Who is the Maiden? 

Personally, it is THE reason for all of this that I am creating. The Maiden is our inner, young selves, our innocence, our curiosity, our playfulness. 

Just imagine a child who is unapologetically herself. Life is just a big playground for her. 

Like any archetype, there is a light and a shadow. The dark aspects of the Maiden: dependent, victim, helpless. She is waiting to be rescued. 

But, when she is light, she is that little brave girl that stands up to giants because she DGAF. 

The overarching theme of everything in this hub is that we have lost touch with our inner Maiden.

The Maiden is so important in our journey. She is the counterbalance to the rigid rationality that tells us...

"Why waste your time writing a book? Who is gonna read it?" 

"Just be practical and reasonable and get back to work! You got bills to pay!" 

"That thing you are dreaming about is only for a few lucky people, not you!" 

The Maiden is what we need to believe...

• that your dreams matter 
• that you can achieve them
• that you deserve to take up space and be heard (uhm, ever seen a kid apologize for being too much?) 

As adults, we need a little bit of that energy so we can plop our lady balls on the table, enjoy our free time for real (instead of feeling guilty because we are not being productive) and just get the most out of life! 

We weren't born to save money for retirement.

We weren't born to make sensible choices. 

We weren't born to mindlessly consume. 

That's the life without the Maiden. An endless slog of duties. No joy. No play. No daring. No imagination.

The second card I pulled was the Vow, and that will be the reflection for this post. 

Every day, we live by conscious and unconscious vows. 

In relationships, we vow loyalty, protection, support, love. 

But what about the vows we make to ourselves?

Have you ever thought of that? 

I remember reaching a point during my journey where I realized that it had never occurred to me to show up and do things at work BECAUSE I LOVE MYSELF. 

One thing I have realized is that my inner critic is like a vow. 

A vow to make things hard for myself. 

A vow to always be in my way. 

A vow to keep me small and hidden. 

Did I choose this consciously? Yes and no. 

The vow was born out of a desire to survive when I had no other mechanism to survive. 

I grew up, the vows kept the Maiden safe and protected, but also imprisoned and restrained. I lost the Maiden and forgot what she looked like. 

But she kept calling back. 

And that became a lifelong struggle to get back to her and rescue her. 

I had to start by undoing those vows so I could make new ones. 

Reflect on the card: 

• Think of a time that you were hurt as a child. How did you respond to it, so that you would never be hurt again? That probably became an unconscious vow you made to yourself.
• Are there vows that you made a long time ago, but forgot to keep your promise? (For instance, something that you loved when you were younger and stopped doing because adult life got in the way...that's a vow of self-expression that have broken)
• Knowing this, what new, CONSCIOUS vow can you make to yourself and your inner Maiden? She wishes to be loved, seen, adored, accepted AS SHE IS. How can you uphold this, today?