I received an awesome Q via email the other day from Andraya Dickens, a goddess who is wise beyond her years. The subject line was, “What about the young ladies out there?” Essentially she observes that the pursuit of self-love and feminine reclamation is primarily happening for women over 30. In her email, she wonders about all the teenagers and young women who are suffering at the hands of degrading media messages and asks, “How do you convince girls that they are worth so much more than they suppose when they are completely reluctant to love themselves?”
Huge Q. Thank you, Andraya.
Young or old, without the desire for it, it is fairly difficult to convince anyone to love herself (or to do anything for that matter). And, yes, for most women, 20-40 years have passed before they have even begun to contemplate the importance of self-love. From my viewpoint, creating the desire for self-love is the essential first step.
And this points to a bigger issue:
Like myself five years ago (and it was ugly), most women are oblivious to the power of desire. Compared to the abundance of feminine wisdom not being shared by women, mainstream media is an annoying mosquito. At the heart of that wisdom is desire.
Most people hear the word desire and think of sex. Though the physical aspects of sensuality are definitely part of the equation, desire’s bigger function is to define one’s deepest truth and potential human expression. It is a courageous and joy-igniting act of surrender.
All of us midlife desire junkies have discovered that when we are aware of our deepest desires, we are refreshing forces of nature. The sensual connection to our womanhood breeds confidence and unveils our unique paths.
Though mainly unconscious, the current legacy between women encourages us to doubt what we desire. We teach young girls to let the outer (media, men, peers) versus the inner (truth, intuition, pleasure) guide them.
My ultimate goal, and I believe all the current efforts being made by divine-feminine gurus, is to restore a legacy of desire in women. A legacy that is ultimately passed down between mothers and daughters for all generations to come.
This reclamation is beginning with us mid-lifers, and although the “how” is currently in process, this truth will one day trickle down, radiate out and infuse all women of all ages… who desire it.