Alter Ego Giving Gifts
In Living a Life that Matters we had an “Alter Ego Day”.
It’s an exercise designed to identify and ultimately re-integrate pieces of ourselves that we have previously discarded… for whatever reason. Sometimes we repress and discard aspects of ourselves because they are not received well by our early childhood authorities. Sometimes our natural expressions can trigger our care-givers and their reactions can shape how we view ourselves and how we show up in the world.
We repress and mask our natural identities and expressions for all kinds of reasons - the key is that there are pieces of ourselves that are cut off and need to be re-membered for wholeness.
This was my “alter ego” - Madam President Jeanne Orlean from “Don’t Look Up”. One of the assistants in class called the character “Trump meets Barbie.” Nice. Even the most repellent characters can hold redeeming qualities.
Own Your Gifts
The character crystallized for me during one small shot that showed a tiny “best web series” trophy on the President’s desk. Jeanne Orlean celebrated and owned all her gifts and awards. She was not afraid to be proud of her accomplishments and use them to gain access to opportunity.
She’s the POTUS and still wants people to see she won an award for the web series “Boss Lady”.
I made this for my Zoom background. I am celebrating my wins and awards and accomplishments. So many trophies. So much education…
These latest TikTok videos talk about the some related stuff.
Everything was For Her
Jeanne Orlean approached everything, even scandal, with the entitled attitude that everything was ultimately for her and so it would probably work out.
She had enough money, clout and chutzpah to float her way through most situations and end up on top. It’s the same with a Course in Miracles. Finding lasting peace is cultivating the mind set that everything that happens, is for us. All situations, circumstances and events are ultimately for our benefit - it’s just up to us if we choose to perceive things that way.
Orlean assumed that everything that existed in her space was for her from a narcissist, capitalist, colonizer mindset. This ultimately resulted in her death - a brontoroc is definitely not ‘for you’ Jeanne.
“What is that? Are those feathers?” Eaten by a Bronteroc because everything is for you.
Trust
The two big take aways from this exercise were trust and owning my gifts. Trust in my natural expression, trust that the world would welcome my natural expression and trust that I’ll be okay, even when me and my expression are not welcome.
Here’s a Tiktok I made about the process. Follow me over there if you want to see more of this kind of thing.
Thanks for being here.