Last week was intense. The news of political events left me…well, what can I say?
After the brutal anti-abortion laws passed in a few of the Southern states in the U.S., it felt like someone had kicked me in my womb, and I couldn’t kick back. I wandered around my newly-planted life in Los Angeles in a numbing fog, cut off from what I wanted, for 2 long, painful days.
And then the rage kicked in…and I could no longer relentlessly contract my belly in order to tame it.
As I unleashed it and let the pulsating, red NO course through me, it vibrated through my limbs and reached the tips of my fingers and toes, and I became physical. My rage hurled me out of the fog, my muscles woke up and my mind cleared again, I tasted my determination. I could touch my will and sense of purpose. I don’t need to kick back directly, but I do need to be as clear as I can be to support, protect and go for what I want.
Rage is essential to cultivating your will
For women to flourish and hold a powerful place in this world, we need a strong will. Our will is what guides us in life. The strength of it is what clearly says yes or no or mumbles instead. It’s what moves us to a fulfilling, purposeful life or keeps us in mundane grayness. Our will is what leads us to make dynamic choices or be predictable and accommodating. It brings out our voice when it’s needed or keeps us forever wishing we’d said or done something. Your will holds your intention and passion, your clarity and intelligence. And I’ll say this again…
For women to flourish we need a strong will.
Rage is not the only thing we need to strengthen it, but I’ focus on it here, because let’s just say for most women, rage is NOT comfortable. Not at all. I can’t tell you the amount of women I’ve worked with who are 100% certain that if they unleashed their rage, they’d leave a path of complete destruction in their wake. So instead, women muffle it. We clamp down on our bellies, harden our muscles and force ourselves to keep allowing what we don’t want anymore. And every time we do, we weaken our resolve and become more distant from ourselves..
Now, I’m not talking about a need to be enraged, but rather about the need to fully embody the pure, fiery, forceful, heated energy of rage that wakes up inside of us when we want to:
- Protect others from harm
- Stop injustices
- Clear away the bullshit
- Create palpable change
- Feel our undeniable power as women
Healthy rage is powerful fuel for our will, and a strong will is essential for your soul. There are many things happening in the world that may weaken your resolve, compress your existence and leave you in a numb, painful fog. In those moments, remember your rage, walk in a fiery way, breathe fiercely, move, no matter what, punch in the air, if you need to. But please, let this undeniable force flow inside of you, until it calms and becomes part of you. Held in strong muscles, deep breath, definitive choices, dynamic movement.