As memories birth ever new feelings, thoughts, and sensations my present awareness observes it all, while engaging with the beloved friend. Observing the layering of memory born sensations, watching feelings and thoughts scoring initial moments of reconnection, like music enhances and colors a movie. 

First there are excitement and the apprehensive question: how much they will open to engaging and how deep they will choose to go in sharing and bearing their hearts and souls to me. There is a fear and tinge of sadness at the thought of them maybe choosing to be defended or evasive. 

Then there is the warmth of joy at meeting their openness and affection for me. As threads of affection and soul bonds, are enlivened, and light up joy, expands into ecstatic elation. The intensity of elation coinciding with the opening of boxes of forgotten and unintegrated feelings of the past…

And past pain reminds how we fell into unhealthy relating patterns and wounded each other in the past, admonishing me to be especially mindful and compassionate now that I know better. 

Open questions of a past self present themselves to awareness. 

Conscience speaks of how I expressed in an unhelpful, or even harmful, way towards them and initiates expressions of acknowledgment and heartful apologies. 

Old desires, attachments, and longings return to be remembered, known, honored and given a new place or form in this new adventure in relating. 

There is grief for all that could not have been, the unattainable dreams for this connection, and the time and life not shared or journeyed together. 

And making peace with uncomfortable truths and reality as it was and is. 

And as we share where we are in life, what we have learned and unlearned, all is in a gentle flux, seeking to attune to the relating that wants to unfold for us. There are no definitives or set points beyond our reciprocal love, affection, and choice to relate… All else has to grow into a new form, as time shared waters all that had gone underground in months or years of silence or no contact. A fertile void embraces and ambiguity suffuses this renewed relational meeting of souls. New intentions, agreements, and commitments slowly begin to define the bandwidth and intensity of the flow of relating and energy.

Meeting in reciprocal appreciation, playfulness, and engaging in deep soulful exchanges is more than nourishment on all levels of my being, gently washing away distortions and pain from hurtful relating and misperceptions in past relationships, ours and others. 

The gift of reconnecting with special souls goes beyond returning their unique frequency to my experience, it also induces an integration of relational disruptions and hurts. And feeds the knowing that repair is not just possible but also an opportunity for rebirth and renewal in magical and unexpected forms.

Photography by Unknown

The post Reconnection and Renewal appeared first on Venuskind.

In the past 5 years I have shared a little on the disruptions, betrayals and ending of friendships that were very dear and precious to me. Yet I did so only haltingly and while keeping the depth of pain, disappointment and devastation I have felt mostly contained to myself. Not out of fear of burdening you or making myself ‘too’ vulnerable but out of a sense of sacredness of those feelings. They were mine to feel and hold in their entirety and to share them with another necessitated, in my healing phase, a deep degree of intimacy and trust with another as well as the knowing they can and know how to hold this space with me as I was feeling and processing.

Now I feel I have come to the end of said cycle of learning and can more holistically and openly share my experience and process as I stand in a space of enough integration and transformation that I can communicate it in a way that makes this a sharing of medicine and not of distortion or affirmation of imbalance. As I progress on my path I am learning the importance not only of the intention behind my words but also their form and accompanying energy and to hold myself more accountable in being mindful of all three.

Looking back from where I stand now I understand how these 3 friendships ended in a way that opened a gateway to my three core woundings and original trauma triggers:

The first outright abandoned me in a rare and precarious moment I turned to him for help. 

The second crossed boundaries, triggered inadvertently my childhood sexual abuse and manipulations and denied me an opportunity to talk about it and ground myself through reconnecting, co-regulation and save our friendship which was very precious to me. 

The third neglected our relationship, took my being there for her for granted, without any willingness and capacity for reciprocity and distanced herself from intimacy and sharing in a time of extraordinary challenges and hardships in my life.

It is hard to convey in words the depth of abject pain I felt at the betrayal and abandonment, the disorientation, the distrust in my relational system and capacity to choose and cultivate friendships… the regression into the wounded child I was, feeling the vastness of despair, disconnection and loneliness and the need to hold my raging protectors in all their anger, resentment and vengeful feelings. All of which lasted for years.

It is fascinating how I was guided to respond to all three in a unique way and how that staid the same or shifted in unexpected ways. 

The first one I dismissed out of my life without any further communication or attempts at repairing because I sensed the impossibility of it and my total unwillingness to accept that in any of my relationships. If he crossed my path now I would be polite but I would not be open to a reconciliation. Maybe if he led with an embodied apology which expressed in all of his words and actions. And even then, he would have to re-earn my respect and trust which I willfully would not make easy for him.

The second one I unfriended after a period of trying to see them in person and process together what happened and repair the sudden disruption. It was his unwillingness to show up that made me choose to unfriend him although I still loved him deeply and ending the friendship hurt me like little in my life ever managed to hurt me.

The third I didn’t unfriend, I chose to divest my energy and engagement to equal hers and reframe our connection as an acquaintanceship, which is its own kind of ending a friendship in my universe. Though she wanted to repair and work on the friendship, after having gone dark for a long time, I was no longer interested and willing to invest more of my energy. In the grieving process of observing the changes in our connection in the period of her silence I realized a fundamental imbalance in our connection and its inherent limitations. I understood we could not travel into new lands of friendship and connection that were calling me and emerging in my other friendships and connections. And here a rather ruthless aspect of me emerged to insist my energy kept being invested in what was blossoming and not in what has become a part of the past. 

In the past years of tending to my core woundings, confronting my trauma and its distortions to my perceptions and most of all to my relational system I had to get very clear, honest and intentional with how I define relationships, how I am willing to show up and invest in them, where I am unavailable or outright unwilling to engage and where I am willing to extend myself even if it is challenging and painful. These have been years of reclusion and hermiting, pulling back from almost all real life social engagements apart from a select few that made me come out of my shell with their love and persistence. Years of deep contemplative inquiry, shadow work, self love and internal consolidation, while holding my remaining inner circle with as much love and care I could muster.

Now I look back with gratitude and see the immense gift these endings have been, each in its own way was a portal into healing the most armored and tender woundings of my past, initiations into a major part of the integration and healing I needed to bring to my being. The anger and resentment I felt have been transmuted into a changed inner landscape and wonderfully forged, nurtured and cultivated close friendships on whom I know I can rely and lean  and who have been my light in the darkest passages of this journey. The disappointment has been balanced with compassion for their humanity and storylines of trauma and wounding. All that is left in my wounded child and protectors is compassion, love, gratitude for them and a clarity on my needs, wants, desires and boundaries for friendships.

And with that a fundamental shift in my relational system has come about that fills me with amazement and awe as I observe its unfolding and blossoming. 

For most of my life my system could only conceptualize, feel and allow people to be in my life if the connection aligned with my wishes and expectations and if we had a huge falling out it was impossible to repair or reconnect. Now there is a spaciousness in me which can accept and adapt to the shifts of relationships and allow for others to weave in and out of my life within my internal framework of sovereignty and self love. Which means that I need not create strict boundaries and walls to keep people out or in, I trust myself to respond adequately or repair where I stumbled and allow others to do the same as long. I no longer lose sight of my sovereignty, wellbeing and self love in my friendships.

Another gift of this painful cycle is my ability to fully surrender to the leadership of my higher self or soul. A surrender and total trust which allowed me to fully be present and open-hearted with the second friend when he crossed my path a couple of weeks ago. This synchronistic event allowed me to experience the healing of residuals of the above mentioned themes of this cycle with full consciousness in the slow and measured pace of my soul, body and heart. To witness the grace of liberation of past pain and limitations is beyond words. All I verbalize is that I feel a depth of humility and awe for the becoming I am gifting myself, for the blessings I now can fully appreciate in unison of all parts of my being, for the excitement of the possibilities that are opening up and a warm welcome and receptivity for what wants to be born from this.

I have no idea if the reconnection is a process of closure before parting, or if it is the beginning of a new friendship, which may be based on a more conscious and heartful foundation, or whatever else it could be. All I know is that I have grown and get to taste the beauty of freedom and wholeness in sweeter ways than I have ever tasted them in this incarnation. For this I give thanks with all of my being!

So my loves if your friendships break, if people fall away, love yourself into wholeness and sidestep best you can any temptations to frame them as toxic, unworthy or similar. 

See it is our dearest soul kin who will volunteer to teach us our most painful and lessons, not out of negativity but their souls generosity and love toward ours. They avail themselves to enter the field of trauma and take the karma upon themselves of hurting us for our consciousness and soul expansion. I bow to these souls in gratitude and in the knowing of the costly gift they have given me, even if their human expression is unconscious and not capable to show up in the love of their soul essence or if my human decides they no longer have a place in my life.

May our human family evolve into a state where we can co-create our lessons without utilizing pain as the messenger and pathway of learning. And may we be gentle with each other and hone our skills of healing self and our relationships until we get there.

And may we hold the ones who stand by us in loyalty and love with the gentlest and most nurturing embrace and keep showing up for them in all the ways they need. I bow to my beloveds who carried me through this time of pain and healing with their love, presence, compassion, humor, being and radiance. 

The post Friendships, Betrayal, Abandonment, Neglect & Healing into Wholeness appeared first on Venuskind.

The first thing that became obvious to me is that my relationships with men and their issues are very clear and known to me while I detect a vagueness in my awareness, a slight resistance to truly look deeply into them. Which is of course the perfect invitation to go deeper and get intimate with it.

There is a subtle unease in my mind when thinking about relating with women and a vigilance in my body, not a hyper vigilance, when I am in the presence of women. A protective vigilance akin to the hyper vigilance consciously chosen and worked on letting go in relationship with men. Interestingly the vigilance melts away when I know that a woman is on a path of self work and spirituality.

I sense lingering unresolved stories, fears and beliefs which need to be released, so I can open to untainted and authentic relationships with ALL woman.

At this point in my life and self work I don’t care too much about the why’s and how this was conditioned or developed by my system, I just want to help my body mind to release it. It is very clear to me though that the blind spots about relationships with women are rooted in my mother wound. (You can read more detailed information on the mother wound in the linked article)

My ideals, visions and wishes for a relating are not informed or limited by gender, the difference in the ground rules arise from the dysfunctional scripts I have been playing out with men and women in my life and where I feel a need to set ground rules to avoid replaying old harmful scripts. And so here it is:

Dear friend,                                                                                                                                                       Dear sister,

I have been striving to become a better friend and sister to you and others. It saddens me to have to own how deeply my conditioning has distorted my perception of our being and my capacity of relating with you in a loving and expansive way.

Allow me to apologize, again, for all the ways I was blind to, infringed upon or denied your sovereignty, for the unloving and hurtful actions and patterns I mistook as expressions of love, care and friendship. I have done us a disservice in my blind loyalty and silence as well as in my cowardice in not speaking my truths or confronting you. Please forgive me my inactions, actions, words, silence and ignorance!

Allow me to propose rebuilding our connection as fellow sovereign beings, meeting each other in equality, honor, consciousness, playfulness, compassion and kindness. Creating a new foundation of relating which holds both of us to higher expressions of our being and creates spaciousness for sharing and co-creating the evolution of our beings and self expressions.

In order to manifest this new paradigm of being with each other we need to set a couple of intentions and ground rules. Intentions to open us for a more embodied beingness and ground rules meant to keep us from falling back into old patterns of unconsciousness we have explored to our fill.

My intention is to show up with these qualities, give and receive as much as is aligned with our sovereignty and the highest outcome for all:

• with knowing and honor of our sovereignty
• with an open heart and mind
• with presence, love and freedom
• with honesty, integrity and respect
• by loving you in freedom and commitment to your unfolding
• by celebrating your magnificence and unique youness
• by trusting you and allowing for deeper intimacy
• by sharing sacred ritual and circles with you
• by sharing joys and pleasures
• by facing and lighting the darkness by your side
• by sharing insights and knowing
• by holding space for your self work
• by shining light on your blind spots when necessary
• by co-creating a life of vision and inspiration
• by supporting the manifestation of your dreams
• by asking and receiving your help
• by helping you if you ask for it and need it
• by nurturing you physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually
• by allowing you to nurture me physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually
• by exploring the whole range of experiences, emotions, challenges and moments of bliss we can co-create together

My invitation to you is to meet me in a committed co-creative spirit and by mirroring the above intentions. This shall unlock doors that have remained closed in previous years. Doors opening to greater freedom, ease, connection, understanding, joy, bliss and so much more.

Unfortunately I cannot end here as our egoic selves need clear reminders what cannot and will not be on the menu any longer as we are creating the change our hearts have been longing for. So see the following as a message to your lower self and mine equally.

These are the things I am not willing to be or do and which need to be understood if we are to be friends or maybe even more:

• I am not going to read your mind so please speak your truth, assert your boundaries, communicate with me 
• I am not going to be blindly and silently loyal to you 
• I am not withholding uncomfortable truths and confrontations from you
• I am not your competition – never was, never will be
• I am not judging or shaming your body, lifestyle or choices nor allow for any of that in my presence
• I am not one you manipulate or instrumentalize in games or machinations
• I am not one you will lie to or betray and hope to get away with it
• I am not one you can use to make yourself feel small and unlovable
• I am not one who will coddle you or stroke your ego
• I am not a silent witness to your self sabotage
• I am not your guru
• I am not your savior

If you can wholeheartedly agree to these ways of relating and being as they resonate with your desires and visions, I welcome you once again to walking this wonderfully messy and magical life path with me.

If you feel this needs additions, clarifications, changes or negotiations I shall listen with an open heart and work with you on a framework that feel aligned to both of us. I will always (strive to) honor and support your assertion of sovereignty.

If you cannot step into your sovereignty, I will accept and let you go with gratitude for the moments or years we shared and most of all with love and blessings for the path you chose.

I am deeply grateful for the amazing women in my life, for countless lessons and gifts that came to me through our sisterhood, their being and love. And I am excited to keep learning to be and remain present, loving, in connection, honoring and loving from and with you!

I bow my head in honor of my sisters and their nurturing, playful and healing spirits which never fail to elevate and lighten every moment shared with them!

Photo: Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers by Unknown

The post To the Women and Sisters in my Life appeared first on Venuskind.

I have been committed to working on being a better friend, lover and partner. Therefore it has saddened me to realize and own how deeply my conditioning has distorted my perceptions of our being and my capacity of relating with you.

Allow me to apologize, again, for all the ways I was blind to, infringed upon or denied your sovereignty, for the unloving and hurtful actions and patterns I mistook as expressions of love, care and friendship. Please forgive me my actions, words and ignorance!

Allow me to propose rebuilding our connection as fellow sovereign beings, meeting each other in equality, honor, consciousness, playfulness, compassion and kindness. Creating a new foundation of relating which holds both of us to higher expressions of our being and creates spaciousness for sharing and co-creating the evolution of our beings and self expressions.

In order to manifest this new paradigm of being with each other we need to set a couple of intentions and ground rules. Intentions to open us for a more embodied beingness and ground rules meant to keep us from falling back into old patterns of unconsciousness we have explored to our fill.

My intention is to show up with these qualities, give and receive as much as is aligned with our sovereignty and the highest outcome for all:

• with knowing and honor of our sovereignty
• with an open heart and mind
• with presence, love and freedom
• with honesty, integrity and respect
• by loving you in freedom and commitment to your unfolding
• by celebrating your magnificence and unique youness
• by sharing joys and pleasures
• by facing and lighting the darkness by your side
• by sharing insights and knowing
• by holding space for your self work
• by shining light on your blind spots when necessary
• by co-creating a life of vision and inspiration
• by supporting the manifestation of your dreams
• by asking and receiving your help
• by helping you if you ask for it and need it
• by nurturing you physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually
• by allowing you to nurture me physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually
• by exploring the whole range of experiences, emotions, challenges and moments of bliss we can co-create together

My invitation to you is to meet me there by showing up with a committed co-creative spirit and by mirroring the intentions listed. This shall unlock doors that have remained closed in previous years. Doors opening to greater freedom, ease, connection, understanding, joy, bliss and so much more.

Unfortunately I cannot end here as our egoic selves need clear reminders what cannot and will not be on the menu any longer as we are creating the change our hearts have been longing for. So see the following as a message to your lower self and mine equally.

These are the things I am not willing to be and which need to be understood if we are to be friends or maybe even more:

• I am not your emotional dumping ground or externalized emotional processing service
• I am not in indentured servitude to you as a cook, cleaner, therapist, prostitute or caretaker
• I am not any kind of secret of yours – illicit or otherwise
• I am not yours, you do not decide for me or hold sway over my innate freedom
• I am not one you will lie to or betray and hope to get away with it
• I am not one you can use to make yourself feel small and unlovable
• I am not one you can use for self-aggrandizing ego games
• I am not one who will coddle you or stroke your ego
• I am not a silent witness of your self sabotage
• I am not your guru
• I am not your savior

If you can wholeheartedly agree to these ways of relating and being with one another as they align with your desires and visions, I welcome you once again to walking this wonderfully messy and magical life path with me.

If you feel this needs additions, clarifications, changes or negotiations I shall listen with an open heart and work with you on a framework that feel aligned to both of us. I will always (strive to) honor your assertion of sovereignty.

If you cannot step into your sovereignty, I will accept and let you go with gratitude for the moments or years we shared and most of all with love and best wishes for the path you chose.

And please do yourself the kindness not to pretend to accept and then play at coaxing or gaslight me into old relating patterns. You will taste the deep cuts of my sword of truths as I am unapologetically fierce with those who disrespect and try to play games with me.                                                                                                          Spare us the unnecessary drama and yourself the pain, will you? Thank you!

In parting I bow in recognition to all who choose to take up and wear their crown and sword with grace!

Photo: Iain Glen by Joey L.

The post Letter to the Men in my Life appeared first on Venuskind.