Breathing Fire: Let Your Dragon Burn, Baby, Burn

Most of us struggle with how powerful we might be. We spend a lot of time banking down flames, avoiding conflict, not wanting to hurt people’s feelings, not being too much. We are afraid of breathing fire in the world. We want to be NICE.

I do, at least. Do you? Ugh.

Because, yeah, well, nice is, well, nice. And it’s damning with faint praise, when you think about it…

What Happens if You Let Go of Nice?

And instead go for thinking about how you can light a fire of creativity and delight in the person you’re talking with? Or apply some sparks that pop something open for them, and for you, even if you maybe both squirm a little from the heat?

I think that beats ‘nice.’

(And you often can do it with kindness, if you’re agile. Which is a different thing altogether. And sometimes, just fire is enough, scary as that is.)

There Be Dragons Here

My dragon popped up in full force one morning after I moved to the Catskills, as I engaged in an ongoing battle of wits and will to survive my first winter alone in these mountains. I dreamed of dragons that night, and as I woke up, stayed frozen for almost a half an hour afraid to open my eyes, certain I was going to have scales and talons instead of Leigh hands.

Now I’m rather disappointed that I waited too long to see those scales.

That dragon is in there under that human suit – in its gorgeous, reptilian, irascible, uncontrollable, burning marvelousness. And I think we need to learn to let it out…and learn that we can’t always put it back if we do.

It’s a risk, unleashing that power in ourselves out into the world. But what do you risk if you don’t?

Want to find out?

A Gathering of Dragons, Reluctant and Enthusiastic

If you’re a contained dragon of the feminine persuasion, yearning to slip the leash… (or if you know one you’d like to send away for a weekend):

Join our merry band of fire-breathers at a workshop at Spillian with me in April. With some story, a little art and movement, a lot of imagining, some soul-searching and fire making, along with some seriously good food…we’re going to blast the idea of how being female means being in any way controlled or contained. (Or, heaven forfend, nice.)

Let’s burn some stuff up together, shall we?

Learn more:
Breathing Fire, a Mythic Catskills Adventure for Women
At Spillian, April 17-19, 2020

Hope to see you there.

Best,

Leigh

PS: #nomoredamsels #downwithknights #dragonsrule
PPS: Fear not, boy dragons. We’ll think about inviting you next time. But we like your fire, too.
PPPS: Let me know what fire might be sparking in you in the comments!