Woman’s Song
I dance with Nefertiti
under a soft, blue sky,
soft as Egyptian cotton.
I dance to untie Orion’s belt
and flood the Nile.
Striding over continents,
throwing stars and seeds,
there is order in my kiss
and deep chaos in my smile.
Calling the ancient fire
and the knowing from the sand,
I can set things aright,
or tear out your throat. Jaguar,
wearing a night sky coat,
whispering fate, as I hold you
gently in my teeth.
Like an angel, I lay down
to stir the night air with my wings.
The moon shivers out dreams
of this woman whose step can crack
the earth and whose touch
can melt the hive into puddles of honey.
And yet, I wear white
and keep the secrets of the bee
as I whirl along the fertile mile,
until at last, I sleep, within Life’s mystery,
safe in the palm of my hand.
Can you feel the power? I wrote this poem so many years ago and yet, each time I re-visit it, it reminds me of who I am inside, of what lays beneath all my labels. In a way it transforms me back into me. I read it when I need a reminder. In an earlier post, I wrote about knowing who you are and to not lose sight of it, but to bring more of it into every aspect of your life. Let’s take the next step: How does it feel to be you? How do you feel deep inside when you close off the clatter, when you shush the lists and responsibilities clamoring for your attention and just sit awhile? Stay there in that moment until you can feel your peace rising. Quiet everything else and invite it in. Now take it deeper. In that peace, in that centered and balanced moment, feel your power. There is a place of strength, like a well, inside of each of us. It lays still, waiting for us to lower our vessel down to retrieve it. But so often we look to outward things to cling to for strength. We look to others to prop us up. We look to outward achievements to bolster us. We get busy. We start doing, doing, doing, head down and straight on through, come Hell or high water. Why do we always seem to choose the hard way?
Breathe for a moment. Find your well of strength. Breathe until you can feel your power. You’ll know when you’re there. You will feel abundant, connected to everything and everyone. You will know your part and what needs to be done next. And it might not be the easy thing, but it will be the true and necessary thing and that will be enough. In that moment, learn what the world will not teach us, that power is gentle. True strength doesn’t require a show. It’s not shock and awe. It’s knowing you can move the mountain, but only if it’s necessary. There is no need for a fuss when a fuss is not required.
Power knows kindness is always required. True strength knows that nothing anyone else can do can diminish it because it exists inside you in a place no one else can access, but you. Spend some time there each day. Remember who you are. Let the waters of the well remind you:
You are powerful.
Visit Your Inner Power Source.
“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.” –Marcus Antoninus
Today, tap into your well of strength. Become comfortable feeling powerful. Take any problem you are experiencing and sit with it. Dip it in your well. What is the gentle way of resolving this issue? Ask yourself: What have I been holding onto that really is more about control or flexing my muscles than about being strong? And then release it. Drop it and let it sink to the bottom of the well. Imagine it dissolving and becoming useful to you in its new form. Gain strength by letting go.
Live True To You 