you know who you are

You remember the story of the swan? 

Or the fowl who everyone thought was the ugliest duck ever? 

Here’s the thing: He wasn’t a duck.

All those times he was being teased and when he thought he didn’t measure up, how much would it have helped him to know who he really was?  When he felt so bad about himself that he was ready to give it all up? He saw those beautiful swans in the lake and came out from his hiding place thinking that they would peck at him, putting an end to his sad life.  But they recognized him for what he really was: a swan.  Something he didn’t even believe himself to be.  They accepted him instead of pecking him.
 

All along, he was a thing of beauty.  All along, he had a place he belonged.  All along, there was a time, when in maturity, he would be able to take to the sky.

The thing about it is that we can relate to the story.  We feel for the swan.  We want him to recognize the beauty he possesses.  “Look,” we want to say to him! “Look at your reflection in the lake! You are a swan!  You are beautiful!”

There are moments when I have felt trample and belittled.  I have done it to my own beautiful self at times with my negative self-talk and focusing on my failures. 

But I know who I am.

I am sacred.

I am divine.

Sometimes when you know who you are it helps you get through those hard times.  It helps you to recognize that when you are divine, you CAN.  You can dream and hope.  You can build.  You can create.  You can learn and grow and change.  You can be a beacon.  You can recognize the divinity in others and treat them appropriately. 

I made this painting as a little reminder.  Like looking at a reflection in the glassy lake

 

You know who you are, Sacred One.