Like the phoenix, you are rising

Like children, you were born with unhindered beauty and wonderment.
No limitations and no inhibitions.
Trusting fully, loving unconditionally, and playing with reckless abandon.
Enjoying the small ordinary things and moments of life.

Suddenly, the playing ceased!
Trusting and loving unconditionally was shattered.
By society’s wandering arrows of fear, arrows of guilt, arrows of pain, arrows of struggle.
The mask and the armor came in handy, to protect you
To protect you from feeling, to protect you from being present, to protect you from inadequacies, to shield you from painful memories.

Days at the well-being retreat came in like a mighty rushing wind.
That tore open your mask.
It ripped you off your armor and left you bare and raw and ‘unsafe’.
This was painful.
Beliefs held for decades that have shaped who you are today.
The inner child in you, came staring at you longing for love, longing for acceptance, longing embrace, longing for compassion, longing for forgiveness, longing for nurture, longing for assurance.

With mixed feelings and confusing emotions, and fear, you embraced bravery and looked at the little boy/little girl with compassion.
Grief gripped you to the core of your being, but the pain of staying in your shell was greater than the pain of breaking forth.
To experience the new dawn, to see with new eyes, to test life for the very first time.
With beauty, power, trust, and intention.

This journey is not going to be easy, but it’s worth every effort.
The turbulence will hit at you, climb higher, higher, like an Eagle.
Embrace your new belief and paradigm, one day at a time.
One small step at a time.
You will feel pain, but your pain is your breaking of the shell.
It requires intention, bravery, and action.
Do it and see what happens.

Go gentle, go slow.
Give yourself permission to be kind, patient, and graceful to and with yourself.
When tears come, let them roll like a River!
Tears are life, life’s force, and vitality.
When you do not know the answer, it’s okay, not all questions must have answers.
Trust that life is happening for you and through you.

Like the trees, we will stand. =Shoulder to shoulder, we are present, we belong, we are unconditionally accepted and embraced, we matter, we are beautiful, we are human.
Have your feet on the ground and be grounded.
This tapestry of life is beautiful.
Choose a life of ease, a life of gratitude, a life of wonderment.
And just like the phoenix rises from the ashes,
keep rising, keep rising, keep rising.

By Caren Wakoli