Skip to main content

FIND YOUR VOICE AND SING by Naomi Stone


“Last night I dreamt that I walked among the wild tigers of Bengal…

At first I walked alone through thick jungle foliage. When I heard sounds behind me, I noticed tiger cubs walking toward me. Then I worried, briefly, that if the mother appeared she might attack me, for I knew how protective mothers can be of their cubs. But when the tigress did appear, along with other tigresses, instead of being aggressive, they were all surprisingly friendly: stalking me with a motive other than to devour me. For the remainder of the dream I walked in harmony with the tigers, as if one of them, delighting in the playfulness of their babies. When I awoke I contemplated the imagery in my dream:

Jagadambe Devi by Krishna Kanta Dasi
Durga Devi came to my mind: that ancient Vedic goddess of feminine empowerment whose companion is a tigress.

I considered that perhaps the tigresses planed to make prey of those parts of me that resist love, and grant courage to the other parts of me that hide behind fear. The tigresses communicated a message of fearlessness to me with each elegant and graceful stride taken by my side. Then I thought about how I often fear engaging my own voice: how it is a struggle each time I share myself vulnerably in my writings.

In facilitating this poetry blog I have come to learn what a common struggle this is among women: That of allowing our voices to be heard without fear, without needing to remain anonymous, without hiding. But instead, roaring proudly, like a beautiful tigress, walking freely in the jungle, each little tiger cub a symbol of our awesome creative energy.

Then, this very morning, I came across this poem by my friend Naomi, which seemed to echo my sentiments, right down to the tiger symbology! I happily share it with all of you today, and gently ask that –as you read it- you consider the relationship between sharing one’s voice and allowing love to thrive."  ~Catherine Ghosh~


Find Your Voice And Sing
by Naomi Stone

Creative energy is stepping
on our heels
pursuing us
looking for an open portal
pouring out like wine
anointing us
spilling over
from a sacred heart

beauty catches us 
like a ray of sun
and snowflakes kiss
and caress
while birds bless us
with their own kind
of music

roses
drop their gowns
lining the path
with velvet petals
meeting us
in the beauty of nakedness
and a fragrant trail
of enchanting essence

sublime beauty stalks us
like the tiger
roaring from inside
like the lion that wants
to be king

find your voice and sing
and let it bring
you freedom to be
and create

who whispers in the dark
whose voice is it
give your soul a chance
to dance
let your spirit fly

and whatever else you do
or don't do
oh.....dear one....
dear friend...
let the Beloved 
love you
and tap into 
an unending stream
                                             of life-giving creative love




Naomi Stone: "I am a contemplative, a mystic, a pilgrim, a seeker, a woman deeply in love with the God hidden in all of us, in all of His Creation, who comes shining out when we least expect it and takes my breath away and breathes me with His sublime Presence in everything." You may visit Naomi on herwebsite here where she has shared over 700 of her poems over the last four years. You may contact her via Facebook here. 




~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~ 

Comments

  1. I love this dream that you just shared. Its beautiful and meaningful and perhaps its beauty lies in its meaning itself.
    I connect with Shera Mats ( The mother who rides a tiger ) very strongly. It was deeper still when I was a child, having conversations with her was a usual thing then. Now we are all so caught up in being adults we do not allow anyone, even God to be part of our musings and thoughts.
    There is a lot of imagery in both, your writing and NAomi Stone's poem.
    I have this theory. I feel that all these wonderful tigresses were friendly to you for you, yourself are one of them. You are that woman they trust with their kids when they have to hunt. Maybe its some indication, maybe your subconscious is telling you that you have a fiery spirit inside of you. Maybe that tigress inside of you is calling out to you, she wants you to run wild and become one with her.
    :D
    I also write at times :)
    Keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow~ Thank you so much for sharing your insightful interpretation of my dream, Karan! I delight in imagining myself as a tigress! :-) And yes, I believe you've intuitively sensed my fiery spirit, which is calling me, to be more expressive with my voice. I thank you for your encouragement, your psychological savviness and for sharing that story about your childhood dialogue with Shera Mats. May you continue that conversation into your adulthood! :D

      Delete
    2. Dear Krishna Kanta Dasi - I have shared the link to this inspiring and powerful post on our Facebook page Chakratirtha Travels and I look forward to many more people reading it. May we all continue these conversations with the divine!
      Thank you,
      Mayalakshmi

      Delete
    3. Dear Krishna,
      Thank you for being the stimulus.
      It was wonderful travelling back the memory lane, remembering those conversations, it made the light inside me grow stronger.
      I do believe that activating your inner tigress would be truly awesome.
      I made an error in my comment above. I was referring to Shera Mata not Shera Mats :)
      I hope to continue conversing with her.
      It would be great to know your views or critique on my Art :)
      You can see my art work on my blog wwww.karanvohraart.blogspot.in or my fb page wwww.facebook.com/karanleoarts
      I would love to know the thoughts of someone who understand the calling of the subconscious totem animal :)

      Delete
  2. I could feel myself pacing gracefully, powerfully, with the tigresses. I may conjure this image whenever my voice falters, or fear muffles me... Thank you!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IMAGINE A WOMAN by Patricia Lynn Reilly

  This poem invites you to look upon yourself with loving kindness… Gazing at your own true reflection, you will discover that everything you have longed for “out there” is already within you! I invite you to love your creativity fiercely. Faithfully plant seeds, allowing under-the-ground dormant seasons, nurturing your creative garden with love and gratitude. In the fullness of time, the green growing things thrust forth from the ground. It's a faithful, trustworthy process. AND it takes time and patience.  Blessed is the fruit of your creative womb! I invite you to trust your vision of the world and express it. With wonder and delight, paint a picture, create a dance, write a book, and make up a song. To give expression to your creative impulses is as natural as your breathing. Create in your own language, imagery, and movement. Follow no script. Do not be limited by the customary way things have been expressed. Your creative intuition is original. Gather

IMBOLC by Caroline Mellor

The inspiration for this poem came after I watched a magical winter sunset and full moonrise from the top of Firle Beacon in the South Downs... Unusually for me, I wrote the poem quite quickly and changed it very little before publishing it – perhaps the energies were working through my pen! Imbolc is the mid-point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It’s a fire festival which I particularly love because of its associations with Brigid, the Celtic Mother Goddess of arts and crafts, clear sight, healing, inspiration and nurturance of creative talents – something which, through my writing, I am always trying to connect with.  I also love Imbolc because, with so much darkness and negativity in the world today, it is a time for hope, potential, visioning and initiation. With love and blessings as the light returns. Photography by Chanel Baran IMBOLC    by Caroline Mellor I am the dream of awakening. I am the returning of the night.  I am the tough green

WINTER SOLSTICE: A GIFT OF LOVE by Carolyn Riker

I’ve had several days now of alone time… It is unusual and a gift that I couldn’t see until I breathed it. I have been able to watch the sun’s rise through the grey of dawn and smile at the flickers of frost melting on the waving boughs of evergreen. It’s unique to follow daylight as it traverses the tempo of a cat’s soft slumbering purr. Night comes swifter and the glow of candles and the flames of fire comfort me more than the steady stream of always-doing-more. As much as I resisted, I needed this break. I had no idea how much my body was trying to tell me   slow down   until the exhaustion settled in around my joints. My eyes swam in molasses. Heaviness of I-can’t-hold-out-much-long, walked me to the throne of my nest. It’s winter’s gift of self-nurturing and love. It’s been a quiet proclamation of femininity and a need for comfort foods. Lemon crisps and cranberry, white-chocolate shortbread dipped in tea; I felt a hint of being pampered without