'...the apparent rules of adulthood tend to extinguish the flames of our expressive potential with ideas about what the “right” ways of being in and moving through the world are.'
Yeah, true. Such societal expectations and 'norms' are too rigid, regressive, and end up preventing true fulfillment and happiness in people.
The way our society is structured, in that sense, needs to change to become more fluid and progressive.
Agreed, it would be to our best interests to restructure society to allow for more creative, progressive, inclusive ways of being in the world.
And yet... we also don't have to wait for society to change to begin expressing who we are more fully, for our own personal well-being. Even if it just in the company of our selves and trusted beloveds or close communities. Which is exactly the reason I created this community
Faye, I love the paintings you share. You must be familiar with the work of John William Waterhouse. I especially love "The Soul of a Rose," but others as well.
Often I find the paintings add a necessary layer to the message iI am trying to share. I'm glad you enjoy them :) And you know, now that I am perusing Waterhouse's paintings, I realize I have seen some of them, but never knew his name! Thank you for sharing. Now I have a fun new art rabbit hole to wander through. The Soul of a Rose is especially beautiful 😍
Hi Faye, the idea of balance is such an interesting one. For a lot of me life, I felt that most of me was an unbounded creature always seeking wide open, unstructured space, while another part of me followed this amorphous part around, trying desperately to contain her. I veered from one extreme to the other. It wasn’t until very recently that I learned that I could choose the boundaries I needed and that this was good. I also learned about balance and that balance changes because everything does, but that doesn’t mean it goes away. I am exploring all of this in my body as I participate in more yin type movement. Something that felt utterly useless to me in the past and now feels like dessert for the body. Thank you so much for your post. Obviously, it spurred a lot of reflection in me!
Wow thank you for this reflection, Emily! I see many similarities in my experience; the containing part, for me, took over for a long while, and then I bounced to the other extreme and became all amorphous all the time for a bit. Like you, noticing that boundaries are a choice, that discipline can lead to greater freedom when done wisely, has been a huge turning point.
Slower movement has been huge for me as well, especially as you may have garnered from my poem the other day, in the hips. Dessert for the body! Yes, yes, More of that, please. Feeling the awakening and release of each tendril of tension is so much richer than the frantic sort of movement that used to be my default. Not that I don't still get all fired up, but slowing down has become equally as important.
Thank you for your attention and for sharing your experience
Yes, any kind of boundaries made me very anxious for a quite a while. Actually, they still make me anxious. I just have some experience with the relief, the giant exhale, and freedom that comes when I am able to set them for myself and from myself (out of my own needs). So I continue to practice setting them as I need them, and in the process, I am learning to trust them. I do think boundaries need to be both fluid and fast, depending on circumstance. And of course, the balance shifts a lot because we are always changing (moving!), so awareness is really important for maintenance. Hips and shoulders are big points of holding and (slow) release for me. Thanks again Faye!
Is there a better artist than Gustav Klimt?! He has my heart.
I have to agree with you, the more of your work I read, the more similarities I see. I too knew nothing of balance until the last few years. But it's nice to be loosening up and exploring ourselves into fully realized people.
Oh, Gustav! If anyone were to ask me one of those “who would you like to have dinner with, dead or alive,” type questions, he’d be on the list. And yes, it is so enlivening to find balance and joy in new ways and spaces. Thank YOU for your inspiration and your beautiful and generous sharing ♥️🌞✨
My pleasure, Wes. The very first part I had done of my tattoo is a Fibonacci spiral with flowers blooming out of it. I guess I have always seen it as a form of unraveling, expansion, growth. Not to mention the aesthetic delights
'...the apparent rules of adulthood tend to extinguish the flames of our expressive potential with ideas about what the “right” ways of being in and moving through the world are.'
Yeah, true. Such societal expectations and 'norms' are too rigid, regressive, and end up preventing true fulfillment and happiness in people.
The way our society is structured, in that sense, needs to change to become more fluid and progressive.
Agreed, it would be to our best interests to restructure society to allow for more creative, progressive, inclusive ways of being in the world.
And yet... we also don't have to wait for society to change to begin expressing who we are more fully, for our own personal well-being. Even if it just in the company of our selves and trusted beloveds or close communities. Which is exactly the reason I created this community
Yeah, agreed.
Faye, I love the paintings you share. You must be familiar with the work of John William Waterhouse. I especially love "The Soul of a Rose," but others as well.
Often I find the paintings add a necessary layer to the message iI am trying to share. I'm glad you enjoy them :) And you know, now that I am perusing Waterhouse's paintings, I realize I have seen some of them, but never knew his name! Thank you for sharing. Now I have a fun new art rabbit hole to wander through. The Soul of a Rose is especially beautiful 😍
Hi Faye, the idea of balance is such an interesting one. For a lot of me life, I felt that most of me was an unbounded creature always seeking wide open, unstructured space, while another part of me followed this amorphous part around, trying desperately to contain her. I veered from one extreme to the other. It wasn’t until very recently that I learned that I could choose the boundaries I needed and that this was good. I also learned about balance and that balance changes because everything does, but that doesn’t mean it goes away. I am exploring all of this in my body as I participate in more yin type movement. Something that felt utterly useless to me in the past and now feels like dessert for the body. Thank you so much for your post. Obviously, it spurred a lot of reflection in me!
Wow thank you for this reflection, Emily! I see many similarities in my experience; the containing part, for me, took over for a long while, and then I bounced to the other extreme and became all amorphous all the time for a bit. Like you, noticing that boundaries are a choice, that discipline can lead to greater freedom when done wisely, has been a huge turning point.
Slower movement has been huge for me as well, especially as you may have garnered from my poem the other day, in the hips. Dessert for the body! Yes, yes, More of that, please. Feeling the awakening and release of each tendril of tension is so much richer than the frantic sort of movement that used to be my default. Not that I don't still get all fired up, but slowing down has become equally as important.
Thank you for your attention and for sharing your experience
Yes, any kind of boundaries made me very anxious for a quite a while. Actually, they still make me anxious. I just have some experience with the relief, the giant exhale, and freedom that comes when I am able to set them for myself and from myself (out of my own needs). So I continue to practice setting them as I need them, and in the process, I am learning to trust them. I do think boundaries need to be both fluid and fast, depending on circumstance. And of course, the balance shifts a lot because we are always changing (moving!), so awareness is really important for maintenance. Hips and shoulders are big points of holding and (slow) release for me. Thanks again Faye!
Is there a better artist than Gustav Klimt?! He has my heart.
I have to agree with you, the more of your work I read, the more similarities I see. I too knew nothing of balance until the last few years. But it's nice to be loosening up and exploring ourselves into fully realized people.
I'm humbled by the mention, thank you my friend!
Oh, Gustav! If anyone were to ask me one of those “who would you like to have dinner with, dead or alive,” type questions, he’d be on the list. And yes, it is so enlivening to find balance and joy in new ways and spaces. Thank YOU for your inspiration and your beautiful and generous sharing ♥️🌞✨
Faye, I had never seen the fibonacci curve as a form for unraveling, very cool. and thanks for the mention. Wes
My pleasure, Wes. The very first part I had done of my tattoo is a Fibonacci spiral with flowers blooming out of it. I guess I have always seen it as a form of unraveling, expansion, growth. Not to mention the aesthetic delights