Masks.Costumes. We wear them throughout the year, and no more so than at Halloween. Halloween gives us special permission to be that funny, sexy, terrifying thing that secretly (at other times of the year) delights us, and hopefully others. My transformations throughout my years have reflected the essence of where I was at that time in my life: a little woman in my childhood, pretty in pink with a huge pompadour hairdo, then in adolescence, talking two of my friends into a large green caterpillar, out of which we popped, mid-party, into three butterflies. A Goth before it was popular in my 20’s. This year, as promised in an earlier blog, I went as Trailer Trash, embracing all the “vices” that in my professional life I must eschew!
Photo courtesy of Lynne Lawlor Photography
Bawdy, irresponsible, outlandish…delighting everyone around me, and giving me special permission to express that part of me I don’t usually get to exercise. As I often do, this time of the year makes me wonder, what would it be like if we dressed as our hidden alters more often? If we could celebrate, instead of disowning, those inner demons we’re convinced others will judge us by?
In my practice, I invite my clients to explore more of themselves, and will explore this more in depth in future journalings. When they do, their lives become more vibrant, and full of opportunity. When we draw our monsters in to our bosoms, we embrace their hidden power. If you did dress up this Halloween, or if you think of a favorite costume you donned in a past year, what would it be like if you could be that more often? It’s a wonderful thing to consider.
We actually wear masks each day, the mask of the professional, of the parent, of the Nice Person; we all have a standard go-to persona that we present to the world, circumscribing, I believe to our mutual loss, the full impact of our larger and much more intricate selves. Even though it’s past Halloween, for almost another year, consider carrying on the challenge: dare to don a different mask and costume, if you dare, into your everyday life. Perhaps not as dramatically, but in subtle ways, we can convey that we are more than the sum of our parts.