The Layers

This sacred verse is a journey from striving to surrender and the unraveling of our patterns of control to rediscover the truth of who we are underneath it all. It speaks to the layers we build, the identities we outgrow, and the tenderness required to return to what is true.

Transcript

Hi, Welcome to your sacred verse. This poem is called, The Layers. Creativity meant building, Once upon a time. Vision, Plan, Create, Build, All effort, Mine. Not that I didn't have help, I did. But from the divine, I hid. Through controlling and pushing and making things happen. I never gave spirit a chance, I was too busy pushing the wagon. Most western women do this, Emulate the masculine way. The prescribed path to success, On it you will stay. By working and trying and proving and striving, Climbing the ladder my own soul was writhing. Twisting inside of me, Trying to get my attention, Through anxiety and unease, Almost chronic depression. I numbed it for years, Because my work was my value. How you saw me was everything, Yet I didn't even know you. Life has a way of orienting you, Listen and soften. To follow its lead, You must release caution. I learned this first in my head, Through years of spiritual teachings. Journey from the head to the heart, Slow. In my choices, It was not reaching. Until all of my choices led to dead ends. Revealing my confusion, Divine offering amends. The gifts of rest and safety and love, While I peeled away layers of my psyche, Like a glove. Stuck to me like glue, Where layers and layers of gloves covering my soul like spiritual betrayers. Convincing me of their truth, When they were the lie, They were the obstacle, The main reason why. I was pushing and striving and twisting myself in knots, Trying to achieve some vision, Influential woman boss. The vision dissolved, Like a fog in the sun. Now I'm naked and vulnerable and completely undone. The excruciating process of all my layers peeling, Brings me to my knees, Now everything I am feeling. Feelings release, Once felt, No longer weighing me down. The layers were heavy, Under them I did drown. And now, I see clearly, These layers were a cage, Hiding me from the divine and my own inner sage. They are still with me, These layers, They are scars on my soul. My tenderness, A salve, That does indeed console. I will always have scars, That is what it means to be human, To know I am divine, A true human, Evolution. Now I am like a rose, Blossoming over time, Not pushing or forcing, Simply existing, Sublime, Allowing life to unfold like a red carpet before me, Leading me down the path that was truly meant to be.