Summary: I have a thing about superheroes. It’s the masks I don’t get. Whenever there’s a crisis, the hero, generally masquerading as a less-than-ordinary working stiff, slips off to the broom closet to magically reappear in a cape and a mask with the strength to save the day, and in some episodes, the world. Who was that masked person, we ask? All the while, they have the same build, the same voice, eyes and features of the people we work alongside and take for granted five days a week. Diana Prince flying invisible jets and pulling Steve Trevor back from the brink of death all the time? Impossible. Clark Kent—that bungling journalist who couldn't never get a word in edgewise with the boss—you mean to tell me he raced backwards around the globe to set the world back on its axis last week? You cray. What if we had that kind of greatness in our midst? Greater still is this: what if we possessed power to change lives and heal the world? We do—on both counts. Which is why the mask thing gets me. It’s probably Halloween that’s bringing all of this up for me right now, yet it bears mentioning on any given day. Some theorists would say the masks, or the alternate egos were personality aspects that weren’t fully embraced in childhood and were therefore triggered by serious trauma or emotional overload. Any shaman worth her rattle would tell us that a major animating aspect of those heroes' souls had gone missing and needed to be called back in if they were to be fully realized and whole in their lives. Just look at the poor anger management skills of David Banner and the pitifully small game Diana Prince played by day. Had the superheroes learned to work with their power, to come out—and stay out—of the closet and be their true selves in the full light of day, there’d be no need for split personalities, disowned selves, and hiding in plain sight. They'd be able to exist as full, contributing members of the community instead of faking it at the edges of society. Learning to embrace our inherent power by honoring our gifts and leaning into them rather than cloaking them means we get to ditch the need for masks—and drama. It’s an act of courage that makes us responsible for ourselves and for the world around us. We no longer have a free pass to pass the accountability buck and hide out in the fantasy that someone’s coming to save us from us. Instead, we get to get it together and do it ourselves. We stop projecting our hopes or disappointments on the masked man; we begin the work of removing the masks that keep us from our power; we show up; we get busy. The author Maeve Binchy once wrote, Everybody is a hero in their own story if you just look. Looking at your own story, what are the secret strengths you’ve been hiding in plain sight? How willing are you to ditch your mask and activate your own power? No pressure, honey, but the world is waiting. - - - - - - You might also like: Victims Good Energy Tip(s): Know & Act The Inconvenience of Stars Practical Magic
