Your Feminine Odyssey | Part Two

Welcome back to the blog! Today, we’re diving into more ways to live into the Feminine Odyssey. This installment is a bit shorter, but it's not a light one. Buckle up!

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the previous posts for context: The Feminine Odyssey: An Introduction and Your Feminine Odyssey: Part One.

Quietly Cultivate Your Dreams

Once you get in touch with your true values, passions, and dreams; it is important to nurture them. In Hudson’s book, she refers to this as “[creating] a secret world” (30).

Chances are, your recent revelations about your personality and path are valid. They may just need more time to come fully into fruition. 

For example, when I first began the process of being honest with myself, I realized that I wanted to be creative. Initially, I believed that writing a fiction novel would be the best way for me to express my imaginative side. I was so excited to finally explore this aspect of my personality, that I jumped the gun and told everyone I knew about my plan.

Unfortunately, I did not end up publishing a book in the expected time frame. In my disappointment and embarrassment, I shoved my creativity aside entirely. It was not until I discovered the Feminine Odyssey that I gained the courage to own this part of myself again. 

If only I would have slowed down and quietly nurtured these newfound capacities and dreams, I could have avoided the pain of reburying this part of my true nature. 

Before revealing your self-discoveries to the world, practice and grow them on your own–not out of fear but out of valuing this vulnerable part of you. 

Nurture your talents and passions.

Give yourself time to experiment, mess up, and try again. Cultivate a secret world where you can become fully alive. Take regularly scheduled time to go there–whether that means staying up late to make progress on your scrapbooking project or reading about ancient Greek myths during your lunch break at work.

However it looks for you, invest in your joy.

If needed, keep the depths and specifics of your dreams to yourself for a while. But if you feel a calling to join a group of people who share your passion, do it. Either way, the goal is to give your talents room to grow and breathe.

Don't get discouraged if you feel like you're not making progress. Instead, remind yourself that every minute you spend in this state of flow can only lead you in a positive direction.

Don't hyperfixate on the outcomes or on perfection. Instead, know that you are blessing yourself and choose to be fully present.

There’s no need to rush or to prove. If there is a passion in you and you quietly cultivate it, it will eventually flourish for everyone to see. 

Play

When was the last time you played? 

Playing is defined as “engaging in an activity for enjoyment… rather than for a practical purpose.” I would say that play is something that you derive joy, lightness, and life from WHILE you do. For example, even if cleaning gives you a sense of relief after it is done, it does not count as play since you do not feel lit up by the process of it.

Though rest and self-care are becoming more acceptable in our culture, play–doing something just for the fun of it–is often regarded as childish or wasteful. 

We are urged to make money off our hobbies and turn every past time into something productive or service-oriented. No matter how natural this may seem in modern-day America, this is not healthy! Humans need pure recreation and pure rest.

Not every moment needs to be a productive one.

In addition to this, our idea of recreation might be influenced by who we spend time with. If you’re an introvert surrounded by extroverts, you might have tricked yourself into thinking going out every night will make you happy. If you’re an adventurous [person raised by homebodies, you might be ignoring the restlessness inside you as your friends plan yet another movie night. 

We are all different and each of us has our own idea of what’s fun. Take time to invest in discovering this for yourself. 

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There are so many ways to explore this in affordable ways. If you used to love dressing up as a kid, you could search fashion aesthetics on Pinterest, visit a thrift store, or even get sewing supplies from your local grocery store. If you’ve always loved reading, try your hand at writing scripts or short stories. If you used to play sports but don’t have time to join a league, practice by yourself in the yard or invite a friend to the park for a casual game of basketball. 

Whatever you do, take the pressure off yourself. Have the mindset of “I’m doing this for me.” It can be helpful to refrain from telling others about it–especially if they’re the perfectionistic type. Don’t push yourself. And if you stop finding it fun, stop doing it! 

In her book, “The Virgin’s Promise,” Hudson states that for a woman on her Feminine Odyssey:

It “is often in playful times of freedom that she begins to know her inner self” (49).

It can be difficult to block out time for something that feels so superfluous. But I can promise you, play is important. 

When you play, you’re teaching your body and brain what it feels like to be free and joyful. You’re giving your body a new standard–not just what feels doable but what lights you up. The more you live into this, the more you learn about yourself and your dreams. By connecting with your inner child, you reconnect to your current self. 

Though it may seem to merely put you in a better mood in the short-term, long-term, having play as a part of your life will lead you on a path that brings deep fulfillment. 

So next time you want to skip your crochet date with yourself to work overtime, remember that play is a vehicle for envisioning a life that truly lights you up. 

Hudson, K. (2010). The virgin’s promise: Writing stories of feminine creative, spiritual, and sexual awakening. Michael Wiese Productions.