Dear Rugged Beloveds:
What is rugged is beautiful.
Anything can be refined — but sophisticated integration requires appreciating the beauty of the raw components with which you’ve started — some of which are too jagged to ever be refined fully, even by wind, water, disciplinarians, governments, militaries, the formal education system, religious institutions, or “fine art” establishments.
Refinement requires stripping the truth, but sophistication and real integration are like forms of cultural and personal fermentation — everything alive remains in tact. Maybe sometimes you try to hide the most rugged and raw pieces of yourself for your safety or perceived safety. What would other people think if they knew how wild, loud, cold, hot, raw, and full of flava you really are?
Don’t PASTEURIZE your SOUL!
What would people say if they knew the truths in your heart, the stupid shit you’ve done, how beautiful you can be when you pour passionate expressions from your being about love, beauty, heartache, and the people and places you love most? Stop stripping your soul of your saltiest bits. Don’t reverse osmosis your spirit. Stop trying to water down everything for bodies intolerant to your internal weather patterns.
Don’t be afraid to tell the truth — to yourself or anyone else. Anyone meant for you will weep at the sheer beauty of YOUR TRUTH. Though what you express is important, your gift to the world is HOW you can and do move your mind, body, voice, and spirit. No one in the world does it exactly like you. In moving freely, you move others. Anyone who can’t handle it is a disruption and a distraction.
Don’t resist. Don’t get angry. Don’t try to explain to them — they’re incapable of understanding. Let them go and keep moving! Your RAW energy is what attracts the right people who shriek with joy just to have your presence in their energy field. Their delicious energy will melt all over you and your combined flavors will meld into something you never could have imagined. And that, my love, is REAL sophistication!
True refinement is organic. Just go out there and show the world how REAL and RAW you truly are!!!
**This article was originally posted on October 23, 2019 on Medium.