2 min read

divine feminine

i am persistent joy - a self portrait by leonie wise

divine feminine
it’s taken me
a long time
to learn that
feminine doesn’t have
to mean skinny
glamorous, sporty or
fit… or wearing
designer labels, makeup
or heels. there’s
no need to
be first, or
even ‘keep up’,
be ahead of
the pack, or
be part of
the pack at
all. there’s no
competition for her –
“come as you
are, whatever your
shape, size, age
or background” is
her mantra.

one can be
the embodiment of
divine feminine, just
as much in
jeans and dr.
marten boots, as
she who wears
makeup, paints her
nails and wears
trelise cooper, or
karen walker. she
can be barefoot
with paint covered
hands, from smearing
paint onto paper
in the backyard
sunshine. she can
be a glamourpuss
more comfortable in
heels than gumboots.

she can love
the ocean and
being outside in
a tent. she
can love hair
salons, facials, spas
and champagne. she
might never fully
reveal herself until
she feels she
can trust, or
she may be
the one who
dares what another
longs to do –
show the world
who she truly
is, without fear.

she may profess
a lack of
creativity, yet always
cook the most
delicious meals, beautifully
presented and made
with love. she
may be a
poet, or photographer,
jeweller, painter, musician.
she may be
an entrepreneur, or
have no profession.

she’s the one
who makes things
happen. she’s the
one who accepts
life, just as
it is. she
is intolerant of
injustice, she loves
with all her
heart. she never
gives up, yet
knows when
to surrender. she
takes care of
herself – knowing that
only by doing
so can she
be completely
present and caring
toward others. it’s

not her job
to tell you
what your life
should be like
as she knows
that no-one is
perfect and that
what is true
for her isn’t
necessarily the truth
for another. it’s
not advice she’ll
give you, it’s
an ear, a
shoulder, a place
of refuge when
life gets rough.
she’s got laughter
and madness in
equal quantities and
mischief dancing in
her smile. there’s
nothing you can’t tell
her – and she’ll
keep your secrets
knowing they were
given with trust
into her care.

she could be
a mother, or
one who has
borne no children
of her own.
she can be
single, or married –
gay, straight or
experimental. she is
light and dark,
power and softness,
her beauty isn’t
skin deep, it
shines through her
eyes, from within
her soul. she
is the divine
that is you.

* for every beautiful woman in my life, who is the embodiment of the divine feminine (whether she believes it or not).
** inspired by a conversation yesterday with my new divinely feminine friends and by being in sacred space