I am finally able to give to myself the messages that I needed to hear and know all of my life, from myself and from others who affected me. I am able to release the pain, frustration, and hurt, while replacing them with positive messages and affirmations in the healing poetry. I can explore my underlying feelings in the writing and transform them into strong positive messages that I can read and start affirming everyday.

I wanted to become aware of all the areas in our lives that need healing, the relationship with myself, the relationship with my parents, siblings, mate, and friends, my relationship with my daily roles, my relationship with food, communication, career, illness, health, faith, self-confidence, discipline, success, forgiveness, fulfillment, self-image, guilt, shame, love, respect, courage, balance, stress, and trust. I use the word relationship because I am having an interaction with all these things, or they are having an interaction with me. In this sense an interaction allows me to have an effect, to change, to mold, to decide, to cooperate in our own way. I can determine what role that another person, event, situation and messages will play in my life, and what underlying feelings remain.

We can become healed when the relationship that we have with our self-image is one that we can feel positive about. The voice that you are hearing in your head that says that I am ugly and fat is usually louder than the voice that says I am beautiful and healthy. You would feel angry and repulsed if someone else said those negative words to you, then why let that negative voice of your self-image overpower you?

If you grew up with a parent who constantly told you that you are fat and ugly, you can now change the content of that message. You have to give to yourself a positive message, then the emotion that you associated with that negative message will change as well. That was a revelation that I had during the time that I was experiencing my pain with the relationship with my mother and I needed her love and acceptance, but knew that I would not be getting it in the way that I needed. It was heart breaking for me. I cried for many days and was stuck in the denial that I would someday be able to hear the words that I wanted from her. I was disappointed every time from not hearing the words I accept you, and I love you. I had to start giving those words to myself. It wasn't enough that I would say I accept you or I love you to myself or to write it down, I started hearing her voice and picturing her face saying the words to me. It made a tremendous difference. The message was more solid. I was finally getting the message that I needed from her, but it was coming from me.

There are key people in our lives like our parents, siblings, mates and friends. Our relationship with each one of them has a great impact on our lives. The quality of that relationship is very relevant to how we function and feel about ourselves. Our interactions with the people in our lives have a subconscious effect on us. We can receive their love, approval and acceptance by creating the positive messages that we need from them. It is important that the long lasting messages in our minds are positive.

We can create positive messages to replace the words that our parents, siblings, and friends tell us. If your parent says a negative message like you always disappointment me, you never make good choices. You can choose to recreate that message into something positive like I accept that your choices are right for you. Repeating the message reinforces it, and then it is the only message that remains in your mind. In this way, you end up not caring about the content of the negative message; you have replaced it with a better more positive one. We determine what messages pollute, and which ones build, our self-image. We can be empowered from the positive messages that we create to occupy our minds.

For every negative comment, or judgement that you can recall that your father, mother, sister or brother had said to you as a child, you can replace each one with a positive message coming from that same source. We have wounds in our lives, we can patch them up, put them away and continue to feel the soreness until it opens up again, or we can face them at their roots and achieve total peace, freedom and fulfillment with them. We can then stop living in constant pain.

I am only an expert of my own experiences and I am sharing the tools that I have used for healing. I have developed a unique way of combining the use of affirmations, visualization and writing healing poetry. Doing this work has taught me a lot about my true identity as a spirit in this world. I have created my own individualized way for embracing and processing my life experiences, which has enabled me to turn negative events and negative messages into positive influences to benefit my life. I hope my poems can be tools for others to begin their healing process as well.

Even if you never thought of yourself as a writer, or a poet, you can use positive words and images to change your emotions, and replace the negative messages that distort your self-image to arrive at a place of deep inner peace and knowing. If you have a negative self-image, the process for healing is to first identify exactly what events or situations you need to heal, acknowledge its meaning in your life, then replace the negative messages and images associated with the events, by creating the exact positive messages and images that you believe that you needed in your life. The healing happens, when we no longer bury the emotions associated with the events in our lives.

Creating Affirmations

Affirmations are positive messages that evoke positive feelings and reprogram our minds from negative messages. When we create affirmations, we also create a space inside of us where we can experience a feeling of peace, safety, and unconditional love and acceptance. We make it known to ourselves and to the universe when we use an affirmation that we believe in the power behind the positive message that we have created. Writing down our affirmations reinforces their strength in our minds and in our bodies. The more we repeat and read the affirmation the stronger we build a connection with it in our mind. We must remember that positive messages feel good, but they get erased quicker than the negative messages that run in our minds.

Negative messages have a strong pull on our minds. They tend to carry more weight and take greater meaning for us than positive messages. Surrounding ourselves with positive messages is very important in our daily lives. We must change every negative message that frequently runs in our mind into a positive message. Creating affirmations is at the core of changing negative messages, so we must write down all of the details of the negative messages that we discover. We must set aside ten to fifteen minutes daily to observe our thoughts. This time enables us to focus our minds on the messages, emotions and images and locate their roots.

Feel the emotion, identify it and acknowledge that the need is there, and discover its roots. What was the situation or event that created that emotion? Identify your negative emotions such as anger, judgement, shame, fear, helplessness, disappointment, impatience, loneliness, doubtful, guilt, distrust, confusion, discontentment, weakness, impatience, powerlessness, defensiveness, or unloved.

Feel the emotion, identify the feeling and take the word and use it in a positive way to change the event. Write an affirmation that reflects your new relationship or interaction with the word. We must think of what we need from the situation, and write the affirmation to reflect that specific need. If your need is forgiveness, validation, praise, comfort, nurturing, kindness, compassion, contentment, freedom, closure, acceptance, love, patience, guidance, trust, confidence, obedience, justice, courage, support, balance, faith, gratitude, clarity, strength, approval, joy, honesty, surrender, understanding, communication, or a blessing, you can give yourself any positive message by writing an affirmation using the word. Even if you haven't received a negative message from someone, if you have a desire or a need to receive a positive message, you can create an affirmation to fulfill that need or desire. You are then increasing the strength of your good feelings. We need to reinforce all the good feelings that we can have.

Change the negative message into a positive one. The affirmation should be a short sentence that you can easily repeat and remember. Choose only the words that will make the affirmation feel complete for you. I find it easier when I let my affirmation come up during a meditation, then I write it down. Sometimes, I also listen to my inner voice as I take a long walk or a bath. My inner voice knows exactly the positive message that I need. It is easier to hear our inside voice during a quiet time or meditation. We can personalize the affirmation by including our own name or the word, my daughter, my son, my wife, my husband, my sister, my brother, or my friend as part of it. When we write our affirmations, we must think of the words as taking back the power that we lost from the situation.

You are strong, my daughter
I can show you patience, my sister
You are trusted, my friend
I accept you as my loving son.

Creating Visualization

Our ability to revisit an event is the key to changing the emotion that we associate with that event. When we can visualize that something wonderful will happen we start to believe in it more. When we received negative messages, we had created images in our minds that were tied to that negative message. Whether your feeling is worthlessness because you were not asked to the prom, or guilt because you outgrew your relationship with your boyfriend, you have images in your mind that you associate with those feelings. Revisiting those emotions and events gives us another chance to go back and access those images. We can change those negative images by creating new ones to replace them.

If you hear yourself using the word failure, and discover through your observation that your teacher called you dumb and stupid in class, then you must write down that word and the details of that event. For example, seeing the objects in the class, the weather outside, the lighting in the class, the students' laughter, the teacher's facial expression, the smell of her perfume or the smell of the cafeteria food, etc. We try to recall as many details as we can. If you discover a feeling of unworthiness or worthlessness because of your parent's emotional abuse, you must write down the negative message that you hear, You are worth nothing, You can never do anything right. Revisit the moment that you heard that message and write down the details. Afterwards, the negative message will be changed to You are successful at everything that you do, or You can do many wonderful things.

We write down the negative words, messages and emotions that we hear or feel. We write down the roots of the event that we discovered. If you were taking an exam in school and you failed it, and you started calling yourself stupid because you didn't receive the acceptance, approval, or praise from a parent, you must go back to that moment and write down the details. Write down the feelings that you can identify, the message that you received, and the images that you picture in your mind. They are the things that you can see, feel, hear, smell, and taste in a situation or event.

We can use the negative messages and details as our guide to change our negative experiences. When we write down the details of the event we become aware of them so we can change them. We can mold the negative message into a positive message like You are a wonderful student, I am proud of your work or I am proud of your efforts, You are a hard worker, You are beautiful, I trust your judgement. We can change the images as well, your father, mother, sister, or teacher, smiles instead of pursing her lips, her face looks relaxed, and her arms hang by her side instead of being folded. It is changed to an inviting, loving, and warm experience in your mind.

When we give to ourselves the positive message as an affirmation, and visualize hearing the positive message, we are creating a new relationship with the words and images. We are interacting positively with that event and acquiring new positive emotions. We have also met our needs of hearing and knowing that message. Once we start feeling positively about the situation, our interaction with the key person also starts to change.

We start building new positive emotions about the situation and the key person. We are not deluding ourselves into thinking that the event did not occur or that you had a wonderful parent. We are only changing the negative message from that event into a positive one. We are also changing the emotion associated with that event. We have filled the emptiness that we have carried for so long. We no longer can associate the word failure, dumb, or stupid with failing the test. We can create the feeling of unconditional acceptance, love, safety and compassion. We have then reached a higher level of peace with that particular event.

Changing the negative message into a positive message empowers us to make better choices and decisions for our lives. We don't continue to think of ourselves as victims of every event or situation. We can finally give to ourselves the messages that we needed during those particular events. We change our relationships with the words and obtain the unconditional love and acceptance that we needed from that key person or event in our lives. The negative emotions are changed into positive emotions. Affirmations remind us that we have unconditional love, acceptance and fulfillment in all the things that have happened and do happen to us.

If you can remember the event, and you can feel the emotion, it's worth writing about. How do you know if it still matters enough to write about it? I say if you can feel the emotion, and acknowledge that the need is still present, than it's worth revisiting and releasing. Writing about happy memories and events is wonderful too because we can reinforce the good feelings in our lives. We need all the good feelings we can have, no matter what the source is.

Writing Healing Poetry

I started writing healing poetry as a way to make peace with certain events and situations that have affected me for a long time. I was not giving my power away by saying look at the terrible thing that someone did to me, or look at the heart-wrenching thing that I had to overcome. I wrote the poems using a positive voice to change the meaning of the situation or event, thereby allowing myself to heal by looking at the event or situation in a positive way. The events took on a new positive meaning by using the positive images and affirmations.

I wrote some of the poems in the voice of the person from whom I had needed to receive a positive message. I found it fulfilling and peaceful, I had molded and changed my interaction with the events and key people. By writing healing poetry, I was only seeing the event in a new positive way. Some of the poems had affirmations and some didn't, but I was taking my power back by using a positive voice. Writing a healing poem about any event or situation increases my good feelings about that event. I created the positive message, and the images that I needed. The poem allowed me to experience the good emotions that I needed. I had a completely different relationship with the words, the event, the person, and the message that I wrote about. I empowered myself by reaching a place of peace, unconditional love and acceptance from the situation or event.

Using the affirmations in poems increased the power of the new connection that I made between a positive feeling, and the situation. The poems were written in a positive voice to construct a new meaning for the situation in my mind. I could change the negative details into positive ones and include new ones that would evoke strong positive emotions. I repeated the affirmations throughout the poems, and this technique reinforced the power behind the positive message in the poem and in my mind. Repeating the affirmation in the poem allowed me to encounter the affirmation in more places in the poem. I was continuously reinforcing my affirmation.

Poetry became a wonderful tool for my healing. It reminded me that I had a strong voice inside.

Good Enough

Look into the mirror of my eyes
See your radiant image that
Stares back
You are a gift to this world
Perfect daughter
You are good enough.

Feel the breath that
Flows in your throat
Place your hand on
Your chest, feel it rise
You are a gift to this world
Perfect daughter
You are good enough.

Feel the rhythm of life that
Dances in your hips
Your blood roars with passion
Perfect daughter
Believe in yourself
You are a gift to this world
That's what I see
I see you in me
You are good enough.

Throughout my life I had many experiences that caused me to doubt my abilities. I often thought that I was not good enough to achieve many things in life. I identified my feelings of insecurity and worthlessness. I had needed to change the negative message and emotions into positive affirmations You are good enough, and You are a gift to this world. It was important that the positive message came from my mother because I had started experiencing the negative feelings in my childhood.

The affirmations resonated stronger inside as I visualized her voice telling me You are good enough, and You are a gift to this world. The poem is written in her voice and the images compare the two of us. The affirmations in the poem also address my mother's own feelings of worthlessness. She was my first role model, the person that I had identified with the most. Her own insecurities caused me to question my self-worth. I could finally compare myself to her in a positive way, using positive messages and images. I was finally able to accept that we were both good enough

Her Body is Her Temple

Her body is her temple
The sacred place she goes
She heals her wounded spirit
I tell her
Your body is beautiful.

Her body is her temple
The sacred place she goes
No one touches her
Unless she says so
I tell her
Your body is respected.

Her body is her temple
The sacred place she goes
She heals her fearful soul
I tell her
Your body is loved always.

Her body is her temple
The sacred place she goes
She cherishes her curvy shape
I tell her
Your body is perfect just this way.

This poem exists because of all the insecurities that I experienced as a young woman growing up in this image conscious society, and the mixed messages that I received about either being to thin, not thin enough, not tall or shapely enough.

I grew up as a self-conscious girl, just like many young women around the world, trying to achieve a perfect body. I was surprised to hear that even celebrities like Janet Jackson who have great bodies, still feel insecure about their self-image. I am glad that I was able to change my emotions and messages about my body.

I identified and acknowledged that I had a need to reinforce the positive message that my body is my temple, and it is perfect just as it is. I wrote the poem in the voice of my mother, because it would have made a significant difference had I received that message from her. I wanted to receive that positive message daily by using the affirmations. Many women around the world with a negative body image, or who feel insecure need this message as well.

She Wears Red

You are a beautiful woman
She smiles at me
A gift from god
For this earth
You are the life source
You are pure
She kisses me
In my white Sunday dress
You are a beautiful woman
Red color of the sun
Shines in you
Strength of a goddess
Thrives in your womb
You are the life source
You are pure
The world welcomes you
You are a beautiful woman
Daughter of the universe
Red flames of fire
Burn in you
You are the life source
You are pure
She holds my hand
The world lives in you
Daughter in red
Be proud
You wear the color of
The life source
Always speak proud
Your power thrives
In your womb
You are the life source
You are pure
Mother of the universe
The gift of creation
Flows through you
You are a beautiful woman.

She Wears Red is a poem that I wrote to honor, celebrate and validate my menstruation. I was accustomed to complaining about menstruating each month. I realized all the negative messages that I encountered about menstruation as a young woman. Our society is uncomfortable about discussing menstruation, and as young women we develop negative beliefs about it. We often don't speak proudly and may think that it is impure.

I needed to receive the message that it is a beautiful process for a woman to have a period. I wrote the affirmations You are a beautiful woman, You are pure, You are the life source. All these affirmations reinforced my new beliefs for lovingly accepting my period. I celebrate it as a gift from god, and from the universe. It is a sacred process that makes me proud to be a woman because it is a gift that I can bring life in this world.

The poem is written in the voice of my mother because she is the parent that I identified with the most. I needed this positive message to come from her. I repeat the positive affirmations throughout the poem to reinforce them. The format of the poem imitates the flow of menstruation. The color red and images are repeated throughout to emphasize the strength behind the positive messages about menstruation.

Courage is Your Name

Courage is your name
When the world's challenges are many
I love you only in the way that you need.

Courage is your angelic face
When your tears flow on my fingertips
I comfort you only in the way that you need.

Courage is your voice
When you whisper your fears in my ear
I listen to you only in the way that you need.

Courage is your trembling hand
When your feelings lean firmly on the page
I comfort you only in the way that you need.

Courage is the brightness of your eyes
When frightened by the sight of dusk
I love you only in the way that you need.

Your courage is palpable
When you want to give up
I am there for you only in the way that you need.

You show courage
When you ask for my guidance
I speak to you only in the way that you need.

Courage is your essence
When you feel it deep inside
I respond only in the way that you need.

Courage is your name
When you trust in your self
I honor you only in the way that you need.

Courage is Your Name uses many affirmations to reinforce the message that my needs are met only in the way that I need. The key people in our lives often don't love, listen, speak, comfort, respond, honor and are available to us in the way that we need. We end up fighting to communicate our needs, and it leaves us feeling frustrated, unloved, unheard, rejected, unaccepted. It is a sign of strength and courage not of weakness, when we can receive the love, communication, and comfort in the way that we need. Also, when we can provide the same to others in the way that they need.

La Lumiére De Ma Fille

The warmth of marble stones
Wraps each foot
Embraces her knowing
Her heart is in motion
She steps into her light
Daughter of my strength
I am proud of the steps that you take.

Gentle water washes her feet
Her fears, doubts tug
At the heart of stones.
Her feet stand firm
Her spirit is in motion
She steps into her light
Daughter of my determination
I am proud of the steps that you take.

Dark chasms await
She stumbles into the shadows
Prays out of the abyss
Her path clears for her love
Her soul is in motion
She steps into her light
Daughter of my conviction
I am proud of the steps that you take.

La Lumiere De Ma Fille (The Light of My Daughter) is a poem written to validate all the steps that I have taken to learn who I am. There were moments when I needed to know the message I am proud of the steps that you take from my mother. She did not validate the steps that I took to grow and to achieve self-fulfillment. I knew that this message wouldn't come from her but I needed to receive it.

The images in the poem show that I have stumbled, and faced fear on my path, but my conviction, determination, and strength helped me to keep going. I knew that I had done a lot of soul searching and felt proud that I took the steps. The affirmation allows me to feel validated by my mother. I visualize her voice telling me I am proud of the steps that you take. I have made peace with the event and moved on.

This poem reinforces the affirmation You have a place in this world. I experienced self-doubt about my abilities, efforts, and talents to make valuable contributions in this word. I needed to develop the confidence to offer my abilities and talents, and to know that they are valuable. There were many instances that I didn't believe in myself enough and felt afraid of the criticism of the world.

This poem helps me to face my fears by receiving the message of reassurance from my mother. I am safe in her arms as she holds me close to her heartbeat. The images provide a safe place for me to return to when I doubt my abilities. I can visualize my mother's arms enveloping me, her voice soothing me, her face comforting me, and she brings me back to the calm.

Your Life Matters To Me

Father dear, I value your presence
I wake up at the rise of the sun and
Your head rises off your pillow
Your familiar morning voice warms me
It's with your morning greeting my world opens
Your kiss clings to my forehead in a
Moment cherished until the next moment when
Your eyes find mine to tell me
Your life matters to me.

You place me in front of the mirror with you
You show me the beauty that you see in me
I face myself each morning with pride
Loving the light that I see
I value your presence in the mirror
I value the presence of your morning greeting
Your life matters to me.

I am a confident princess
I am ready for the world
I am intelligent like my father
That's what you tell me
Your open arms are my home
I know where to find you
I value your presence next to me
I value the presence of your morning greeting
Your life matters to me.

My father's absence had a great impact on my life. I felt rejected, unloved, and had a lack of self-confidence as I grew up without him. I identified that those feelings were still there in my adulthood. I needed the reassurance that my father did love me, and that I wasn't the reason why he left.

This Poem helps me to receive the message that I needed to hear from him everyday Your life matters to me. It was my daily dream to wake up and have my father present next to me. The positive images that I create in the poem make me feel safe, cared for, confident, intelligent, beautiful and loved by my father. The poem creates a reassuring place where I can always know and find my father. I have made peace with his absence in my life by providing myself with the nurturing positive messages and images.

Become More of Yourself Today

Life is on your side
Hold my hand
Together we'll find a way
Dearest daughter
You have a joy that lives inside
Become more of yourself today.

Trust that you are guided
Your spirit paves the way
Dearest daughter
Become more of yourself today
Count the stars above
You are the first chance of love
Become more of yourself today.

Life is on your side
Hold your own hand
Your intuition leads the way
Dearest daughter
Become more of yourself today
You have a voice that speaks inside
You need to listen always
Become more of yourself today.

It would have benefited my self-esteem, and self-image if I had received the positive message of trusting and believing in myself always. As a child and as a young adult I grew up placing my trust in other people but not in myself. I didn't know that it was important for me to listen to my inner voice, follow my intuition and trust in my spirit.

In my adulthood, I continued to doubt my intuition and looked to other people to guide me with making decisions. I had to learn about my authentic inner voice, and my intuition and to trust them. I had to create that positive message for myself and receive it as an affirmation Become more of yourself today.

The poem allows me to visualize and receive the positive affirmation from my mother and father. They are the key people who I had needed to provide me with this message. Our parents are the first people who are placed in our lives to help us build self-trust.

Healing with Your Own Positive Words and Images

Free Healing Workshops for anyone who wants to learn how to create positive words, messages and images to improve your mental, emotional and spiritual well-being, through your own authentic writing and poetry (starting at your own level), using:

-Guided Meditation -Guided Visualization -Positive Affirmations

To heal your deepest wounds, transform the negative messages that run in your mind and achieve closure and peace with your life situations.

To register or receive more information about upcoming workshops, contact: Jerrice Baptiste, Instructor of Authentic Poetry, goddesspresskingston@yahoo.com or 917-442-5996

Coming soon: my website www.authenticpoetry.com