Personal manifesto about finding myself and learning to stand strong in my own power
Ode to Empowerment
The behavior of others toward me
Will not determine the path of my future.
When the ignorance-bliss talk down to me
Or look through me as if I don’t exist,
I will not prove them right by acting out
As they expect me to do.
I will stand above hatred
Rebuke prejudiced forecasts
And purge my own anger.
I will express myself as a loving, living,
Thriving and nurturing being.
Allowing the goddess within to breathe fire
Into the dark corners
Of my life and mind.
I will learn to find happiness
Within my own body, mind and spirit.
No man will hold the key to my joy.
I alone hold that key.
I will not give the key to others
Who know not
Or care not
About the ways to please me.
I will find pleasure in the things I choose
Not needing to be told
What it is that I need to be happy.
I alone will decide what makes me happy
As I sit in quiet reflection.
I will consult with the goddess of my birth
And the wisdom of the universe
In order to move toward my destiny
Each day, in every way.
Fumbling, falling and stumbling
Mistakes seem likely.
I will remind myself often
That mistakes are but an illusion.
Each experience of mine
Will be a necessary step
In the moulding of a goddess.
Each illusory mistake
Bringing me one step closer
To my destiny
And the woman I was meant to be.
I will rise above those who have hurt me
Who tried to crush me.
I will not bring light to their lies
For those lies are but an illusion
That they have created
To protect their own bruised spirits.
Those lies belong to their journey.
My path is separate and truth will prevail
When I free myself
From the dark cloud of their illusions.
I will love myself
Respect myself
Be kind to myself
Cherish “me”.
Tickle my own heart
And revel in my goddess.
For I am her – and she is me.
Separation no longer exists between us.
As I begin to remember who I am
The joy-filled spirit that I was intended to be.
Slowly – but surely – surfacing the goddess within.
I will become a light for others
Who are weary and lost.
Sharing my light so they can see
Amidst the darkness of their own minds.
Fumbling, falling, stumbling
Until they reach the switch
That illuminates their own goddess within.
I will be a contributor to this world.
I will leave a mark on the planet
To let future generations know that I was here.
My life will be a testament to the difference I made.
I will leave a legacy that shows
How I mattered to the universe,
And that humanity benefited from my presence.
I will help, not hinder.
Love, not fear.
I will play, not toil
And share, not hoard.
I am the goddess within – and she is me.
I will not slip away quietly.
They were wrong
Those who ignored me.
I am worthy.
Because “I” say so
~ Pauline of Mont Mystic
