Happy May Day!

As you may have noticed, Tuesdays = yoga for me, so it also usually means revisiting class and really chewing on the ideas.

Today, we ‘meditated’ on the idea of divinity being within all of us, and how we (in the collective sense of humanity) pull away from this, and are timid about or stifle our greatness.  It made me immediately think of Nelson Mandela, so I googled the quote that the man and I have on our bedroom wall.  Much to my surprise, the following is inaccurately attributed to Mandela ~

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

~ Marianne Williamson in A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

I’m sure everyone has been guilty of self-deprecation, or undermining one’s own worth.  What is important to think about ~ for me at least ~ is that if I don’t give myself credit where credit is due, how can I expect others to respect me, and acknowledge my strengths and talents?

Nelson Mandela kept the following poem (written on a scrap of paper) in his prison cell for the 27 years he was imprisoned on Robben Island. While these are also not his words, they are more than worth sharing.  I have had a copy of this poem taped to the inside of my daily planner for the past few years ~ and I should probably read it more often, and remind myself not to shrink who I am.

Invictus