Belonging is Becoming
The crescent moon was glinting above in between the branches of the larch, as we wandered deeper into the wood, in the darkness, hearing the whispers from the unseen. My role was of protecting and energetically moving anything that was in the way of the sacred work that was unfolding, when I had an urgency to repeat the phrase ‘Belonging is becoming! Belonging is becoming!’ before shouting out in the dark silence ‘Belonging is becoming!’
It stayed with me – unpicking the meaning and why this phrase appeared.
And as I sat on my own in silent space, after I had googled whether it was a well-known phrase or some Shakespearean quote, the meaning revealed itself to me, for what I needed to know.
The feeling of ‘not fitting in’ seems to be something I hear a lot and one that resonates deeply, and people also seem to be experiencing a lack of ‘the village’ surrounding us, which is taking its toll on our families and communities. We were not made to be doing everything on our own, yet very often there are people juggling life with a limited support network around them.
It may be that the feelings of not fitting in, mean that we have chosen not to compromise ourselves, to change ourselves to fit into structures or surroundings, needing us to change what we say, how we say it and to whom. And it was this idea that brought about the answer to my question, of what the phrase meant that was whispered to me within the wood.
Our ancestors lived in community, with the men, women and land equally revered for their roles in the community throughout the monthly cycle and year; working together and supporting each other between the outward active working in the woods and land, to the sacred listening of the internal dreams and whispers as they gathered in the dark. This was a community of sharing and supporting.
And many of us are yearning for a feeling of this community, of these old ways. A mother, I have not always experienced ‘the village’ that is often spoken of, as though it’s this mythical collective of beings bringing food, clean clothes, offering a shoulder to cry on, celebrating milestones with you and magically doing the housework as you nap. I’m grateful to have glimpses of it, but it hasn’t fully embodied the feeling of an undeniable holding.
But it is emerging. And I feel I found a key element.
Belonging is becoming.
This phrase speaks to me as an acknowledgement of the only way we can really feel like we belong.
To belong, we need to become.
We must discover who we really are; we have to strip ourselves of the masks, the labels and roles we have carried in our life, we have to find our passions, we have to grieve all that we thought was true about ourselves, we all have to feel, we have to find our voice, our truth, our essence.
We must become ourselves.
And as we step deeper into the resonance of our true being, we change course and divert towards what feels good and what feels true. And it may be that the surroundings that you need to hold you, aren’t yet found overnight, the village might not magically appear, but the shifts start to occur.
So, to feel those feelings of belonging, we must become our true selves, embodied and aligned with our essence, our truth, free from ‘shoulds’ and any compromises we may have made on who we really are.
It’s become clear that this is the essence of my work; in supporting people to reclaim connection with their soul and true selves, with their feelings and emotions, with their grief, their rage, their blood, their joy, their love, their bodies, with their own divine essence, bringing love and healing to their body, mind and soul. Helping and supporting others on their way to really becoming and reclaiming who they are and to feel like they belong, exactly as they are.
This is a truly incredible gift we can all give ourselves.
You belong. You deserve to become you.