Being Seen by Edie Weinstein
 
I saw this quote recently from a website called Soulspeaking. It resonated with an issue that has been part of my personal paradigm for as long as I can remember.
 
“It is safe for me to be seen. I can show my true colors.”
 
We come into the world as magnificent creations; tiny, fragile beings that radiate beauty, innocence and love. That is our true nature. As life has its way with us and we take on the fear-filled, limiting beliefs of the culture in which we are raised, our perception of our glory diminishes. Even the most confident seeming among us, have what I call ‘the monkey mind inner critic’ who yammers at us throughout the day, telling us that we are not now, nor will we ever be good enough, smart enough, attractive enough, rich, thin or successful enough. S/he is so sincere in attempting to persuade us that the lies spewed in our direction are the truth in the guise of protection and so we put on a false face to convince the world of what we don’t even believe….that we are worthy of all we desire.
 
My mask looks like confidence incarnate; as I am comfortable speaking with nearly any size group or only one person. It presents as zen-like composure; a woman who rarely expresses anger. It shows up as the face of a caregiver who has used it as insurance that she will be loved. After all, who wouldn’t be drawn to someone who meets their needs, sometimes even before they are expressed?
 
In recent years, I have been willing to peel away the façade and be truly seen for who I am; a strong and vulnerable thriver who has been through challenge and change like every other being on the planet. Someone who is perfectly imperfect, Divinely Human and Humanly Divine. A woman who cries and laughs easily, who bonds quickly with kindred spirits.
 
The blockbuster movie from a few years back; Avatar, has a signature line that speaks so beautifully to that concept. The characters would greet each other with the affirming words: “ I see you.” To be seen and embraced for all that we are; the good, bad and ugly; as striving human beings, daring to reach for the stars, is a gift beyond measure. A word from a pivotal novel int my life, called Stranger In A Strange Land is ‘grok’ which in the Martian language described in the book, means ‘to drink’ as in to drink in or take in the essence of the other person. Imagine being fully drawn in, drunk in, enveloped, seen and known for your strengths and flaws. Another concept expressed in Heinlein’s classic is “Thou Art God.”. The characters, with all love, reverence and respect, saw that God-spark in each other and within themselves. There is nothing blasphemous about recognizing the Divine in the person standing before you or the one whose sometimes blinking with disbelief eyes gazing back at you from your mirror. Perhaps that is one of the keys to the door we have kept locked that has behind it, all that we wish to draw into our lives.
 
What if your true colors could shine radiantly and you could completely live in the innocence of the newborn that you once were? How brilliantly would you radiate?
 
Picture By: © Janlee | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos