knows that... she is part of a bracelet made with vintage brass chain, findings and sea star... there is glass by mika at pinocean and stones reminiscent of the one she sits upon in copenhagen... and there is a vintaj 'believe' tag that hangs as well, it is just not pictured...

to be worn to remind you of all that you are - and how beautiful that is...