Published by Elephant Journal

I’m sorry that I have barricaded my heart and prevented you from loving me through what may seem like an impenetrable shield that I unconsciously created.

I’m sorry for keeping you at a distance as I navigate my way through, what feels like, the fires of hell.

I’m sorry for believing that you cannot handle my pain, that you are not equipped to support me in this time of tumult, that you wouldn’t understand what it is I am going through.

Published by Huffington Post

I want to apologize to you for projecting my insecurities and feelings of unworthiness onto you and your relationship with my ex. What you share with him is none of my business and while you entered his life at a time when I was not ready to endure the blow to my heart, I can no longer blame you for my agony.

Published by House Of Citrine

When I reflect on my youth, I recognize that I experienced many forms of self-destruction that I wasn’t fully aware of at the time. Patterns of deprivation, binging, bulimia, anorexia, over-exercising and even self-mutilation were formed during my teenage years, consuming much of my behavior and mandating many of my actions. 

Published by Elite Daily

I forgive you for the thoughts of disgust, the recurring disrespect, the perpetual judgments, the punishment enforced and the chronic neglect. I forgive you for comparing me to every fucking person and disdaining me because I didn’t measure up.

Published by The Good Men Project

Please forgive me for all those times I made you wrong.

I was trying to be strong –

But I wasn’t.

I was scared

And confused…

Bruised by the stares, cat-calls, groping, and affairs.

Published by Positively Positive

Please forgive me.

For all those times I made you wrong.

When I blamed you…

When I shamed you…

When I envied you…

And disdained you.

Published by Thought Catalog

32. We laugh. We cry. We dance. We play.

33. We scream. We hurt. We heal. We love.

34. We get to be ourselves; wild and free. An unapologetic untamed flame.

35. We see ourselves in each other.

36. We receive ourselves in that reflection.

Published by Huffington Post

I do not play small because I fear the fall. I do so, because I fear the rise. 
I fear what it will mean when I finally get out of my own way. 
I fear the responsibility that will be mine to take.
I fear the grand path that I will pave. 

I am not afraid of undermining my potential. 
I am terrified of surpassing it. 
I fear the limitlessness that is my passion.
I fear the boundless drive that is alive inside.
I fear the endless contributions that are mine to make.

Published by House Of Citrine

While it takes great strength and commitment to connect to the greater awareness that all is well, in moments, I hold this mentality as a way to bypass my own breaking heart.

This being human isn’t always easy; the space between becoming lost to the chaos and completely barricading the heart from feeling the impact of fragmentation is difficult to find and master. However, it is that space where deep healing happens.

Published by Elephant Journal                              

My Dearest Love...

I promise to acknowledge and appreciate all the different textures, shades, and colors that are threaded into the tapestry of who you are.

I promise to honor your glorious light and celebrate the depths of your beautiful darkness.

I promise to hold space for your moments of chaos, to allow you to become undone and to remind you of your center so that you can find your stillness within the storm....

Published by Elephant Journal

Life is unpredictable in nature—I know this.

And yet, I still get angry when things don’t go my way—losing myself to a particular moment and blaming the situation or the person for how I feel.

The truth is, I cannot control any situation or person, no matter how hard I try. I can get close and convince myself that I have figured it out, but life has the power to sweep in at any moment and change the game on me...

Published by House Of Citirne

In choosing to take action from love, I let down the armor and everything began to shift. I began cultivating a deep connection with my heart and the ripple effect extended far beyond. The more I opened my heart, the more I was met by love. 

Because there was so much judgment entangled with boundaries based on my past experiences, I wasn’t able to grasp how boundaries and love could coexist. And so I chose to forgo all boundaries, wanting to maintain an open heart....Big mistake....

Published by House Of Citrine

Recently, a friend shared an insight of me from her perspective: she believes I am denying and avoiding romantic love in my life.

No, I’m not! I wanted to refute, to demand further clarification, to invalidate her perception and prove that my heart was more open than most.

But I didn’t, because I knew there was testament to the unknown truth behind her words. Damn.

Published by Elephant Journal

I give thanks for all those who have overstepped my (once) flimsy boundaries; for those moments that I have felt unsafe, been in danger and have experienced trauma. I give thanks for the fact it’s allowed me to see where I wasn’t in my power, where I wasn’t being brave and where I was afraid to speak up and say no. I give thanks for all of it, as I have learned the importance of creating solid boundaries, using my voice and honoring myself before anyone else.

Published by Huffington Post

A human being is a part of the whole called by us, the "Universe" -- a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Published by Dakini Magazine

Body image is an issue among women and men alike. From a very early age we are conditioned to believe that our worth is contingent upon our form. We are flooded with messages defining beauty based on specific standards and many of us grow up taking on the illusion that in order to feel worthy we must fit into a certain physical mold.

Published by Huffington Post

When I was in the 7th grade, Ms. Comely introduced herself to me as the 9th grade Chemistry teacher. I will never forget that visceral naivety that flooded my system. Completely dumbfounded and awe-stricken, I looked her in the eye and said, “You mean… You get to teach about love???” Flushed with embarrassment by the tender laughter that followed, I quickly realized the error I had made. However, thinking back, I see that it served as a monumental moment in which a seed was planted, foreshadowing the blossoming of a life led by my curious heart.

Published by Elephant Journal

She rummages through the emails and letters that once dictated the voice of her heart. She re-experiences the fallen tears of the past—not because it hurts—because the nostalgia’s potency causes a reflexive physiological response: like muscle memory, the tear ducts flood. Next comes confusion and nausea—who is this woman who impulsively splattered her tender heart on these pages?

Published by Elephant Journal

It’s amazing how many times I have taken a specific moment for granted because I was banking on the fact that there would be more of them to come. I have lacked presence in interactions, not realizing the significance of the now, instead relying on the tomorrow as if it were guaranteed. Or I was afraid to be fully there with that person because it required an openness and vulnerability that I didn’t have access to at the time.

Published by Elephant Journal

We suffer for many reasons. We resist surrendering to the uncomfortable unfolding; we are afraid to face the fears that accompany the pain; we don’t want to look at the underlying reason for the discomfort; we refuse to take responsibility for the part we play in our experiences. Most of the time, we are treating the symptoms and avoiding diving deep to face the truth.

Published by Elephant Journal

Dear Universe,

I want to thank you for invoking in me the parts of my self that have remained dormant all my life, helping me reconnect to them, setting them free, allowing them to integrate, so that I could become the full expression of who I truly am. What an invocation it’s been. I am in awe of who I have become—powerful, strong and bold; yet, soft, feminine and vulnerable.

Published by Rebelle Society

The conscious woman

is one with all the textures

that make her who she is.

Woven into the fabric of her being,

an exquisite tapestry

of vibrant colors and tones,

threaded together,

for all to witness....