A Meditation on Being Female

It’s the first day of “Women’s History Month” and it got me thinking about what this really meant.

31:365. 

31 days out of 365 dedicated to highlighting the contributions of Women. Why isn’t there a Men’s History Month? Is that implying that Men are celebrated all year round? 

It wasn’t until my early 20s that I began to search for the history and meaning of being female. I couldn’t understand why the world was obsessed with women, but yet disgusted by them. Why women are raped and objectified by the Men who are supposed to “protect” them. Why my father cheated on my mother (making me strongly question the institution of marriage at a very young age - still do).

I don’t wish to go into the countless injustices that Women have endured through the centuries. The courage and relentless tenacity of the female spirit is what I choose to identify with. In my opinion women cannot be celebrated enough (If it weren’t for a woman you wouldn't be alive to be reading this). I hope this month and each day thereafter is a continuous celebration of women all around the world.

I hope that more women build their inner strength and slowly shed the self esteem issues that affect each and everyone of us in various degrees. It is my wish that the overall human consciousness is raised, but it starts with small steps. So celebrate the fuck out of your femininity today, tomorrow, each week, month, and year of your life. (Males included)

I just gave you permission to.

 

Ai-Creo

Want No More

In the past month, I have made it a priority to find time to read books that have been on my reading list.

So far, I have read the Conversations with God trilogy by Neale Donald Walsch and Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.

The main theme that the books convey is the notion that "whatever you want for yourself, give it to another". Of course we are not taught this way of thinking in our homes or schools. We live in a capitalist society that focuses on individual success, sometimes at the expense of another. Concepts such as "Greed is Good" and "What's in it for me?", are considered the norm in our so-called "advanced society".

I want the same things as my fellow humans, among which are: wealth, health, self-confidence and love. The idea is that the fact of wanting anything, implies that you do not possess it, otherwise you wouldn't want it. Beyond the wealth of knowledge I have gained from reading these books, the most important message I derived from them, is this concept of giving away the very thing you want. 

It seems to be a revolutionary idea that very few people practice in modern life. I made a decision to conduct my life, moving forward, with a giving attitude. This should not be confused with giving with the expectation of getting something in return. The idea is to freely give away that which you want to have in your reality. So if you want love from a friend, don't be afraid to do the very thing you would want done to you, for another. If you want Bae to text first, go ahead and put your pride away and be the first to text. If what you want is to get compliments, go ahead and genuinely compliment a stranger. If what you want is positive reinforcement, positively reinforce the efforts of your child, friend or loved one.

This idea has been touched on by saints and artists alike. St Francis of Assissi in his famous prayer said, "O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive."

In the Beatles song, The End, it goes "and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

Ask yourself what it is you want. Give it away to another and you realize you were never without it. 

Mind. Blown.

Ai-Creo

 

A Meditation on TwentySixteen

As a new year unfolds, I took an introspective look back at the year that was Twenty Sixteen. Although most people are quick to dismiss it as “trash” or consider it a bad year altogether, there were some good bits in my world that are worth mentioning.

  1. Look with(in).(See).(Cure) - We all have insecurities. At some point in our lives, we pick a flaw and obsess over it for whatever reason. This year I made a decision to be more accepting of myself and limit the amount of self body shaming I subject myself to (mine is a hairy love-hate relationship with my body). From time to time, I will still stress and spend way too much time assessing my flaws, but then I remind myself of my decision I made earlier in the year that I wouldn’t let it ruin my self-esteem - that beautiful yet extremely sensitive part of my self that needs love and care.
  2. Living Out Loud - 2016 was definitely my most expressive year to date. Growing up shy, I always had innate creative abilities that were seldom expressed. Earlier this year I dared myself to live out loud. I looked at a picture of myself at about 7 years old and the present version of myself felt sorry for the girl staring back at me. I made the decision that my main goal this year and the rest of my life, is to impress/inspire the childhood version of myself.
  3. The Great Escape - 2016 was the year I left the 9-5 in pursuit of the fulfillment of working for myself (whatever that means). The thought of doing it had played in my mind for so long and when I finally had the courage to execute it earlier this year, it was like typing a really provocative text to bae, hitting send with my eyes closed and tossing my phone waiting impatiently for a reply I was afraid to receive. Fast forward to the summer, I embarked on a solo traveling tour that was definitely one of the highlights of my year. Sometimes I find myself missing the structure of school and work, because well before this year, I always had something to rely on. But if I hadn’t taken that step, I would not have had the opportunity to have one of the most memorable years I’ve had so far.
  4. Not Dead Yet - No doubt 2016 took the souls of some legends of our generation - David Bowie, Prince, Carrie Fisher and Mohamed Ali just to name a few. Although this may be heartbreaking to most, I choose to appreciate and learn from what these legends have offered me. From David and Prince, I learned to be unapologetically unique and to appreciate both female and male qualities in myself. Carrie’s wit and sense of humor taught me that even when I’m struggling with personal issues that may seem bigger than myself, my sense of humor can help in ameliorating the situation. And from Ali, I learned to speak my purpose into existence and to simply be the GREATEST. They will forever be missed, but their legacy will live on as long as we can apply their message into our lives.

I hope 2017 brings about more experiences to learn from. I pray that I continue to maintain my sense of gratitude and an overall positive outlook on life.

Ai-Creo.

A Meditation on Love (or whatever)

The chances of successfully connecting with another human being in a romantic way, are quite slim. Each person has a set of deeply rooted defense mechanisms that have been fostered since childhood, in an attempt to protect themselves against criticism and vulnerability. We are so afraid of commitment, even though what we crave the most, is love and intimacy.

While most of us fear commitment, others dread the thought of being alone. Some people even condone being kept a secret in a relationship for this reason. They’ll put up with degrading circumstances just to feel sexually validated. It goes without saying that Lust rules the game. So many of us have our desserts first and wonder why we no longer have an appetite for the main course.

I don’t claim to have the answers, but it seems like cultivating self-love and self-awareness may be the starting point to turn our world around - the inner and the outer worlds. With self-love comes a host of other blessings which include, but not limited to: Self-respect, a sense of purpose for your own life, a deeper understanding of the golden rule, the courage to forgive yourself for whatever you’ve allowed to haunt you for so long, just to name a few. 

Choosing yourself first over another may seem narcissistic, but it is fundamentally essential to your survival. I hope with each new day you're given, you make the decision to love yourself.

Ai-Creo.