Blog Archives - Heartfelt Dolls

Introducing ... My Secret Life 3: Repent

11/6/2016

Gender identity and gender role are issues important to me.
I support the right for each individual to identify as they perceive themselves to be.
Each individual should be free to express their gender however they feel
and not be constrained by societal or cultural expectations.
MY SECRET LIFE touches on the inner turmoil sometimes felt by those
who do not identify as heterosexual.

Repentance,
which literally means to turn,
is the activity of reviewing one's actions
and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs.
It generally involves a commitment to personal change
and the resolve to live a more responsible and humane life.
(Wikipedia)

For millennia,
those who do not fit the' happily married heterosexual' norm
have been persecuted, marginalised, shunned, despised, ridiculed, excluded.
Demands to conform to man-made norms and
literal, ill-informed interpretations of sacred scriptures
have driven those whose sexuality is not heterosexual underground.
Our sexuality does not define who we are.
Every human being should be treated with compassion, dignity and charity.

Repentance should not be the catch cry
but ...
welcome home.

Introducing ... My Secret Life 1: Man and Woman Godde Made Them

10/6/2016

Gender identity and gender role are issues important to me.
I support the right for each individual to identify as they perceive themselves to be.
Each individual should be free to express their gender however they feel
and not be constrained by societal or cultural expectations.
MY SECRET LIFE touches on the inner turmoil sometimes felt by those
who do not identify as heterosexual.

Man and woman Godde made them
and gave them a life
to live authentically.

Not according to religious or cultural or societal norms.
But honestly,
with integrity and authenticity.
To become all that we were created to be.

A very thoughtful and profound reflection by Joel McKerrow ...
https://joelmckerrow.wordpress.com/2016/05/21/a-pride-of-lgbtq-kids/

Introducing ... My Secret Life 2: Godde Blessed Them

10/6/2016

Gender identity and gender role are issues important to me.
I support the right for each individual to identify as they perceive themselves to be.
Each individual should be free to express their gender however they feel
and not be constrained by societal or cultural expectations.
MY SECRET LIFE touches on the inner turmoil sometimes felt by those
who do not identify as heterosexual.

A TRANSGENDER WOMAN'S PRAYER

Lord, I thank you for saving me.

I thank you that I am your child.
I thank you for all that you have provided for.
Lord, please let me never take you for granted.
Lord, I thank for loving me, a transgender person and a cross dresser.
I praise you for embracing me in your love when I came out.
I pray that my life will be a blessing to others.
Let others see you reflected through me.
Lord I pray for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

Many of them think that you hate them,
But you desire to give them eternal life.
Lord, draw them unto you through your spirit.
Lord, no matter what blessings you shower upon me,
Let me never forget those who are suffering and hurting.
Let me not become haughty or puffed up.
I humble myself before you.
Thank you Lord for all your blessings, Amen.

Gennee

Introducing ... Through a glass darkly 5: White stones

8/6/2016

“THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY is a series exploring the interior journey.
We have an imperfect vision of reality.
Many things obscure our true essence:
fear, tradition, religion, perception, choices, family, obligations, myths, enculturation.
I am always refining ways to escape using the mind, the spirit and the body.
The figures in the faceted glass offered me an opportunity
to explore the things which I feel have skewed my view of life
and have hindered my becoming all that I can be,
and encouraged me to see how I can escape them.”

White Stones is drawn from the story of Hansel and Gretel.
What are the paths we follow in life?
Are they of our own making,
or do we follow traditional ways?
Do we see only one way or are we happy to take the road less travelled?
Do we keep the 'road rules' or do we make our own as we go?
How influential are things such as religion and family and societal expecations
in our choice(s) in life's path?
How do I walk on this path -
lightly or with a heavy heart?

Introducing ... Through a glass darkly 4: Icarus

7/6/2016

“THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY is a series exploring the interior journey.
We have an imperfect vision of reality.
Many things obscure our true essence:
fear, tradition, religion, perception, choices, family, obligations, myths, enculturation.
I am always refining ways to escape using the mind, the spirit and the body.
The figures in the faceted glass offered me an opportunity
to explore the things which I feel have skewed my view of life
and have hindered my becoming all that I can be,
and encouraged me to see how I can escape them.”

Inside the faceted glass bottle is a doll with white wings,
fashioned of feathers and wax.
A reference to Icarus.
Like Icarus, am I prone to complacency and foolish pride?
Do I fail to heed sensible and wise warnings?
Am I overcome when things go well and forget what I have learned?
Do I follow the paths others have fashioned for me,
or do I choose paths less travelled?
How do I use the gifts and talents of those who have gone before?

Introducing ... Through a glass darkly 3: Forbidden fruit

6/6/2016

“THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY is a series exploring the interior journey.
We have an imperfect vision of reality.
Many things obscure our true essence:
fear, tradition, religion, perception, choices, family, obligations, myths, enculturation.
I am always refining ways to escape using the mind, the spirit and the body.
The figures in the faceted glass offered me an opportunity
to explore the things which I feel have skewed my view of life
and have hindered my becoming all that I can be,
and encouraged me to see how I can escape them.”

The doll in the jar of Through A Glass darkly 3: Forbidden Fruit
wears only a leaf as she stretches for forbidden fruit.
What value do the things I strive for have?
Are they worth the effort?
What are the effects if I consume the fruit?

Introducing ... Through a glass darkly 2: In the dark wood

5/6/2016

“THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY is a series exploring the interior journey.
We have an imperfect vision of reality.
Many things obscure our true essence:
fear, tradition, religion, perception, choices, family, obligations, myths, enculturation.
I am always refining ways to escape using the mind, the spirit and the body.
The figures in the faceted glass offered me an opportunity
to explore the things which I feel have skewed my view of life
and have hindered my becoming all that I can be,
and encouraged me to see how I can escape them.”

Through A Glass Darkly 2: In The Dark Wood
is an invitation to confront our fears.
The doll in the faceted glass bottle is dressed in a red hood,
walking through a wood created from wild yarrow.
Do I take the opportunity to name my fears,
to confront them,
to dialogue with them?
Are the fears real or imaginary?
Will my fears destroy or paralyse me,
strengthen and embolden me?

Introducing ... Through a glass darkly 1: Jacob's Ladder

4/6/2016

“THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY is a series exploring the interior journey.
We have an imperfect vision of reality.
Many things obscure our true essence:
fear, tradition, religion, perception, choices, family, obligations, myths, enculturation.
I am always refining ways to escape using the mind, the spirit and the body.
The figures in the faceted glass offered me an opportunity
to explore the things which I feel have skewed my view of life
and have hindered my becoming all that I can be,
and encouraged me to see how I can escape them.”

Through a Glass Darkly 1: Jacob's Ladder
invites us to consider the angels and demons we wrestle with:
desire and satisfaction;
ambition and contentment;
greed and gratitude;
product and process;
self and other.
Who wins?
Can there be a winner?
What brings inner peace?

Introducing ... A Tangled Web3: Black Sheep

4/6/2016

I created THE TANGLED WEB to express my on-going frustration at the interior journey.
The more I seek self-knowledge and inner peace,
the more I seem to be entangled in a web created by myself and others.
As I looks at others,
I feel I am different
and am angered at this incessant urge to find my true self.
I have re-used curtain linings and buttons.

Black Sheep expresses the feeling of difference.
Why do I think differently to others?
What has shaped my thought and actions?
Is life on the fringes a blessing or a curse?

Introducing ... A Tangled Web 2: Convolution

3/6/2016

I created THE TANGLED WEB to express my on-going frustration at the interior journey.
The more I seek self-knowledge and inner peace,
the more I seem to be entangled in a web created by myself and others.
As I looks at others,
I feel I am different
and am angered at this incessant urge to find my true self.
I have re-used curtain linings and buttons.

Convolution was originally made for an Emotions challenge.
Here she expresses the knots I get into
trying to be what others want me to be;
or how I feel I should present to the world.
Instead, all I want is to be my authentic self.