Affirmation

From the Chicken Transition Oracle Deck

Words matter. Words have substantial influence over our reality. They can empower or constrain us if we let them. Our identities and all other aspects of existence are molded by the descriptions we use. Language can be very convenient in that way, by helping us to simplify our broad experiences.

Even so, words can never fully or accurately portray anything they attempt to describe. Yet another limitation, even if words were capable of this, any chosen description would be specific to whoever was doing the defining, and their method of interpretation.

Just as words have limits, so do our perceptions. It is impossible to notice everything all at once. By noticing one thing we inevitably aren’t noticing another. Despite these restrictions, we often define ourselves based on the perceptions of others. They can see us in ways we often can’t see ourselves.

While this can provide us a lovely opportunity, it can also be detrimental if we don’t like what they perceive, and we deem their single perception as all-encompassing of our identity. It can seem daunting if we think about someone else having the power to create a static view of us based on their limited perceptions.

The flip side of this is that we too are just as capable of being the author of our identities. It is up to us to agree or disagree with whatever interpretations are presented to us.

We don’t need permission from anyone to perceive ourselves in a different light. No one is any righter than we are. Knowing the power of language and perception, what reassurance can we give ourselves to best suit us during life’s necessary shifts?