Ah Katerina! A monk by the sea! Another book chapter! I love how you write about the things that we cannot see. Maybe the things we don’t want to see.
Thank you for guiding us into the shadows. Sometimes we need to gently trip over the truth. Rejection is a deep wound that hides well. Your writing slowly turns on the light of revealing. Slowly. Not blinding. You gives us a chance to let in the light. A little at a time. That is a gift of a great writer. Like water having a chance to be absorbed by this dry parched soil that we have become.
The glass screen has slowly become the altar of our being. The beckoning, glistening, display has always been an empty mirror, a shadow that does not reflect back our true light. We consciously invented technology yet unconsciously we have allowed technology to reinvent us. Thank you for Being a true reflection that helps us to live into the questions of our own becoming. Air, fire, water, earth, wind. All here, all for us. Breath. Doubt. Surrender. Love is born in mystery. Look up the moon is on fire and there is a mermaid tasting the salt of the sea. Keep writing! We need you!
I love those artists, the pictures, and will dive in to those links! Wow. So much here! I grow - Here!
"We consciously invented technology, yet unconsciously we have allowed technology to reinvent us."
Jamie, I always gathering precious comments from you that give me structure or a new perspective, thank you for the light, for seeing, for wanting to see, and for the way you see my writing.
It can only help me grow, bloom even more, as I am that patch of soil needing fresh water while writing and becoming, getting closer or moving further into my own way of curating, questioning, doubting, or enjoying life.
The moon will always be around, the mermaid will always taste the salt of the sea, and the writer will always keep writing. Take your time to dive, to be, to grow, glow, and breathe. The screens are here to stay, but the reflection we give each other will always reflect our true light back, with or without the screens we have become so attached to. Thank you for choosing! <3
Thank you too! For the gift of heArt! Those artists. Those paintings. Maybe we don’t visit them or stare at them in appreciation of skill. Maybe they help us feel less alone in a world where we see ourselves appearing then disappearing every day? The marketing machine feeds us teeth, heels, women’s legs, shaved chests, as the visible. Maybe we are looking for the unseen? Yes screens are here. Yet there is more to see. To feel. To Be! Thank you for choosing to be a painter. An artist. A creator. Thank you for helping us see the light in the shadows. Thank you for helping us find our own…reflection 🪞 ❤️
"The Nude and the Naked"—the seen and the unseen, as you've so beautifully written about.
The wishful thinking, the missing love, the fragility, and the temporariness of all things lead us to seek availability for belonging. Whatever may cripple us, we are, in fact, more resilient than we often allow ourselves to believe. As you mentioned in one of our conversations, sometimes all we need is permission. I’d like to believe that by writing, I give myself permission to rethink. Perhaps I’m not right or wrong—it's not about that. It's about humanity embracing or questioning how we allow ourselves to be influenced or impacted in return.
The reflection can only mirror what we allow ourselves to see, for in the end, we are not only passive observers but active creators of our own truths. Thank you Jamie!🪞 ❤️
Katerina, as a recovering people-pleaser, rejection resonates with me in a deeply personal way. I even wrote a short essay on the tension between people-pleasing and self-pleasing in my latest book, Croneology, inspired by a huge decision I was having to make last year. Your newsletter shines such deep compassion, and it’s so incredibly generous of you to share insights, wisdom and knowledge that could easily fill up a whole series of workshops.
You remind me of when I was writing my Like Button post and how I learnt that by choosing to press the ‘right’ LB, I was able to stay true to my own path and align with my own values and belief system, not others. Indeed, rejection is something artists and writers face all the time, but what stands out most to me both personally and in my experience as a psychotherapist, is when a person begins to reject themselves and how very upsetting it is to watch them fall into cycles of misery and despair.
Through my Jungian lens, self-rejection connects us deeply to the shadow, that hidden part of ourselves we suppress when it conflicts with our ideal self or societal expectations. Feeding this hungry shadow through negativity strengthens it, making us feel disconnected. Healing begins when we approach our shadow with kindness, accepting it as part of who we are. In doing so, it transforms into inner strength and deeper self-understanding.
Thank you so much for this powerful reminder! Thanks again, this is so generous of you. ❤️🙏
I know, Deborah—keeping the peace, people-pleasing, overanalyzing others—most empaths, myself included, try so hard to keep everyone happy and supported. I'm grateful that both you and I have found our way through the Jungian lens, learning to see, hear, and observe the shadow. We've dared to dive into those hidden parts and, at the same time, made space for ourselves to shine—without feeling that our light takes away from anyone else’s. We each carry our own brightness.
You share yours so beautifully—through your healing work, your presence as a psychotherapist, and your ability to see truth. Sometimes, that’s what’s needed most: someone simply holding the mirror.
Thank you, Deborah—for sharing, for inspiring, for writing, and for staying true to yourself. I deeply appreciate your perspective. I always enjoy reading your posts and your thoughtful comments. I feel honored to be in the presence of such a wise and lovely Crone.❤️🙏
Make that a weepy one, now! Thank you so much Katerina for your big and beautiful reply. As I wrote in my homage poem, a few years back, to Ram Dass, we're all just leap-frogging each other home. Thanks so much for being here! And in the words and wisdom of Jamie, we need you! We need each other! ❤️🙏
Thanks for taking us into this deep dive into the layers of rejection, Katerina. Something for everyone here, so much to relate to — and break away from — the dogma of conservative cultural conditioning — reject them. We are on a continual and cyclic learning journey, pedalling together — to the path of acceptance. 🙏 💚
I’m so overjoyed—by you, by your words, by being here. I deeply admire you, the acceptance you embody, and the choices you make in your stories here on Substack.
Yes to breaking away from the things that make us feel smaller. Yes to separating and individuating, so we can become givers to those who will truly cherish our gifts—and receivers from those who choose us for who we are, and who we’re becoming. Thank you 🤗🙏✨!
Thank you Katerina, l appreciate the connection and your kind words very much. I am grateful for the community l have found here, the support and acceptance for us each to be who we are, share our stories and understanding of how we came to be where we are and our continuing expansion, weaving our web of existence. Grateful for the gift 🙏😊💜
🙏✨Yes—standing apart, or even alone, can be a way of holding space for yourself when there’s no one else who truly sees you. It happens in life. But then, being with people who can see you becomes part of your life—a new one.
We’re all loners sometimes. But still, we are never truly alone. We’re part of a whole. And we are also whole ourselves, especially when we recognize that we belong to the vastness of the universe—of nature
Thank you so much for a wise and moving piece. I know I will read it again and again, to find all the layers, ask myself all the necessary questions, contemplate and reexamine. My first memory from childhood, as a newly blind three year old, is of rejection by a potential sighted playmate. I know it has shaped my world ever since then, and I can only hope to move forward by compassionate awareness and careful study. You gave me a lot to think about and I am very grateful.
Thank you so much for sharing, Tali. I'm sorry you had to face—or even feel that you had to face—rejection from such a young age. Early experiences shape our inner and outer worlds in ways we might never fully bring into consciousness.
Compassion toward ourselves means holding ourselves when no one else can. Holding on to our essence is a way of honoring our existence in this universe—it’s the least we can do: holding space for ourselves, and for others who meet us halfway; those with whom we share our stories, the people we choose, and who choose us in return.
Thank you for choosing to move forward, to contemplate, to recognize yourself along the way—and for giving that little boy you were a place to feel seen again. I am very grateful as well! <3
Thank you. I don't think I was mad at him per se, not even as a child. I simply lamented the fact that he felt he did not wish to play with me because I could not see. The adult in me recognizes the fact that he spoke his truth and was right to do so.
I get it, thank you for the clarity! It takes (a wise heart) maturity to accept both your childhood perspective and someone else's truth. Holding both is a real kind of strength.
Thank you. This allows me to be true to myself. Interestingly, you spoke of the maturity of rejection in a clear and kind manner, rather than ghosting. I had that experience a week ago and was able to appreciate it for its honesty and freedom of movement. It came from a friend, who decided to leave a group of writers we were both in and separate herself from everyone in that group. She stated it simply, in a pleasant manner, that was quite matter-of-factly. I did think about it for a day or two, because I appreciated her honesty as a person, in general. But i felt the way she did it was respectful.
The maturity of rejecting in a kind manner is a great goal to aim for. It’s wonderful when someone shifts or changes the way we’re used to thinking about something and act differently. I’m inspired to try, to find ways in which I can rethink how I respond in my own way. I’m glad you've shared this. :)
As an artist, I understand myself as a "wounded healer." My work is Chironic in nature. I heal myself, because my work heals others through story, paintings and sculpture. That is its purpose; my purpose.
Ah Katerina! A monk by the sea! Another book chapter! I love how you write about the things that we cannot see. Maybe the things we don’t want to see.
Thank you for guiding us into the shadows. Sometimes we need to gently trip over the truth. Rejection is a deep wound that hides well. Your writing slowly turns on the light of revealing. Slowly. Not blinding. You gives us a chance to let in the light. A little at a time. That is a gift of a great writer. Like water having a chance to be absorbed by this dry parched soil that we have become.
The glass screen has slowly become the altar of our being. The beckoning, glistening, display has always been an empty mirror, a shadow that does not reflect back our true light. We consciously invented technology yet unconsciously we have allowed technology to reinvent us. Thank you for Being a true reflection that helps us to live into the questions of our own becoming. Air, fire, water, earth, wind. All here, all for us. Breath. Doubt. Surrender. Love is born in mystery. Look up the moon is on fire and there is a mermaid tasting the salt of the sea. Keep writing! We need you!
I love those artists, the pictures, and will dive in to those links! Wow. So much here! I grow - Here!
Thank You! 🧜🏼♀️🌗❤️
"We consciously invented technology, yet unconsciously we have allowed technology to reinvent us."
Jamie, I always gathering precious comments from you that give me structure or a new perspective, thank you for the light, for seeing, for wanting to see, and for the way you see my writing.
It can only help me grow, bloom even more, as I am that patch of soil needing fresh water while writing and becoming, getting closer or moving further into my own way of curating, questioning, doubting, or enjoying life.
The moon will always be around, the mermaid will always taste the salt of the sea, and the writer will always keep writing. Take your time to dive, to be, to grow, glow, and breathe. The screens are here to stay, but the reflection we give each other will always reflect our true light back, with or without the screens we have become so attached to. Thank you for choosing! <3
Thank you too! For the gift of heArt! Those artists. Those paintings. Maybe we don’t visit them or stare at them in appreciation of skill. Maybe they help us feel less alone in a world where we see ourselves appearing then disappearing every day? The marketing machine feeds us teeth, heels, women’s legs, shaved chests, as the visible. Maybe we are looking for the unseen? Yes screens are here. Yet there is more to see. To feel. To Be! Thank you for choosing to be a painter. An artist. A creator. Thank you for helping us see the light in the shadows. Thank you for helping us find our own…reflection 🪞 ❤️
"The Nude and the Naked"—the seen and the unseen, as you've so beautifully written about.
The wishful thinking, the missing love, the fragility, and the temporariness of all things lead us to seek availability for belonging. Whatever may cripple us, we are, in fact, more resilient than we often allow ourselves to believe. As you mentioned in one of our conversations, sometimes all we need is permission. I’d like to believe that by writing, I give myself permission to rethink. Perhaps I’m not right or wrong—it's not about that. It's about humanity embracing or questioning how we allow ourselves to be influenced or impacted in return.
The reflection can only mirror what we allow ourselves to see, for in the end, we are not only passive observers but active creators of our own truths. Thank you Jamie!🪞 ❤️
Katerina, as a recovering people-pleaser, rejection resonates with me in a deeply personal way. I even wrote a short essay on the tension between people-pleasing and self-pleasing in my latest book, Croneology, inspired by a huge decision I was having to make last year. Your newsletter shines such deep compassion, and it’s so incredibly generous of you to share insights, wisdom and knowledge that could easily fill up a whole series of workshops.
You remind me of when I was writing my Like Button post and how I learnt that by choosing to press the ‘right’ LB, I was able to stay true to my own path and align with my own values and belief system, not others. Indeed, rejection is something artists and writers face all the time, but what stands out most to me both personally and in my experience as a psychotherapist, is when a person begins to reject themselves and how very upsetting it is to watch them fall into cycles of misery and despair.
Through my Jungian lens, self-rejection connects us deeply to the shadow, that hidden part of ourselves we suppress when it conflicts with our ideal self or societal expectations. Feeding this hungry shadow through negativity strengthens it, making us feel disconnected. Healing begins when we approach our shadow with kindness, accepting it as part of who we are. In doing so, it transforms into inner strength and deeper self-understanding.
Thank you so much for this powerful reminder! Thanks again, this is so generous of you. ❤️🙏
I know, Deborah—keeping the peace, people-pleasing, overanalyzing others—most empaths, myself included, try so hard to keep everyone happy and supported. I'm grateful that both you and I have found our way through the Jungian lens, learning to see, hear, and observe the shadow. We've dared to dive into those hidden parts and, at the same time, made space for ourselves to shine—without feeling that our light takes away from anyone else’s. We each carry our own brightness.
You share yours so beautifully—through your healing work, your presence as a psychotherapist, and your ability to see truth. Sometimes, that’s what’s needed most: someone simply holding the mirror.
Thank you, Deborah—for sharing, for inspiring, for writing, and for staying true to yourself. I deeply appreciate your perspective. I always enjoy reading your posts and your thoughtful comments. I feel honored to be in the presence of such a wise and lovely Crone.❤️🙏
Make that a weepy one, now! Thank you so much Katerina for your big and beautiful reply. As I wrote in my homage poem, a few years back, to Ram Dass, we're all just leap-frogging each other home. Thanks so much for being here! And in the words and wisdom of Jamie, we need you! We need each other! ❤️🙏
I like the idea that we all leap-frogging each other home. 😍🙏✨I'll think of this.
Thanks for taking us into this deep dive into the layers of rejection, Katerina. Something for everyone here, so much to relate to — and break away from — the dogma of conservative cultural conditioning — reject them. We are on a continual and cyclic learning journey, pedalling together — to the path of acceptance. 🙏 💚
Simone,
I’m so overjoyed—by you, by your words, by being here. I deeply admire you, the acceptance you embody, and the choices you make in your stories here on Substack.
Yes to breaking away from the things that make us feel smaller. Yes to separating and individuating, so we can become givers to those who will truly cherish our gifts—and receivers from those who choose us for who we are, and who we’re becoming. Thank you 🤗🙏✨!
Thank you Katerina, l appreciate the connection and your kind words very much. I am grateful for the community l have found here, the support and acceptance for us each to be who we are, share our stories and understanding of how we came to be where we are and our continuing expansion, weaving our web of existence. Grateful for the gift 🙏😊💜
This is such a good piece. If one can’t be alone, stand alone. I don’t think can ever truly be.
🙏✨Yes—standing apart, or even alone, can be a way of holding space for yourself when there’s no one else who truly sees you. It happens in life. But then, being with people who can see you becomes part of your life—a new one.
We’re all loners sometimes. But still, we are never truly alone. We’re part of a whole. And we are also whole ourselves, especially when we recognize that we belong to the vastness of the universe—of nature
Thank you so much for a wise and moving piece. I know I will read it again and again, to find all the layers, ask myself all the necessary questions, contemplate and reexamine. My first memory from childhood, as a newly blind three year old, is of rejection by a potential sighted playmate. I know it has shaped my world ever since then, and I can only hope to move forward by compassionate awareness and careful study. You gave me a lot to think about and I am very grateful.
Thank you so much for sharing, Tali. I'm sorry you had to face—or even feel that you had to face—rejection from such a young age. Early experiences shape our inner and outer worlds in ways we might never fully bring into consciousness.
Compassion toward ourselves means holding ourselves when no one else can. Holding on to our essence is a way of honoring our existence in this universe—it’s the least we can do: holding space for ourselves, and for others who meet us halfway; those with whom we share our stories, the people we choose, and who choose us in return.
Thank you for choosing to move forward, to contemplate, to recognize yourself along the way—and for giving that little boy you were a place to feel seen again. I am very grateful as well! <3
Thank you. I don't think I was mad at him per se, not even as a child. I simply lamented the fact that he felt he did not wish to play with me because I could not see. The adult in me recognizes the fact that he spoke his truth and was right to do so.
I get it, thank you for the clarity! It takes (a wise heart) maturity to accept both your childhood perspective and someone else's truth. Holding both is a real kind of strength.
Thank you. This allows me to be true to myself. Interestingly, you spoke of the maturity of rejection in a clear and kind manner, rather than ghosting. I had that experience a week ago and was able to appreciate it for its honesty and freedom of movement. It came from a friend, who decided to leave a group of writers we were both in and separate herself from everyone in that group. She stated it simply, in a pleasant manner, that was quite matter-of-factly. I did think about it for a day or two, because I appreciated her honesty as a person, in general. But i felt the way she did it was respectful.
The maturity of rejecting in a kind manner is a great goal to aim for. It’s wonderful when someone shifts or changes the way we’re used to thinking about something and act differently. I’m inspired to try, to find ways in which I can rethink how I respond in my own way. I’m glad you've shared this. :)
Self-acceptance as a radical act of love in the age we live in.
Oh, Rubén, well said, well said! Thank you for being here!🙏✨
As an artist, I understand myself as a "wounded healer." My work is Chironic in nature. I heal myself, because my work heals others through story, paintings and sculpture. That is its purpose; my purpose.
'Wounded healer' – lovely. Aren’t we all, in some way? I sure hope so!
Chiron the wounded healer archetype. This is the purpose — beautifully said. Thank you for choosing to share this!
XOXXXOX
https://youtu.be/p98PjtSfNWo
🙏✨🙏