Cawfee Klatsch and Building Moxie! 4/27/14

Hello all you lovely people out there! How are you all doing this wonderful Springtime Sunday? It is a gorgeous day outside in my beloved New Jersey. I was out earlier today, and now I am home just relaxing and listening to the birdies outside!
I do hope you all had a chance to go read the Sunday Stew over at The Secret Life of the American Witch! Poor Kallan's computer took a nose dive and there hasn't been any Stew for a couple of weeks. But now it is back up and this is the Beltane edition. I have a blurp in it entitled 'Chrysalis Moments' and I do hope you will go over and read it, along with all the other fab stuff inside! But for now, grab a cuppa your favorite beverage (obviously, mine is COFFEE) and you can get a glimpse inside my mental meanderings...

When I decided to call this blog 'Mid-Stride Moxie'...it was as much an expression of how I feel about being in the Mid-Stride or Middle Aged part of my life as much as a challenge to live up to that title. There have been many times where someone has poo-pooed a dream, goal, or vision....been a wet blanket on an idea, hope, or experiment...or simply outright or subtly sabotaged tentative steps, efforts and enthusiasm. For their own reasons, people are willing to trash happiness, squelch determination, and destroy dreams. Understanding other people's motivations has been part of what I've done as a career for the better part of my life. It matters less WHY someone would do something like that to me or another person, and MORE about what I or someone else is willing and able to do in spite of it.

I'm not a very trusting person....I would like to be, but I'm not. I'm a product of my experiences and it has led me to believe you need to earn trust, in time, by living with integrity and speaking honestly. I despise the Passive/Aggressive personality that promises the moon and stars and then when not able to get their way, develop a 'I'm taking my ball and going home' attitude. I am in agony when I have to deal with the attention seekers and the life-long maligned and misunderstood who create drama....all the while they are in the eye of the storm watching Dorothy fly by in her house and whining because they feel that they should be the ones going to Oz. Am I so perfect in comparison? Hell, no....but I know and own my faults. Often I will avoid the company or conversation with others till I have my own head straight on a problem issue. It takes a lot of energy to get through those time and I try to be mindful of it. I will pick myself up and get moving again as soon as I can be reasonably sure I won't take it out on someone else. Then I find the path and start moving forward again...powered by my confidence, determination and strength of spirit.

I can't say enough how often lately I am hear people say things that are supposed to sound supportive, but in reality are words which can rob us of our Moxie. 'I wish I could do that...' 'Must be nice...' 'I'm so jealous...' 'You're so lucky...!' When we are feeling good, moving forward, achieving our goals, empowering ourselves and walking in confidence, those phrases have the ability to creep in and steal precious energy away and leave you feeling 'less-than' or 'undeserving'. Sometimes people don't know they are doing these things, for they are nowhere near self-aware or enlightened enough to know the harm those words can do to the spirit. Others....well, they know it, feel it and say/do it anyway. Because misery loves company and their strength and weakness come from trying to dispose of someone else's Moxie.

Moxie is not something that other people will give you...it is something you must nurture for yourself. Others can't support or compliment you into building your Moxie. You have to believe it and build on it all on your own. Moxie exists when there is no one around. Moxie is what moves your through the day when others may say, "I don't know how you do it!" Moxie is all about you knowing and accepting all of YOU. If you want Moxie, you have to take it, own it, believe it....good times and bad times. Moxie is knowing you are strong but not infallible...brave and chickenshit...ugly and beautiful...intelligent and still willing to learn, etc. You are who you are....and that is just perfect for you. Moxie gives you the key to open whatever door you decide to go through...because you believe you have the right to go there like anyone else. Will it always open the door? No...but Moxie takes you places, teaches you lessons, lets you meet new people who can help, see things from new perspectives, trust your own inner guide and find new paths to travel. In its essence...Moxie IS your life force...your spirit...your magick.

Easier said than done? Not really...for every moment we spend being our authentic selves is a moment of pure Moxie. Often we don't know how to start. We know we want more...ARE more but aren't sure how to reclaim that which has been denied by us for so long. Well, some would tell you to start by looking at what you want. Isn't that silly? If you knew what you wanted, you'd probably be doing it! So, I will challenge you in a different way. Start flexing that Moxie muscle by making a list of things you DON'T want. This isn't saying you need to make any changes right now...this list is about becoming aware of what your Moxie self is truly all about. Sometimes, it's easier to identify what you don't like or want than what you do. So...start by just writing everything and anything you don't want or like. NO JUDGING the list!! No cross outs...no guilt involved. Moxie is built on knowing yourself....good, bad and indifferent. In order to figure out what you do want in life...start by examining what you would like to get rid of.

This is the beginning of the 'onion peel'. But Moxie is like bearing the title of Queen...it is earned and once earned, it carries tremendous power. I have tried many times to encourage women to find their Moxie. Some have...others simply did not believe they could do it. Moxie is my Goddess energy...it is that gift of Divinity that lives in me and connects me to all things. How can I believe that I am a part of all things in this world if I don't even believe in myself? To do that would be to play a role, not walk with humility, wisdom and carry magick within me. Moxie is energy...pure spiritual energy...and the more I know of myself, the stronger it becomes. I can walk with confidence, even when I make mistakes and lose none of myself in the process. Moxie is part of my life force...my energy....and what I gain, allows me to share that positive energy with the world around me.  Even on those truly difficult days, Moxie is the what allows me to keep going. Moxie is the momentum of spirit...the magick in motion...guts and grace to keep us striving towards our goals and becoming the best person we can be.

Well friends, the cup is empty and that means it's time for me to go. I do hope you enjoyed your time here, and as always, I welcome your feedback! We'll get together again soon! I hope your week is a daring adventure...a delightful challenge...and gives you a chance to flex your Moxie!! Till next time...!