cocoons

What causes us to cocoon ourselves?

Death
trauma
grief
loss
abuse
feeling like we don't have a voice
winter
seasons
seasons as they're reflected in our lives
the aging process (lifespan?)

changes in our theologies
changes in general
new technologies
breakdowns of communication
lack of multi-generational understanding

environmental toxins
noise pollution
war
profanity
(but not four letter word profanity)
a lack of understanding
among tribes of humans

why?????

Sometimes we cocoon when life calls upon us to help somebody dear to us with a major transition. This is usually a caregiving role... but it can be the role of friend after a calamity too.

finding our voices

I've run across this topic quite a bit recently
I didn't think it was that big of a deal
apparently I'm wrong.

Do I have a voice?

I do.

But is it heard?

I guess it can be, when needed.

But would I want it heard more?

I'm not sure. There's so much of that, out there that I'm not sure.

I don't have a penis
or a master's degree
but I am turning a small profit.

Friday was Jen's stilletto day at the office where I used to work.
I thought it was hilarious that an ankle length skirt and stillettos made half of the management team lose his ability to speak. I wasn't wearing anything revealing, or form fitting. Just the shoes.
And you should've seen the looks on the faces of the other ladies in the office, the others doing my job. But why's it have to be like that?

I have definitely created a cocoon. I ran from that place so fast it made their heads spin.

Slowly I am finding my voice again.

My authenticity.

Friday should be stilletto day, regardless of whether we work alone at home or in an office. I say we reclaim Fridays as dress up for work days, and not be afraid to say to someone's face... dude, my eyes are up here.

For me, coming out of my cocoon is a lot about reclaiming the feminine divine in my life. I'm not talking about the Goddess, Heavenly Mother, or even necessarily Mary. I'm talking about natural cycles, paying attention to the moon, realizing that everything is interconnected, in summer loving me some garden and dirt, and in winter loving me some snow. My feminine divine is inside of me. I can't explain it at all, but I know it is there.

I am also thinking about trance dance as performance art, for about 6 or 7 minutes, then slowly fusing it with a structured improv piece involving an opening cocoon. I like the idea of starting with the trance dance as performance - start us with blindfolds, all awkward and strange. Really, it is no different than real life; the audience is our mirror. Let us dance unscripted with blindfolds. Then gently switch the music. Let us reawaken. Let us show our vulnerability. Let us come together to express the gifts we have received from allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. And let us share that with an audience who will have moved from being uncomfortable to feeling a power shift in the ambiance - a power shift toward being our authentic selves.