“There is no person, church, religion, dogma or document that has the right to question our divinity. That is between us and what we believe. We are inherently valuable, holy and creative.” -Brene Brown
For 12 years my passion, course of study and contribution in the world has focused on lifting women up. I’ve been voracious to understand what is required to elevate women’s positions in society, but also within our own minds, hearts and bodies.
This work has kept me endlessly engaged because the roots of female self hatred are insidious and women’s hunger for freedom only grows stronger by the day.
It seems the more I learn, the less I know, and the more questions I have about what it truly means to uplift ourselves as women.
So to stand by and witness as a person who has assaulted, degraded and demeaned women and people from so many walks of life, rise to the highest position of political power in the U.S., has been a shocking and heartbreaking wake up call for me. Even though so much progress has been made, when such a large percentage of a population is willing to be led by an overt misogynist and racist who promises to turn back the clock on women’s rights, there is no more pretending that sexism is over.
There is much work to be done and in this moment, I do not know exactly where I will find my place in the matrix of things.
The one point of clarity that continues to return day after day is that I must remain committed to a strong foundation within myself so that I can find my way and navigate whatever is to come both personally and collectively.
So I ask you to join with me in the deepest and most radical internal act that we could possibly offer in this time of great challenge and great need:
Reside in your own worthiness.
I realize that this is a tall order, and often much easier said than done, particularly when we look around and systems, institutions and structures are mirroring the opposite of our worthiness.
And yet, I promise you that beneath all the chaos and all the noise, there is a worthiness that flickers and burns bright.
Abiding in our worthiness is a subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle act that’s impact has the power to ripple to the edges of the world and back.
I know there will be moments and days when you fall down, as I have already had many of my own in the past week.
Moments when the well of grief feels too much to bear.
Moments of utter outrage and disgust.
Moments of wanting to collapse and disappear in the face of it all.
Whatever your truth, I want you to know that it is welcome here:
Your rage
Your grief
Your power
Your depression
Your motivation
Your inspiration
Your emptiness
All flavors of response have a time and a place and I celebrate the full range, your unique way of processing and the implications that this election has on your individual life and the world around you.
Every single response can include and co-exist with your worthiness.
You do not need to be good.
You do not need to prove yourself.
You do not need to apologize.
You do not need to do it ‘right’
As if there were even such a thing.
You, my dear soul, are worthy.
No additions or subtractions necessary,
Worthy just because.
And let us reach out to find each other’s hands, across all divisions and differences, and let me look you in the eye. And when our eyes meet, I guarantee mine will swell with tears as I witness the human that you are.
And together we will root ourselves in the most courageous truth of all: that we are worthy.
Every stitch in the fabric of your being:
Your body
Your thoughts
Your dreams
Your secrets
Your heart
Your soul
And everything in between…
They matter deeply.
You matter.
And I am here to remind you of this basic and yet easily forgotten truth.
And so, I ask you this:
When you see a woman or a girl (or any human for that matter), will you lift her up in your own mind and heart?
Will you let her know, whether it’s spoken or unspoken that you see her inherent worth?
We are not broken, we do not need to be fixed.
We are whole.
We don’t have to do anything to become that,
We already are that.
And so, I will ride the crest of this election wave back into the seat of my true power, and who knows where that will lead me.
Perhaps you will find me marching in the streets,
Or beating a loud drum.
Maybe you’ll see me standing on a stage,
Or silently writing in a candlelit room.
I do not know where I will go from here,
Only that I will do it with dignity, respect, humility and sanity.
So will you meet me there?
Out in the field of worthiness
Where sunlight beams
And flowers bloom
And lightning strikes
And snow falls softly
Will you meet me there?
Will you be yourself?
Will you keep listening?
Will you remain curious?
If your answer is ‘yes’
Then we will rise.
Like smoke from the fire
Like mist from the sea
We will rise.
Like the phoenix from the ashes
And the sun from the east
We rise.
In Service,
Emma
