Alysyn the Wise

Alysyn, thank you for sharing with us your touching letter to Jenny. I must object to your use of the word "foolish" in the title, as I do not see it that way at all.

You have in the past written about your life with Jenny, the ups and downs, the conflict, and the dissolution of your marriage. You conveyed a sense of frustration, slight bitterness, and perhaps a tinge of anger. These are normal human emotions given the challenging circumstances. How you deal with these emotions will determine the path of your evolution. What I read today has a different tone... one of forgiveness and unconditional love. How could this possibly be "foolish"?

The best possible thing you could do is forgive Jenny and those to whom she is related. Forgiveness is what is most needed for everyone concerned, particularly yourself. There is no benefit to holding on to old resentments, remembering past errors, questioning what has gone before. These dark energies will only eat away at you, causing regret, guilt, anger and sorrow.
By forgiving those who have wronged you, you release this poison from your soul and it can no longer haunt you after that.

Forgiveness is not always easy, especially in a case where many wrongs have been compounded over years. To truly forgive in such a situation requires setting aside the ego and obeying the heart instead. I see you doing this Aly, progressing toward the total forgiveness of Jenny. Once you accomplish this fully, a heavy burden in your heart will be lifted. You will then be free to love again.

Of love, do not regret that you continue to feel such for Jenny. She was a major player in your evolution, and it is appropriate to honour her with your ongoing love. Do not reprimand yourself for taking the high road, choosing love over hate. Consider Jenny one of your life teachers. She gave you many lessons, from which you are evolving. Because of the time you spent learning with her, you are better equipped to avoid the same pitfalls when the next true love of your life comes along.

Alysyn, you are transmuting challenges into wisdom, dark into light, because you have the strength to closely examine your feelings. Your post should instead be called "Ever so wise..."

Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/11/ever-so-foolish.html

11:11 on 11/11 of 11

It is the 11th moment of the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month, and 11 11 2005 sums numerologically to 11… {1+1+1+1+2+0+0+5}. Therefore, this moment is 11:11 on 11/11 of 11. It is time to talk about the number 11. At 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” the Armistice Treaty officially ended World War I. There is great significance in this day, and also in the number 11. A master number, the number 1.11111111 squared = 1.2345678987654321. One encompasses all other numbers, a fact which is mathematically significant. The number 11 carries the vibration of evolution, not only in commemorating peaceful resolutions to wars, but through powerful new wisdom brought forth by the New Age movement.

Today is an appropriate time to open another new door between the Transgender and New Age communities. I have previously referred to the Kryon information of the Venus Transit gift. I will now confer about Solara and the 11:11 gates of human spiritual evolution. The significance of 11, and in particular 11:11, has been presented by both Kryon and Solara. Just as Kryon’s information supports transgenderism, so does that of Solara. Recall that the Venus Transit is an 8 year window of feminine energy brought to Earth by the energy of Venus in its orbit between 2004 – 2012. Kryon says this is a time where the gender energies of the planet will come into balance. There is potential for great change, assisted by feminine energy of love and balance brought by a stronger cosmic connection to Earth’s sister planet, Venus. The information presented by Kryon regarding gender balance is highly supportive of self expression as a transgender person.

The power of 11:11 also connects to transgenderism, and on this 11/11 of 11, it is time to highlight the connection. I want to share with you the wisdom of Solara, another highly influential teacher who is widely regarded in the New Age community. Unlike Kryon, Solara is a human being alive on earth. Similar to Kryon, Solara’s message is one empowering the human race, of awakening and human evolution.

Solara makes no attempts to convert people to her way of thinking. She merely holds up a new kind of light, and presents it in a way that resonates with a strikingly large number of lightworkers. She is a powerful, influential, wise, gifted, brilliant spirit, and at the same time, she is human. Her messages are presented from a slightly different perspective to those of Kryon, yet they are from the same divine source. Solara describes herself as a “spiritual revolutionary”. She is not a guru, nor does she have "followers", rather she serves as a catalyst to activate us into our own mastery so we may inhabit the Greater Reality. Solara is also not a "channel". She simply embodies her vastness; something available to all of us. To read more about Solara visit http://www.nvisible.com/

Solara has been highlighting the significance of 11:11 since approximately 1987, around the time of or shortly after the Harmonic Convergence. This was an important cosmic measurement point, where humanity was tested to determine whether to evolve/ascend to the next level… or not. The balance of humanity chose to evolve. As such, Kryon refers to the Harmonic Convergence as the 11:11, and regards it as the occurance of “permission to evolve”. It is around this time that Solara began her 11:11 work.

Solara conveys that 11:11 is our “wake-up call” and our “trigger of remembrance”. The significance of noticing 11:11 can be compared to a lucid dream, whereby the dreamer awakens within the dream state. 11:11 taps you on the shoulder, prompting you to look at the clock at exactly that time, and then winks at you as if to say “remember, this is only a dream”. 11:11 whispers in your ear “it’s time to wake up now”. 11:11 is like a glitch in the matrix that keeps popping up, telling us that something is not as it appears to be.

To make the connection between Solara’s message and transgenderism, it is necessary to first provide a brief background of the signficiance of 11:11. The following is exerpted from Solara’s website.

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A TRIGGER OF REMEMBRANCE

Repeated sightings of 11:11 have happened to millions throughout the world. Many want to know why this is happening? What does the 11:11 signify? For many years the numbers 11:11 have been mysteriously appearing to millions of people all over the world. Often appearing on digital clocks, the sightings of 11:11 tend to occur during time of heightened awareness, having a most powerful effect on those seeing them. When the 11:11 appears to you, it is your wake-up call. A direct channel opens up between you and the Greater Reality. The 11:11 is an insertion point for the Greater Reality to enter the present moment. When this happens, it is time to stop whatever you are doing and LOOK LARGER.

You can enter the Greater Reality and travel deeper into the Invisible. You can seed a long held desire, receive a vision, ask for help in some specific area of your life or simply feel the Invisible insert itself into the present moment. The revelations you receive will not come in the form of mental concepts. Rather, it will be an enhanced state of being in which you will see everything as if with new eyes. A deeper understanding of what is truly real will surround you. It tells you that it is time to take a good look around you and see what is real and what is illusory. It's time to pierce the veils of illusion which keep us bound to an unreal world.

You have been chosen, because you are ready, to step into a Greater Reality. To lead the way for others into a new way of living, into a Greater Love. To ascend from duality into Oneness.The 11:11 is the bridge between duality and Oneness. It is our pathway into the Unknown. Each time we see the numbers 11:11, our cellular memory banks are further activated. There's a stirring deep inside, a hint of remembrance of something long forgotten. The appearance of 11:11 is a powerful confirmation that we are on the right track, aligned with the Greater Reality. The appearance of 11:11 is an always beneficial act of Divine Intervention.

The purpose of the 11:11 Activation was to open the Doorway of the 11:11. This Doorway is the transition zone or bridge between two very different evolutionary spirals; our old one which is anchored in duality and the new evolutionary spiral of Oneness. Each evolutionary spiral is aligned with different Great Central Sun Systems. The Doorway of the 11:11 opened on January 11, 1992 and is now scheduled to close on November 11, 2011.

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According to Solara’s message, during the period of 1/11/1992 to 11/11/2011, there will be 11 Gates/Doorways of human evolution presented. Of the 11 Doorways, 7 have been “activated” so far. Activations involve performing group ceremony/ritual at a specific time and place. Groups of literally tens of thousands of human lightworkers have made the journey to physically attend at that time/place to assist in the Activation.

On seven different occasions and locations since 1992, lightworkers from around the globe have converged for the sake of evolution, with another four yet to come. Imagine a football stadium full of people, gathered together in some remote location, performing a ceremony to unlock an energy portal which will unleash the potential of human evolution. It is an understatement to say that Solara’s work has been revolutionary in the New Age community.

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In Solara’s words…

"Within the Doorway of the 11:11 there are Eleven Gates. Each Gate is a stepping-up station to a new frequency band of energy. These Gates are similar to locks in a canal. Once a Gate is activated and entered, we begin an intense process of transformation and initiation as our beings are immersed in a new frequency patterning. Traveling upon these frequency bands, we master the lessons of each Gate until we arrive at the next Gate. Each Gate has a unique vibratory keynote with which we must align ourselves in a state of harmonic resonance. It is this process of alignment which gives us the needed recalibration so that we may travel deeper into the Invisible. The Gates of the 11:11 can be entered at any time once they have been activated, for we are not all on the same timing within our evolutionary spiral. Hence, you might be currently experiencing any or all of the first four Gates. However, a Gate may not be entered until it has been properly activated.

The First Gate - Healing our Hearts

The focus here is on the healing of our emotions. This requires a constant process of letting go, a continuous reevaluation of our old ways of feeling & loving. With this much needed healing of our individual hearts, we experience an activation of our One Heart. The One Heart is the heart of all. It is the core of our new emotional body. This means that we share the same heart, a much vaster and truer heart than before. The One Heart is the heart which cannot be broken. There is no more "giving" or "receiving" of love. Love simply is, a constant recycling, coming and going and recirculating. As we let go of the experiences of the past, we learn to live our Love.

The Second Gate - And the two shall become One

The keynote of the Second Gate is the two becoming One. This entails an intensive process of reunifying all our inherent polarities: inner male & female, Sun and Moon, spirit and matter, Earth and Star. Our new emotional bodies are strengthened, further anchoring the One Heart. We now embody the Lovers from Beyond the Stars; a deeper, vaster Love than we ever experienced as True Loves. The reunion of the Lovers from Beyond the Stars back into One Being creates the doorway into a new heightened level of Love called the Greater Love.

To read about Gates Three to Seven, visit http://www.nvisible.com/

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Solara’s information is relevant to the Transgender community because the Second Gate balances inherent polarities, including that of gender. I propose that transgendered people are evolving through Gate Two, and reunifying their inner male and female polarities. It is due to this balancing of inner gender influence that males are inclined to outwardly manifest their inner femininity, just as females are inclined to outwardly manifest their inner masculinity. Men exhibiting femininity should be celebrated because it is a sign of human evolution. Based upon Solara’s message, a man can not evolve without transcending Gate Two, which includes embracing his feminine self.

The linkage here is that Solara’s influential 11:11 message supports transgenderism. Those who resonate to the message of Solara, must also embrace transgenderism. If evolution through Gate Two requires the balancing of male/female, it follows that transgenderism is actually the state to which all humans must aspire if they are to evolve. A transgendered human is a more evolved human. All who align with Solara and have passed through Gate Two must themselves have become transgendered in the process.

At this precious moment of 11:11 on 11/11 of 11, the light in me salutes the light in you, the beautiful transgendered Ones. Know that you are in the right place, at the right time. When you see 11:11, be reminded that human evolution is quickening, and you are forerunners on this path. The time for balancing gender duality is NOW.

Transgendered people are moving in an evolutionary direction.

Marlena the Swan

Marlena Dahlstrom, I am so proud of you honey! You've really come a long way, both in your outward appearance, and more importantly in your inner perspective. Beauty radiates from within, the outside result is just the icing on the cake. Since you feel beautiful, you are. This is a key element. I have always seen your potential, yet my seeing it is not enough. It is you who must see it, believe it, act upon it, and live it. It pleases me greatly that you are now doing so, and the results are yours to be enjoyed. Feminine beauty is an empowering feeling.

In order to allow oneself to be beautiful, it is necessary to cast off the chains of self-doubt about perceived "flaws". Instead, find what is beautiful and focus on that instead. Anyone can find at least one physical attribute about themself which is admittedly beautiful. Find some of those things in yourself, admire them, and praise them. Feel good about those points which you love about yourself, and endeavor to give those beautiful aspects their due credit. Trust that whatever "imperfections" you may have are not important, and will take care of themselves. They will fade away just as soon as you stop giving them your precious energy. Realize that focusing and fixating on flaws will only expand those flaws, and detract from the beauty that can be had, and vice-versa.

Marlena I see you moving in the right direction. Instead of feeling like an "ugly duckling" you have come to the realization that you are a beautiful swan. You are now looking around, seeing the potential, and thinking about stretching your wings a bit further. This is a profound time in your evolution, and I celebrate the fact that you have reached this point. This is not a conclusion, but a beginning... the beginning of your life as a swan.

As a swan, you now have a slightly different identity than you did as a duckling. You are now considering changing your name. A name resonates with a certain energy frequency, which is representative of the person to whom the name belongs. If your energy has changed, a different name may be more appropriate for you. Rather than seeking a name that represents who you think you are at the moment, choose a name that represents who you want to become. Don't be afraid to name yourself after someone who you admire.

Marlena it touches my heart to know that I helped you. Thank you for reaching out to me in the first place and asking the right questions. I want to help, though I avoid giving unsolicited advice, especially in matters of physical appearances. Someone would have to ask me, as you did, to enable me to help. Anyone else in the group who would like my advice on such matters need only ask.

I am looking forward with great anticipation to watching you blossom like a flower, in your new life as a swan.

Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/11/beast-and-beauty.html

Inner Beauty

I agree with Lauren Thomas' conclusion that the "outside image" is heavily focused on with not enough credit given to the "inside image". This common to TGs and GGs alike, with strong reinforcement given by men.

On the internet, it is possible to create any "identity" of one's own choosing. How close or far this identity is from reality depends on the motives of the person underlying that virtual identity. It depends what that person is looking for, be it information, attention, their jollies, or real genuine human connections. For those seeking real connections, the "outside image" will fairly closely reflect reality. It also depends on the needs and goals of the audience. In communities where the importance of external appearance reigns supreme, the internal is often overlooked or forgotten.

The question is, how important is someone's external appearance to you? Does this criteria determine whether you will interact with that person on a friendly basis? Does it assist in the judgement of whether they are worth your time or not? How much information about that person can be learned by assessing their physical appearance? If you put the most credence in a virtual image as presented, you run the risk of being fooled.

If instead you seek people with character substance, you will find that fabricating substance is too much work for those who are just playing games. When you meet someone new on the internet, ask some questions, get them talking. Their words will tell you much more about their "inner image" than any photo.

Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/11/inside-image.html

The Truthgiver

--> Alysyn Ayrica... "I also came to realize that this foundation in rational thought was also a means to maintain my masculine identity and somehow shut out the flood of emotional intensity which was, daily, filling up my basement… I’d grown increasingly weary of constantly, year after year, waveringly breaching my feminine nature and then stepping back into the masculine role offered me at birth, disgusted at not only my lack of sophistication at the task, but also at how like a trapped animal it made me feel."

--> Michele Angelique... "This is a most eloquent expression of the need to be true to oneself. Before you can be truly happy and fulfilled in life, it is necessary to have the basic freedom to BE who you ARE. The more YOU fight against YOU, the more frustrating and exhausting life becomes. In the case of someone like yourself, who is so intensely self-aware, denial of your basic nature is like living in solitary confinement. The male role is (unfortunately) very restrictive in terms of emotional boundaries, and for someone with a high “E.Q” (comparible to I.Q., except on an emotional level), such restrictions would be like slow death. What a wonderful blessing that you are able to express yourself so well in writing, as writing is a tremendous outlet and tool of self-realization."

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Aly said... "How painful is it to live with the loss of not only your husband, but the actual male identity that once inhabited the persona, while still interacting with that person?"

Michele said... "This is a point I wish to ponder… tell me, will your male identity really be lost? Where will he go? How painful will it be to “kill” him? I very much doubt he will go down without a fight. Will it be possible to extinguish him completely and permanently? Certainly, your male body is transformed into a female body, and you look very different. But are you not the same person as before? Surely, in female form you can shed the societally restrictive boundaries to self-expression, and no longer feel the need to participate in stereotypically “manly” activities unless that is what pleases you… but are you not still the same underlying person? What if the resulting “You” after the transformation is allowed to be the same person, but with the added benefit of a lot more freedom of self-expression? The same You, but now living “outside the cage”?

With this in mind, your own feelings of disgust and condemnation toward your male identity might subside. He does not have to perish in order to let Her live. He and She are One; they will coexist in the same vessel (body) no matter what you do to change the vessel. You have total power to change how your vessel appears, whereas extinguishing an important part of the material inside might not be in your highest good. If you could embrace and love both the She and the He within yourself, it would be perhaps be the optimal way to manifest your greatest One in this life. The alternative is that YOU continue to fight against YOU, while inside a vessel that merely looks different than before."

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Aly said... "I had knowingly committed myself to an act that had a great probability of destroying all that I held dear in my life…family, friends, even my children…and risked just as great a destruction of my own soul. Is it possible to remain spiritually intact after having performed such a heinous act?"

Michele said... "How will such distruction occur resulting from you becoming the best possible You? By nurturing your own soul, you will come to love yourself dearly, and in doing so, you will overflow with love which will spill over onto your friends, family, and children. Everyone who encounters you will benefit because you are radiating inner peace, love, and compassion for others. If you are miserable in your own skin, people around you will feel your tension and may even be affected negatively by it. Whereas, if you are happy and joyful to be alive, others will be uplifted and inspired to follow your lead. So, in striving as you are to fulfill your highest good in this life, you are doing the best possible thing for your children, family and friends. There is nothing heinous at work here, precious One. This is all inspired by the love source, therefore it must be good. Dear sister, it is time to release the guilt you hold in your heart."

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Aly said... "If there was ever a time to question the wisdom of God, this would be the decision I would present. I, being the least qualified to be a parent, am suddenly the only parent that my children have."

Michele said... "God does work in often mysterious ways. I believe that God gives the most difficult challenges to the most advanced souls. My view is that the degree of the challenge is commesurate with the evolution of the participant… sort of like the exams in grade school. I do not believe we are ever assigned challenges we are inequipped to cope with. I think key is to find ways to navigate, overcome, and look for ways to turn negatives into positives at every turn. In doing so, our souls evolve further. While misfortune and tragedy most often appear senseless, there is a much bigger picture than can be readily measured on this plane of existence. Every challenge must be viewed as an opportunity for evolution… the bigger the challenge, the greater evolution will take place in overcoming it.

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Aly said... "The most troubling part of my journey through the brambles of transition has been witnessing firsthand the many intelligent and hurting ts women who have chosen to turn their backs on God merely because of their transsexual condition…. My dismay derives from the fact that the only real perspective they will receive is through the spiritual growth they obtain while working through this and communing with their God all the while. The truth of the trial comes not in the clothes, the hormones, the relationships…the truth comes from the Truthgiver. All things derive their meaning from some source. All things are created for a purpose."

Michele said... "This is the part of your writing that made me gasp, sent tingles up my spine, gave me goosebumps, put butterflies in my stomache, followed by tears of joy running down my cheeks. Aly, You are a very wise, very old soul whose words are so very illuminating. The Truthgiver, indeed. I too believe that the label is irrelevant because the source is One. I agree wholeheartedly… all things derive meaning from the same source and all reality is created for a purpose. What a spectacularly woven tapestry, this blind existence in which we live, as we struggle looking everywhere in the dark for answers, while all we need to light our paths is living right inside of us. The key is to look within to find the Truth because it is waiting to be found.Thank you Alysyn for sharing your Truth so intimately with us. We have all been uplifted by your presence and your insights. "

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Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/10/damnation-aly-pt-2.html

Passing the Test

I like Lacey Leigh's (www.laceyleigh.com) perspective about passing while out en femme, "If they treat me the same as everyone else, THEY pass". I agree, rather than worrying about whether you can outwardly "pass" as a GG, just be yourself. People who recognize you for TG and choose to accept you, are the ones "passing" (or failing) the more important test in the bigger picture.

This special test is the ability of a human being to tolerate differences in others without judgement. This is a continual test put upon all humans in a myriad of ways. Some people pass, and for those who don't, the test keeps coming back around time and time again. As TG people you are gifted/burdened with the work/duty of administering this test, as are other visible minority groups. You cannot control other people's reactions. The only thing you can control is yourself.

Rather than trying to control the uncontrolable, just relax, be at peace with yourself, and let your light shine... smile at other people, make eye contact, say hello. This is the best that you can do. This attitude will make a positive impression on most people, and therefore uplift the TG cause as a whole.

What we each should focus on is whether we ourselves "pass" the same test. Do we judge, condemn or criticize other people because they are "different"? Is there any person or group (which is intrinsicly harming no one), that we cannot tolerate? If so, then we are not yet passing. Of course, every moment of our lives is a new opportunity, so the next time someone who is "intolerably different" crosses your path, welcome them with open arms. Then surely, you will be passing.

Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/10/whos-really-passing.html

SHE WHO IS

The unleashing of SHE WHO IS, the union of sisterhood, the need to exist in our most beautiful form. Brielle said “there would be no realities at all without nurturing this gift of female union”. Indeed, this special bond between women is a gift among kindred spirits which is more easily expressed while in feminine form. The characteristics of sisterhood, such as empathy, compassion, emotion, trust, self-expression, are those very traits which are discouraged in men. But when you shed the male role, the emotional boundaries come down, and the characteristics of sisterhood and feminine love become possible.

The bond between you and “SHE” is something to be nutured, and perhaps she can become integrated with your maleself over time, if that’s the right thing for you. The way you express your bigendered nature is remarkable.

Brielle said “my two voices are then teamed as one in this tactical partnership, so to speak, The void of unconditional love has never been filled, except for this inner partnership, Acceptance, nurtured, and given that freedom not have to search for reasons why”. This is the type of self-love that we should all aspire to. The inner partnership of unconditional love and acceptance of oneself. In our very own hearts is where it all begins, and through the love and support of our sisters is how it evolves.

Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/10/of-ponderance-predjudice.html

Desperately Seeking

Jenna said… " … if I walked into a room of 1,000 women, I'd walk out with a "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree", the sickliest one of the bunch! I've set standards and conditions in my partners that compliment my failings."

You are seeking love from outside of yourself, without first loving yourself. I think there are a few possible reasons you have chosen partners so in need of help. For one, you may possess a characteristic that is very common to women in relationships: the need to be needed. Your compassionate nature causes you to reach out to needy individuals because you can see the good in them. You look past their obvious failings and you see their "potential". Perhaps you have chosen partners who were not good for you because you thought you could help them, fix them, make their lives right. Your ability to gently ease their plight gave you a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

The problem is, rarely is such a relationship equally beneficial for both parties. I would guess that you’ve often found yourself in relationships where you are giving, giving, giving, and not getting much in return. I am sure you have learned the hard way that it’s impossible to change another human being, even if the change is in their best interest. The only person you can change is you.

Two, by choosing a partner with bigger problems than you, it’s easier to avoid fixing yourself while you are focusing on fixing them. In other words, it may have been a subconsious avoidance tactic on your part… "it’s better to be with someone who causes me grief but who I can help, than to be by myself and have to work on helping myself."

Three, it is natural to gravitate towards people who are a reflection of ourselves (or of who we think we are). In the case of someone with low self esteem, the bar would be set low. Perhaps you have felt that you do not deserve any better. Perhaps you have felt that in choosing the "charlie brown christmas tree", there would be less risk of loss.

The key is to look inward for answers, seek to understand yourself, and learn to be comfortable on your own. As you begin to truly love yourself, instead of requiring that missing love to come from outside of yourself, you will become happier, more complete, more balanced. You will naturally attract similar people. You have so much to offer in a relationship, and waiting for a partner who truly deserves the gift of your love is a very wise choice.

Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/10/am-i-destined-to-be-alone-forever.html

How Far You've Come

Everyone has regrets. While the past will never go away, perhaps sharing experiences with kindred sister spirits will help you to make peace with it. You have endured a great many storms, and yet, you have prevailed. I daresay, the challenges have made you stronger and wiser.

Please love and appreciate yourself for the strides you have made, and for effectively coping with whatever life has thrown your way. While you may feel that times in the past have gone wrong, there really is no such thing. Everything that happens in life is a lesson meant for growth.

The fact that you have evolved as a person, and are striving to blossom, is a tribute to your strength of character. When you look at your life and ponder the moment, never forget: it's not where you are today that counts the most... it's how far you've come from where you started.

Let your light shine on!

Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/10/damnation-aly-pt-1.html

Poisonous Misogyny

Misogyny a.k.a. woman hating is what we are fighting against. The ingrained, deep seated belief that women are inferior to men, and that for a man to be like a woman means he is also inferior. Even women crack the "sissy-whip", in other words, even women are subversively misogynous. The sad thing is, despite women's lib, bra burning, fighting for equality... women still don't "get" it yet. By rejecting femininity in males, we inadvertently promote gender discrimination. We admit to the world that women are inferior. We are our own worst enemies.

It's true, if a man (or boy) exhibits feminine characteristics, both men and women will challenge his masculinity. Shouldn't women recognize that men wanting to emulate us is a step in the right direction for true equality? A man striving to be like a woman discredits the premise that men are naturally superior... it shakes the foundation of culturally engrained gender roles. It's no surprise misogynous men are afraid of this phenomenon, but feminists should be 100% supportive of men aspiring to be like us. I say, it's about time!

What breaks my heart about misogyny is the effect it has on little boys... the way they are discouraged from displaying emotions, limited from experiencing empathy and compassion, not permitted to openly express their full nature. While the birthright of masculinity has historically been considered superior, to be a little boy forced to become a man in today's world can be a very high price to pay. When I speak of "men's liberation", it is in reference to the necessary emacipation from the confines of a little black box called misogyny.

Macho bravado and stereotypical manly attributes are poison to a human spirit born in a male body. To be rigourously confined as such would be slow death for many whose true essence spans a wider spectrum than just the male role. My heart breaks for men, living in chains, prisoners of societal conditioning, the guardians of which are largely themselves.

Ideally, human beings would be free to express themselves in whatever degree of male/female that suits them, without fear or judgement. I am confident that at some point in our lifetimes, society will look upon this transgender discrimination in a similar light as we now look upon slavery. It's backward and barbaric. It's time to evolve!

Originally posted in response to: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/10/misogyny-makes-man.html

Our Family Bond

Over the past several months since starting GenderEvolve we have bonded, both as a group and individually. In addition to sharing friendship and trust, we have walked alongside one another’s personal journeys. Each of us has evolved as a result. Through this process of sharing thoughts and experiences, light is being shed where there was none before. We are collectively finding the words to define ourselves, our identities and our values. Through this unification of purpose and collective vision, we are working toward common goals. I feel our collective voice can only grow stronger every day. The work we are doing here at GenderEvolve is very special indeed… dare I say, evolutionary?

Since the beginning, I have felt connected to you. Our interactions have been enlightening, uplifting, quite often profound, intense and almost always very candid. Whether by virtual presence or in person, the connections among us have deepened to a degree where the only fitting description in my mind is “family”… and I mean the best kind of family. I feel as though you are my soul sisters, my kindred spirits, my loved ones… my family. When I openly and publicly express my love for you, individually or collectively, it is in this familial sense.In a world where we each feel so alone, we can turn to each other and be understood, be supported, and most importantly, be loved. We can laugh together, cry together, grow together… and in the process we are helping ourselves, each other, the TG community. Before too long, our voice will also reach beyond our little realm.

It is my hope that this very special family bond among us will continue to blossom and flourish for the rest of our natural lives, and then some. By reaching out to one another the bond is forged, which is the glue that holds us together. The stronger it becomes, the stronger we become, both individually and collectively.Bloodline does not make a family. Family is made in the heart, and based on unconditional love and acceptance. We already have these attributes among us, and we are only just beginning. I feel as though I’ve found my “place” in the grander scheme, and it’s with you, my family. Now that I’ve found you, I never want to lose you.

I am more contented and at peace with the direction of my life than I have ever been.Blessed be to you, my dearest spirit sisters… thank you.

Originally posted at: http://genderevolve.blogspot.com/2005/10/our-family-bond.html