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This is what I’m learning about folks who join in for the Be Your Own Beloved class.
They are amazing, vibrant, radiant.
They are wildly multitalented, creative and are often healers or artists or creators themselves.
They have been doing their self-love work already. Through various modalities they have been healing their relationship to self.
They are slowly and surely looking in the mirror with more kindness, even reverence for themselves.
But, as they tell me, there has been this missing piece.
They haven’t seen that self they’ve been working so hard on letting emerge into the world.
Photos feel like a danger zone, visible proof of the old stories they held or the person they thought they had grown out of being.
Photos have felt like a story they no longer feel resonant with.
So they have tuck the photos away, avoid the camera and settle into the experience of being rather than seeing ourselves in this way.
They have tried taking selfies but aren’t sure (maybe even skeptical) how this tool could be a doorway to healing, but they are open to trying.
Through what we learn about one another through our photo sharing, our discussions and the one-on-one mentoring that is an option when you sign up for the class, I’ve been learning more and more about how much folks who are drawn to this program are incredible. Truly. Sometimes their stories absolutely take my breath away.
But I hear from them how much this missing piece has been a struggle for them.
Because we give it weight.
Because we tuck that piece away, the energy around it has grown. We might even fear being in front of the camera. We try not to think about how much it feels like photos have power over us, but it does.
I created the Be Your Own Beloved class because I see these amazing women speak negatively about their images, about their bodies. Deeply powerful folks handing their power over to sources outside of themselves when it comes to their self-image, especially the way we see ourselves through photos.
And I’ve gotta tell you, this class isn’t just about swinging to the other end of the pendulum and immediately creating epic stunning images that you LOVE. Of course I hope that you DO get those image during the class so you can see yourself and can’t help but smile, but the change is what happens in between.
It’s not just about the photo.
It’s about the power we give it. The power we give other’s opinions and judgements.
It’s about cultivating our own voice of how we see ourselves through the camera.
And reclaiming that power back.
And once we’ve reclaimed that power, it’s also about letting photos become something neutral too. Not a question of will we love a photo or hate it. We’re creating a new normal for ourselves where we get to see the person in the camera not as worthy or unworthy but simply ourselves.
We are seeking a lens to see ourselves compassionately and clearly through.
But to get there, we need to begin. To risk seeing photos that will bring up old stories and to make room for the new ones of reclamation and renewal.
That’s what I hope the Be Your Own Beloved class will be for you, a playful way to open the door to that new way of seeing yourself, to reclaiming your own voice through the camera.
Class starts September 1st (this Tuesday) but we’re starting to gather in the class community space over the weekend and joining in for a pre-class activity I have to spark your journey.
If you haven’t experienced the Be Your Own Beloved class yet, I hope that now feels like the right time to choose to let go of those old stories of how you see yourself in photos and open the door to a new story…
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