You Have Permission
By Angela Hutchinson
Thinking on what my contribution would be, my legacy to mankind, the words came to me: Empowerment. From the Source of empowerment come the words: YOU HAVE PERMISSION.
How many of you need to hear those words? We live in a world full of judgment and societal standards. We live in groups…born into familial groups, educated in groups, work in groups, and worship in groups. The only drawback is that we are judged by the group majority and there are a few of us that are born to feel, believe, and behave outside of that box of societal expectation.
There are those of us that can’t fit in because our souls won’t let us. As people we are not meant to be clones. We celebrate individuality, yet we are condemned the moment we begin to demonstrate those differences. We are here to live individual purposes. What do we do when we are not accepted for our true selves? Where do we go? Who do we become? We lose our individuality and our authenticity. We lose our soul’s mission.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, for those who can relate…YOU HAVE PERMISSION!
The last time many of us felt true authenticity was as young children. We had an inner freedom to say the things we wanted to say, do the things we wanted to do. The only problem is that we were born into a world that believed that freedom to be wild and unruly, i.e. terrible twos and trying threes. We were born into a world that domesticates authentic souls. Many of us were told what to say, what to do, and what to dream. Granted, the system of the parent/child relationship is a sacred bond. It is of crucial importance that we are protected and nourished. It is vital that we learn the things that are important to live in our world as we know it. I do not debate this. However, the unfortunate domestication that occurs right along side of protection and nourishment is killing the spirit of our children and is leaving adults lost. It can be direct or very subtle, but as adults it leaves us feeling a void. We wonder who am I? Why am I here? Do I have a purpose or is this all there is? We run on empty because we no longer recognize where our true nourishment lies. We are starving for the life we were born to live. We no longer know who we are or what we need to do to figure it all out. We’ve turned down our Soul Sonar and can no longer hear the communication it offers. We feel abandoned and weak. Is it any wonder? We were taught to operate under other people’s expectations and it has become a vicious cycle and is an aggressive cancer on humanity.
But we are here on this day to let you know…It stops here. This is where the domestication stops. If you decide, then it is so. As you believe, so shall it be. This is your Power. If you believe you do not have the Power then you are operating by tragic illusion. Wake Up!
You don’t have to live an inauthentic life anymore. Throw out the guilt, shame, and fear injected into your veins. It has never served you. Nothing truly positive can come from anything negative. It is time for a cleansing of thought.
It is time to give yourself permission to be the grandest version of you that you can be. It is time to accept who you are and to realize you already have everything you need to be authentically happy. Now give it a voice. Everyone repeat with me: I have permission to love myself as I am. I have permission to change the things I want to change. I have permission to say yes. I have permission to say no. Your life is your life. No one can ever know why you are here and what you are here to learn. Only you can know that. We must learn to love ourselves enough not to require acceptance from others. Because it is a very dangerous thing to depend on the consistency and objectiveness of others, even those we love. This gives us the freedom to find our joy. It is not selfish and it is not trivial. You cannot give to others fully until you become the whole person you were always meant to be. No one can. I used to dislike my personality when other would dislike me. I thought, oh well, I must be offensive and too loud. I used to hide my personality behind a smile. I imprisoned a part of myself. Slowly we can imprison ourselves bit by bit until there is nothing left of our original self. We learn to feel shamed and we feel guilt for not being what others need us to be. I now understand that other people’s “stuff” is about them and their lives at that particular moment. It isn’t about me. It may appear that way, but it is not. I began to love myself more and more and feel more and more fulfilled when I listened to my own intuition and did what I desired to do. This made me a kinder person and someone that experiences joy more often. As long as I am living I will always be a work in progress and that is okay. I get better and better at being me. Be who you are without apology. Your beliefs are hard won. Stick up for you are by living your life brilliantly.
Thanks to Rev. Sandra Ash Gaskin for co-creating this concept.