In searching for a definition of “Diva” I was struck by the contrast between to possible definitions of “Diva (or Deva)” – one meaning goddess and the other, less savory connotations of demanding, high-strung women. This dance between diva as sacred and diva as destructive has been going on for centuries. When it was my privilege to write for the book, Sekhmet Rising: The Restlessness of Women’s Genius, I was struck by the conflicting aspects of Sekhmet as a powerful goddess of creation and other stories of her destructive nature, drunk on her own power. It would seem that to this day we continue to struggle with what we perceive to be the dual nature of women who are awake to their own power and potential as they create their lives.

I personally embrace the notion of Diva as an expression of our sacred nature, confident and comfortable when simply being true to oneself. When I think of Divas there are a few characteristics that come to mind:

Ø      Divas know who they are and don’t apologize for it

Ø      They celebrate their inner and outer beauty, taking time to nurture themselves, knowing that they deserve it

Ø      Divas think outside the box, never hesitating to break away from the pack, trusting their inner compass

Ø      They celebrate and embrace the people in their lives, recognizing that the world is an abundant place and that we all benefit when we are each the fullest expression of our authentic selves

So why is it that so many of us shy away from full-time diva-dom? Sure, we can allow ourselves the opportunity to be diva-for-a-day among our closest friends but when it comes to living our lives, many of us remain reluctant to embrace our inner diva. I suppose we need look no further than the conflicting opinions about divas to discover why we might be somewhat ambivalent about embracing our Inner Diva. Weren’t we raised to be nice girls? Weren’t we taught time and again to go with the flow, don’t rock the boat, follow the group? That group might have been family, friends or co-workers but the unspoken message was to blend in - even though we each, deep inside, know we are unique. Blending in can cost us our dreams, our peace of mind and often, our health.

Long held as the nurturers and the keepers of relationships, women have often put their own needs aside in favor of another’s. We can become lost under any number of assumed identities – mother, daughter, sister, wife, and so on. As we each intuitively know, none of these aspects of our lives are who we truly are. And yet our roles can easily form the boundaries of how we live our lives. We strive to be “good” mothers, “good” daughter’s – all stemming from long ago when we tried to be “good” little girls.

When we express our deepest self, our inner goddess, we worry that we might be becoming “too” big for our britches, too selfish, too demanding. As I write this, I’m wondering will these readers think me “too serious”! We are rarely immune from looking over our shoulder’s to assess how we will be perceived. Where I believe the magic lies is in what we choose to do next. Do we take a look and decide that what someone else thinks of me is none of my business? Do we take a deep breath and discover that safety is indeed an inside job and trust ourselves to move forward – even when it flies in the face of popular opinion? Do we pause and find our inner voice, our inner compass and trust it? Each is a simple act of courage and a choice to embrace our inner diva. The great thing about discovering that we choose our responses, is that we are no longer falling blindly into prescribed roles, we are embracing our inner diva! And it happens, one choice at a time.

Anita Allen, BScPT, Code Model Caoch(TM)