Diana’s 30-Day Poetry Challenge | Day One | Delving into the Watery Realms of Emotion
Of Blood and Water
Tanka of ‘truth’ plus a discussion of the real meaning and origin of the phrase
Blood or water bonds Bleed with friends from family Blood clots water flows Family oft gaslights me Yet one clap from sis tears flow
Decoder Ring
I have always intuitively and philosophically believed in the ties of friendship over the binds of family. This always resonated with me:
“Friends are God’s way of apologizing to us for our families”― Tennessee Williams
Yet, friends are not really a gift from God as we choose our friends. We actually choose our family too, but for different reasons.
People use the phrase “blood is thicker than water” to mean that family comes before friends — that such destiny trumps free will. It occurred to me the other day while “meditating” that blood clots and dries and scabs, in fact a clot can kill, while water is the strongest force on the planet and water heals and nourishes. Nothing can stop water from penetrating wherever it feels like going.
I learned the other day that gaslighting is a spectrum — while at its worst synonymous with malignant narcissism, more painful is being dismissed by one who means well. Thank you Danielle Loewen, who credits Jessica Wildfire to whom credit is due
My relationship with my family has suffered even more since my spiritual awakening and my decision to irreconcilably break off relations with my father. My relationship with my middle sister has always been strained, yet when she clapped for this article this morning my floodgates opened:
Now, if people understood the true origin of the phrase about blood and water, I would be writing a different poem.
Almost everyone believes “blood is thicker than water” means that family is more important than friendships or that family bonds are closer than friendship. The full quote, however, is: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” — Source
Now is the covenant the agreement between Abraham and God or a blood oath between friends? Is there a difference? I’ll leave that ambiguity to you to ponder.
Lastly, why did I put meditating in quotes? Generally accepted definitions of meditation and mindfulness fail me. I feared I would not achieve a connection to my soul and my god, and a stronger connection to my dearly-departed-heavenmate, without stillness. I lamented to my guides, asked for guidance, and they advised that with my INTP mind of split screens humming constantly, “meditation” does not suit me. What does is taking walks and more often than not I find that the output is as described by proponents of stillness like Sylvia Clare MSc. Psychol— what works for me is getting into the flow of my streams of subconsciousness without trying to still my mind nor body. So even though it teaches “just sitting,” this resonated with me.
For the reader who seeks a technique to achieve stillness, Laxaa offers:
Here is the link to 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘊.’s the 30-day poetry challenge:
Here is the link to my day-2 entry:
In Rama I create,
