Several of my recent posts have been about the Self, including “What Exactly is the Self?” in which I wrote, “The Self is the sum of all of our parts, and holistically, it is greater than the sum of all of our parts. The fluid Self transcends time and space, expanding and shape-shifting, changing and adapting to accommodate the possibility of all possibility.” Our Self is “the artful patchwork of our own lives designed from the wild and wonderful patterns of our own personality and experiences, and crafted from our individual inner authority.”

Here are some words of Self-wisdom by some very wise women:

“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.”
– Jane Austen

“Doubt yourself and you doubt everything you see. Judge yourself and you see judges everywhere. But if you listen to the sound of your own voice, you can rise above doubt and judgement. And you can see forever.”
– Nancy Kerrigan

“It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else’s eyes.”
– Sally Field

“Falling, falling, falling, falling down. Look yourself in the eye before you drown.”
– Emily Saliers, Indigo Girls

“Our goal while on this earth is to transcend our illusions and discover the innate power of our spirit.”
– Caroline Myss

“The authentic self is the soul made visible.”
– Sarah Ban Breathnach

“In our natural state, we are glorious beings. In the world of illusion, we are lost and imprisoned, slaves to our appetites and our will to false power.”
– Marianne Williamson

“If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.”
– Virginia Woolf

“Every problem can be solved with the proper application of the means at hand. Maybe not easily, happily, cheaply or painlessly – but it can be done if you have the will; you already have the means – yourself!”
– Joanne Siewert

“As you begin to understand the immense power and love you hold inside, you will find an unending surge of joy, light and love that will nourish and support you all the days of your life.”
– Susan Jeffers

“It is easier to live through someone else than to become complete yourself.”
-Betty Friedan

“I didn’t leave Sonny for another man. I left for another woman. Me.”
– Cher

“The bright shining
only reflects back to myself,
my own light blinding me.
I can’t see the world and they can’t see me.”
– Anna Chrisrest,

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”
– Judy Garland

“Since you are like no other being ever created since the beginning of time, you are incomparable.”
– Brenda Uleland

“At some point in my life, I swallowed a Sun. And now it dawns and sets in my belly.”
– Erika Harris,

“My heart filled with love, flowing over with joy, my own little drum that I like to march by!”
– Gunda Fijnje-Nolan

“I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart. I am. I am. I am.”
– Sylvia Plath

What us your experience of your Self? How would you describe it?

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Donna Henes is the author of The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife. She offers counseling and upbeat, practical and ceremonial guidance for individual women and groups who want to enjoy the fruits of an enriching, influential, purposeful, passionate, and powerful maturity. Consult the MIDLIFE MIDWIFE™

The Queen welcomes questions concerning all issues of interest to women in their mature years. Send your inquiries to thequeenofmyself@aol.com.