Painting by Nikolay Tolmachev
Entry for TEAMGIRLPOWA Poetry Contest
Theme: Feminist Fire
From Malkuth to Binah
I cultivate that inner Fire
and offer that
energy from
my Hell Rose
upward.
Artist Statement
Below is my response to the description of the poetry contest; where the description is in italics and my response is in normal font.
Feminist Fire is about strength.
This poem is about the 'feminine' aspect of Divinity, the inner sacred Fire that resides in us all, the Shekinah, as referred to by the Ancient Hebrews. She is the same Force as described by Eastern yogis as the goddess Shakti; whose name means "power, ability, strength, might, effort, energy, capability" in Sanskrit and personifies the primordial cosmic energy that perpetuates manifest existence. I do suspect an etymological origin between both words.
It is the effective application of this Force that is described by the Major Arcana is The Strength card. The traditional depiction of this card as shown in the Rider-Waite deck shows a Lady with a lemniscate symbol above her head (symbolizing her link with Divinity; also shown above the head of the The Magician) gently taming a wild ferocious feline. This is about bringing order to chaos by proper application of Will. That Strength is personified as feminine. The feminine aspect of Divinity, to be precise.
And that is how I cultivate my inner Fire, as mentioned in the first line of the poem.
It’s about an unflinching look at our feelings. It’s about not denying our own emotions, but using them instead, using them to change the world.
Just like Shamans throughout history, I live as a personification of this Force, and it is The fuel that powers our vessels to repair the world.
To change minds, to affirm ourselves and our sisters, to speak into the universe this truth: “I am here.” Feminist fire is a tribute to women’s power. It announces that we are done lying to ourselves and each other, that we will express ourselves however we damn well please. Feminist fire is about sharing our truth, no matter how messy it is. It is about unapologetic women and passionate women and women who own their realities. It is about women who reclaim their power, and it is about the beauty and fire of a woman’s spirit, and it is about speaking aloud what must be spoken in order for us all to be free.
My raw messy Truth is that I am a fiery individual that lives life as though I am a personification of the universal creative Fire that is perpetually creating things and using Chaos to do it. When I am not busy taming wild animals metaphorically and literally; I am at home regenerating, or relieving excess fiery pressure.
The #teamgirlpowa post announcing the poetry contest can be found here.
