Being Cringe with the Devil

Happy Monday!

I’m currently in Dallas housesitting for a friend. I’ve spent my weekend hanging out with two adorable dogs—a chocolate lab and a vanilla lab. Yes, I know they’re called yellow labs, but I prefer my way.

I was supposed to spend my weekend revising my novel. I did do some of that, but not enough. Not as much as I expected. Instead, I watched TV and I napped. A lot. I also cried some. As I mentioned in my last post, I’m feeling my feelings. It sucks, honestly, but I also know it’s important work.

Normally, I would never admit in public that I cried. I’d pretend everything is fine, I’m fine, no really I’m totally fine. But I’m sort of done with that. It’s exhausting to pretend. Besides, aren’t we all sort of going through it right now? *gestures wildly at the world* It’s a lot, right?

I keep thinking about this idea of things being cringe. As I understand it, this term comes from the youngs, who think almost everything remotely vulnerable is highly embarrassing and should be avoided at all costs. Don’t be too excited about something, don’t make a mistake, don’t give someone the ick, don’t let anyone know you have needs or insecurities.

And we wonder why people are riddled with anxiety and avoid connection at all costs.

The truth is that if we want to be fully human we have to be willing to embarrass ourselves a little. More than that, if we want to be a Creative Human, we must be even more comfortable with the possibility someone might judge us. Because someone WILL judge us. Lots of someones, hopefully, if we want our work to have any sort of significant audience.

The Messy Muse doesn’t want you to be unembarrassing. She wants you to be as cringe as possible. Making mistakes is how we grow. Being vulnerable is how we connect. Taking chances is how we achieve goals.

So your assignment this week is to practice being cringe. Care about the things you care about out loud. Say the awkward thing. Share something you made and are proud of even if it’s not perfect (nothing is perfect anyway). Laugh with yourself (not at yourself) when you make a mistake. Talk to your crush. Just give less fucks in general about being judged. It’s so freeing. And you’ll probably find that in freeing yourself of this fear of being judged your creative work will flourish.

If you do something really cringe please be sure to come back and tell us about it. We will celebrate you, I promise.

Okay now onto this week’s tarot prompt.

This week’s card is The Devil. Don’t freak out.

Keywords: Bondage, addiction, materialism, the shadow, temptation.

Obviously, there are powerful archetypal and moral messages attached to the figure out the Devil. Sex, money, power, corruption, sin.

Usually when this guy pops up, you’ve got ask yourself some hard questions: What are you ignoring? What’s holding you back? Where are you giving away your power? How are you relying on external solutions for internal problems?

The Devil is just a messenger. He wants you to confront yourself instead of running away from the truth through external distractions. Stop abandoning yourself and take responsibility for your own liberation. In order to do this, you must take a long look at your shadows instead of repressing them (they only grow stronger when you do that). Being able to acknowledge, confront, and ultimately befriend your shadows allows you be liberated from their control.

Prompts:

-What attachments or beliefs are influencing your decisions negatively? Do these stories serve you or do they keep you trapped in a narrative that no longer serves you?

-How do you define freedom? Are you living in a way that honors this definition?

-Think about a place in your life where you feel inauthentic. What fears contribute to showing up this way?

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I hope you have a cringe week, friends!

-The Messy Muse