Woooooo, I am not only menstruating today, but I feel a deep womb-pain that needs to be voiced. If there is one thing that is coming from deep within today (much like a menstrual cramp wanting attention or a contraction that is grow(n)ing me closer to giving birth), it is that if we simply be our unique, divinely-created self and be that light for one other person in our lifetime, then that is indeed valued, important, critical and appreciated. And we are born to be non-chameleoned women dancing to our own rhythms, and not clones of a “bigger and better” machine.
So what is my word medicine for myself and other women today that comes from this womb-pain? Well, this ache come from a deep place of dissatisfaction and frustration and a “jeepers do we really have to operate like that type of exasperation?” And they are words of encouragement to those of you who love deeply, care extraordinarily, “turn up” courageously through the thick and thin, and who have that deep calling to make a difference, but who often don’t feel visible, validated and en-COURAGE-d or “not up to scratch” when it comes to the “big-players”.
Recently I attended an event where I was greeted at the door, not with “Hello, you’re special and welcome Janelle”, but a “Hello are you a VIP?” My natural and quick response was “Yes I’m a Very Important Person indeed.” No, what they actually meant was “Have you paid to be treated even better today at this event?” Ouch!
And I was to be interviewed for a Global summit and suddenly the organisers decided my “list wasn’t big enough” to be part of their “integrity of the summit”. Yowsa.
But I figure I could take those “hey, you’re not good enough, bright enough, big enough, valuable enough” or “haven’t earned your way into this “camp” yet type of stuff to burn and scald me. But instead, what I know from deep within my womanly womb-space and feminine knowingness is this.
The masculine tells us we need to be “bigger, brighter, better” and will judge us on whether we are “enough” or “not good enough” based on that criteria. The “feminine” whispers, “Be you and make your small but significant difference in the way only you can do”. One small act may be your calling and responsibility in this life-time. A simple hug. A kind smile. A heart-felt word of encouragement that may make the world of difference to someone.
The masculine tells us list size is important and you are not enough if you only serve a few. The feminine tells us “Wow, the one life you saved in that moment when you were truly attentive to that woman’s soul cries, is phenomenal and such a gift.” Darling, I urge you today to continue to offer that personal attention and intimate connection with one other, so they too feel special, acknowledged, validated, seen and heard.
The masculine wants to spout forth the “10 greatest steps to serve the masses” or “the 3 secrets on how to…” The feminine invites us to be more intuitively-honed, gentler-paced, more personal and individually attentive. And she will certainly invite us to be less “success-driven” in the “outer word” and more soul-focussed on our own internal world so we can heal not just others, but ourselves.
So today if you don’t necessarily have a thriving business, maybe you don’t have much money or you have days of feeling quite “deep, dark or not-good-enough” or “heck I’m not making much of a difference”, then think again. Actually don’t think! Instead feel and know in this precious moment today, you simply being you, dancing to the beat of your own rhythms and singing your own soul song, is what the feminine longs for, and your success lies in honouring her.
Love as you do and make your impact by your own divine knowing you are “well and truly a VIP” making your difference in the world – one soul at a time and starting with you being uniquely you.
From my book Dancing in Her Own Full Moonlight, this poem captures some of the essence of what I have been attempting to give voice to.
Day 27: Shape Shifting into Self by Janelle Fletcher
And constraints of my busy diary
And “be all to everyone” way
Not so super any longer however
It’s a cardboard cut-out of me
So shaped by my own expectations
Looking like everyone else
Succeeding life their way
That by most is seen as the norm
But I don’t fit in those circles
The next 3 secret principles
Or the latest blueprint for
I don’t fit in those gatherings
Where it’s the exclusive club
Of the latest and greatest aspiring
Who shape themselves into
I cry for what they are missing out on
In their pursuit for freedom
That they dream will come
Feeling like I’m a triangle
My greatest desire is to be the
And not to be all to everyone
I take care of me and not always others
When I don’t appear to have anything
Or I don’t appear to be moving anywhere
The 2D cardboard that’s monochrome
But it takes something to shapeshift into self
That my greatest success is to
Frolic in the sea of difference
Not float in the sea of sameness
To flow with my own rhythmic nature
Rather than march to the beat of someone else’s drum
To love my curves of my body, my life, my cycle
And not be the straight line pursuit driven women
At the same pace everyday
While missing out on the scenery on the way
And to be messy and vulnerable
What are you doing out of expectation that doesn’t really “fit” you? Where is your uniqueness and how can you express that more freely? How can you be more real and be the uncamouflaged you?
Feel free to purchase a copy of this beautiful collection of poetry with themes that will sing to your “feminine” and with reflection questions that will help shed light on the beautiful, amazing you. www.janellefletcher.com/shop/
This current pandemic palaver is igniting a spark in some of us to take back our power and shine according to our own truth, not what we hear from the media or are expected to conform to. It’s time to get out of confusion and into clarity.
Often seen, or at least heard by my nearest and dearest, as overbearing, opinionated and a tete-de-bois (aka stubborn), I have also been accused of being too loud, too forceful, too…….much. Not to mention that “you always think you’re right!”
