My journey to be myself has been a long one, and it ain’t over yet.
Baby Licia, 1965
Growing up in the south in the sixties and seventies was a trip for this curious, spiritual-but-not-religious little girl. I had regular, direct experience of my connection to the All That Is, causing me to be in love with the wind and the grass and the trees. I was at home on the land, on the earth.
I am curious and rebellious by nature, and strive to expand my thinking and my mind, all of the time. I am naturally drawn to learn new concepts and ideas and to connect them with the ones I already have, to build Bridges of Thought. I get a big kick out of learning; it is a constant exploratory process for me.
I am an Edge Keeper, a person who pioneers and creates bridges for others to follow. It feeds me to be on the frontier.
And after 35+ years of traveling my inner frontier, I have learned that I am a pretty cool person.
The result of exploring and knowing myself in this way? As I came to know more and more of who I am, I realized my beauty, my strength, my wisdom. As I sought the truth for myself on my inner frontier (instead of what others had told me about me), I uncovered my blueprint. As I overcame obstacles and cleared away debris that obstructed the path, I took a straight shot to the heart of my power. And I began to be able to serve others in a light-filled way.
Licia, 1971. That’s me on the far right at our beloved Outer Banks.
There were some folks that didn’t like that I was exploring and reclaiming myself, because it meant that I would not collude with them in their fantasy of who I was. Being confronted with their projections proved too challenging for some.
This made it hard to keep trying to be me. I wanted their love, so it was tempting to do what they wanted…to get quiet, still. At several points in my life, I have donned layers of cloaking so I would not be seen so easily. I have spent time underground…my light, my love, my playfulness, my sexuality, my voice hidden away.
A few wonderful teachers who really saw me…and then the best friend that became my life partner…gave me permission to not only exist, but to reclaim myself. I started to find myself again, and once I caught the scent, I couldn’t stop digging.
It is no mistake that you are who you are. Let’s show up together, each of us in our own unique brilliance, shall we?
Over the years (I’m 49 as of this writing), I have regained so much of myself. Inside of me is a girl who is smart, has inspired ideas, is a great teacher, cares a LOT about the plight of humanity and is a leader of women. She is my Shero. She is on FIRE to help other women reclaim their True Power.
I don’t mean power in the pushy, aggressive, dominant, I’m-better-than-you way…I mean power that is our natural birthright. Our True Power is comprised of our unique design of talents and skills and preferences that make us who we are (and make us uniquely gifted to offer the world our service). It makes us uniquely KICK ASS in our own special way.
God forbid I think for myself. God forbid I search for the truth. God forbid that I give myself permission to be who I really am. Well, SCREW THAT.
Licia reading from SOUL COMPOST at the capitol steps for International Women’s Day 2013
After 25 years of being an educator and 15 working specifically to support women from a strengths-based approach, I KNOW that each of us has a right to be who we are and to follow our joy, being exactly who we are on the inside. There are no mistakes, right? How could it be right that we come into this world with a specific blueprint and then we’re supposed to ignore that and be something different?
Much of my journey has been undertaken in the inner landscape, what I call The Frontier Inside. It is the soul and psyche’s landscape, the internal place where our inner treasures, strengths, gifts and adventures can be found. It is the place where I found my Vision. It is the place I learned how powerful and confident I am. It is the place where the Real Me lay in wait for me to find her again.
And I’ve made maps. So, so many maps. Through journaling, art, song, speaking, movement, voice, I have chronicled my journey and brought my invisible, inner world into the visible world where I can see the reflection of my brilliance.
Join me in exploring the great territory of the vast reaches of your greatness, won’t you? Let’s be brilliant together!
