Emerge from your Scarlet Letter...

We are told that 2017 was the Year of Women. That we stood up and did not shut up. That we gained a voice and maybe even some courage. There is some of that, that I do indeed feel.  And yet I notice it more inside of me, than around me. I started to wonder why that is. 

As I answer that question, individually, I also want to share that most months I find a song that speaks to me and I listen to it daily. One could say it is my anthem. It also becomes a meditation in words and even movement as it becomes a part of me. That song for this month is Female by Keith Urban. My husband introduced it one morning over breakfast and it continues to play in the foreground of my existence. 

The two words that most resonated were scarlet letter and healer. They are not side by side in the song, and yet I have found that, in life, they often are. 

Whether indeed noticeable or at least continually perceived internally, most of us carry a scarlet letter. A mark that we feel separates and alienates us from others. That if we chose to share it, those we love would see us differently. It may, we believe, even make us unlovable. 

And yet, here is the beginning of our healing journey. That when we share this story, we may not shed our scarlet letter, but it changes. The past cannot be undone, but our relationship to the experience of it and the inevitable actors begin to shift. 

What is your scarlet letter? What do you believe, if you shared, could begin to separate you from others, instead of draw you closer to them?  As you read this, if an experience or series of events comes to mind, you have found your version of your scarlet letter. I would challenge you to therefore also seek your aspect of healing. This may come in the form of a healer or a sacred practice that grounds you. Know this year has the potential to be your year - a year where you may emerge from your scarlet letter into the role of healer.