I was honored to offer the closing speech at this year's BurlyCon. By request, I have posted it here. Comments are welcome and please share with attribution. Please enjoy!
Hello everyone!
I want to start by acknowledging how each and every one of you showed up this weekend. No matter how you participated, I invite you to take a moment and appreciate everything that you've done and how you contributed to this glorious, glittery juggernaut. You showed up, and that is no small feat. Well done.
I'd love to talk today about two things - truth and completion.
We are living in an unprecedented time of change both collectively and personally. There isn't a single corner of our lives that hasn't been touched by change, and with change comes lots of emotions, adjustments, negotiations and choices of surrender and resistance. There is a powerful tide of truth rising. This is both personal and collective, and I encourage you to ground what I am speaking about into the truth of your own life.
When shadows are exposed, there is darkness certainly, but what dispels it is the presence of light and of truth that allows everything to be seen exactly as it is.
For anyone who is scared of truth and what it forces us to confront and accept, please know there is nothing to be scared of. When we begin to get comfortable with speaking, singing and dancing our truth, we create empowerment anchored in the unwavering presence of love.
With truth comes completion.
When we rise up and say what we are done with, we quicken the dispatch of the oppressive systems that are dependent upon abuses of power and their perpetrators.
By embracing conscious completion, we build the resonance of integrity, resilience, and courage that we and our communities can use to bolster ourselves and each other in times of fear and uncertainty.
Completion clears the slate. Completion allows in the sacred energy of death so that something new can be born in its place. Completion allows us to move on as we let go of what no longer serves us.
Please remember that when something ends, something new always begins, and that you have a say as to what comes in to both nourish and support you.
So what are you ready to be complete with?
Maybe you're done with your old burlesque paradigm as you integrate the new moves, skills and tricks you've learned over this weekend.
Maybe you're done with feeling "small" as you begin to embrace and own how big you truly can be.
Or maybe you're done with the presence of lack and are ready to accept the deeply nourishing faith that you are more than enough, that you are worthy of love and that you have something truly valuable to offer the world.
If you are asking yourself who the F am I to be telling the truth and stepping into completion and claiming my own light, I ask you who the F aren't you to be doing this?
For those already speaking the truth from your hearts, I see you and support you.
For anyone coming to terms with the messiness and discomfort of truth, I see you and support you.
For those who aren't ready to be complete, I see you and support you.
As we cradle and heal our individual and collective wounds, may we always acknowledge and activate the presence of love so that we may respond instead of reacting.
May we cultivate the willingness to see things clearly so that we affect our own lives and the lives of others with consciousness and love.
May we show up with love no matter what, knowing that when we show up for ourselves, we make it easier for everyone else to show up as well.
May we let go of what is done so that we may fully land in each present moment, loving ourselves fiercely and fully.
I wish each and every one of you a safe trip home. Please take exquisite care of yourself. You're integrating a lot, and I see you and I support you in loving yourself no matter what.
I love you and thank you.