Embracing the Dream

Our dreams give us hope if we can embrace the gift of the dream.

You deserve to live your drefollow your dreams, they know they wayam.  For those of us who have been through trauma, and this applies for most people, we may feel that we don’t deserve the dream.

As humans, we have been conditioned to the idea that we have to earn everything we get. When we have had bad experiences, we tend to allow those experiences to redefine what we can now be, do or have. Sometimes we do this to protect our heart while healing, and sometimes the trauma we have experienced has left us feeling as though we do not have the right to desire anything anymore.  The truth is that those bad experiences created growth in us. Part of healing is developing the knowing that you deserve to have the best, that you do have the right to your every dream, and that nothing is off limits to you, no matter what you have been through.  Know this as truth. 

If doubts creep in, or your belief in yourself wavers, then remind yourself that you are not your experience; your value does not come from what you do or what happened to you or who thinks you deserve certain things or not.  You are worthy, precious and valuable just being you, wherever you are in your journey right now.

Your dreams are gifts from your highest self, the voice of your soul. They are an extension of who you are at your core. By following your dreams, you are giving voice to your purpose and your soul.  You are also shifting the world for the better, through shifting yourself.

Now that you have your dream list, which dream speaks to you the most?  What steps can you take toward this dream?

Many Blessings,

Santa

 

 

RUNNING THROUGH DARKNESS
MEMOIR OF A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

BY SANTA MOLINA-MARSHALL ‧ RELEASE DATE: MAY 3, 2022

This debut memoir chronicles a woman’s spiritual exploration and growth as she overcame a disturbing childhood and helped others heal.

Brought to America from the Dominican Republic as a youngster, Molina-Marshall should have led a happy life. Her father was a diligent worker, and his large family wanted for nothing. But the author recounts that her dad had a drinking problem and was a serial philanderer. Molina-Marshall’s long-suffering mother left him for a woman. Then it was all downhill for the bright, 12-year-old girl, who was shuttled between foster care and relatives. According to the author, she was sexually abused by the husband of one of her siblings. This resulted in Molina-Marshall becoming alienated and moody. By 15, she simply tried to survive. In her favor were grit and a restless intelligence. She quit school, rented a room, and found a factory job. Time went by, and for a while she was happily married. Yet when her husband left her, her life truly began. She turned to religion for answers but decided that blaming God for her woes was a cop-out. 

In this absorbing and moving memoir, Molina-Marshall’s vivid storytelling is fearless. She frankly discusses the truths she discovered and the indignities she suffered. These admissions are disclosed with a touch of resignation and plenty of bite. However painful, everything she experienced was a lesson, and she bravely realized that she was part of the problem: “The fear of being hurt, rejected, or abused often led to me feeling lonely and misunderstood. No one knew the agonizing pain I felt being trapped in my thoughts and anger. I was becoming my biggest threat.” 

The author skillfully recounts her intricate spiritual journey. To deal with her psychic wounds, she searched for an inspirational system. Her open-mindedness led her to the interfaith concept—cherry-picking from various religions and spiritual movements, yoga, and Indigenous beliefs as a way of finding peace. Along with her female partner, she built a therapy practice, making use of every spiritual element that aided her and others. The road was bumpy, and she found that women of color in same-sex relationships were not welcomed everywhere. To do good works—and finally live on her own terms—she effectively overcame bigotry.

An engrossing, cathartic account of empathy and success through determination and confidence.

Pub Date: May 3, 2022   |    ISBN: 978-0-578-38315-6  |   Page Count: 264    | Publisher: From Trauma to Triumph  |   Review Posted Online: June 13, 2022