Sometimes I scream for what I want.
Other times, I whisper.
Sometimes it comes out as a groan.
Or a gasp.
Sometimes it's a plea.
And other times, it's in total glee.
Ecstasy is mainly what I experience — in both pleasure and pain.
And how did I get here? Not without total collapse.
Depression, anxiety, PTSD.
From Paramedic to Priestess.
It was a difficult transition.
And let me remind you — the transition is current, it is unending.
But the one reason I stand before you and ask for what I want is because I was shown how.
How to ask.
How to receive.
How to bear witness.
How to hold.
How to be held.
How to let go.
And yes, this journey — it is not always easy.
But the seasons change; and everything around me falls, builds and falls again.
What continues to strengthen is my dedication to walk this path.
But it is much easier when your hand is held. When you can be witnessed — in your greatness and in your pain.
My parents did their best. And your parents — their best too.
I am here.
To hold your hand.
To mark your transition. Honour it. Hold it dear. Throw away what no longer serves. To create a ritual. To mark this passage. To weave the threads of it into daily life.
As a reminder.
As a badge.
Of whom you were, and now who you choose to be.
To gather the women of the past — your ancestors, who hold you, who guide you, as you walk, jump and skip into the person you are destined to be.
These rites, they weave together the threads of life.
They teach you how to
Ask.
Receive.
Give thanks.
Lean in.
Let go.
And fly.
Fly into the person you are meant to be.