“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, A Return to Love
Some people have thought that Nelson Mandela was the source of this quote but really he just made it famous by quoting it in one of his speeches. He’s a man who lived an extraordinary life. His battle to end Apartheid took over 50 years, 27 of them in prison serving a “life” sentence, and he went on to become South Africa’s first black president.
We’re living in unprecedented times. We’ve gone through a tremendous amount of change and there’s still more to come. While we’ve seen our governmental structures being shaken and close to toppling, we can know that it’s a part of the process of change. Everything needs to evolve with the times. Remind yourself that this is just what it looks like as it’s all coming together.
With that in mind, my friend, what’s holding you back from shining? Is there something that still needs to be dismantled so you can build the new you? The Pisces full moon is tomorrow and the autumnal equinox is just a few days beyond. This is a great time to give yourself permission to let go of whatever’s been holding you back.