how insidious the notion
that when a person embraces
the totality
of their voice, their sexuality, their emotions,
their artistry, their confidence,
they will become
too much, too big, too wild,
too unpredictable, too volatile, too threatening,
too fat, too beautiful, too slutty..
let me get real here –
we’ve been trained to not only associate
genuine authenticity and human expression
with social rejection,
but with a total loss of control –
as if coming into deeper connection and wholeness
within ourselves
means something dangerous happens
and an uncontrollable force inside
will take over our lives..
it is toxic
to believe that our emotions,
our humanity,
our seasonal, dynamic nature
are dangerous.
because of this association,
what our conscious minds are taught to strive for
– authenticity, success, individuality –
is precisely what our primal nervous systems
are taught to avoid
for the sake of our survival..
there is nothing more counterproductive than this.
my love, listen –
there is no emotion, no pain, no pleasure, no words
n o t h i n g
too big to hold, to lean into, to love
inside of you.
there is nothing that will swallow you whole
like the monster under the bed
or the devil in the fire..
there is n o t h i n g
less than s a c r e d
in the whole world of your body or mind –
the only thing that is toxic
is the belief that your nature
under all those layers
is something you should repress, avoid, fear..
what world would we live in
if the the unrelenting belief in
every human being was that
wholeness, authenticity, emotional navigation
are safe
and to be celebrated, supported,
even worshipped?
I dare you to imagine –
what would that world be like?