My journey to self began on the day my mom passed away on 6/8/2008. That day I saw a mourning dove sitting on a wire across the street from the house in which she'd passed. From then on, the dove has been a symbol of peace and has remained a connection to my parents. Fast forward to 2015, I took a class entitled "Child Maltreatment." This is when I learned that my childhood was tainted, and badly. In 2016, I took my first Reiki class, and earned my Usui Reiki Master Certification in January 2018. In 2019 I had a Spiritual Awakening, and went on to complete Lisa Campion's Psychic Healer Academy in 2022. I amped up my Reiki becoming a Holy Fire Reiki Master Teacher later that year and also completed my Integrated Energy Therapy Master Instructor in May 2023. I would not have gotten this far if it hadn't been for the multitude of fellow travelers who have walked this journey alongside me. Whether they were with me for just a season or a longer reason, they've all had a significant impact on my journey to self thus far and I have love and gratitude for each and every one of them. Recently I wrote a poem to reflect my journey to self.
I Have Arrived
A poem
By Danielle M. Paloma
From the time I was little,
I was different, it’s no surprise
I dotted the I’s and crossed my T’s
Or I would have had to revise
I always did what I was told,
No wasn’t a word I could use
It wouldn’t have mattered anyway
Saying no didn’t make the news
Striving for perfection
Wasn’t always just MY thing,
There was nothing less acceptable
So perfection, I would bring
I was well behaved and quite polite
Using all of the right words
But none of it seemed to matter
My good deeds were for the birds
Throughout my life the monsters
Have tried to keep me down,
I thought they were just under my bed
But it turns out, they were all around
They stared at me, they teased me
They filled my head with lies
They made me feel so damn ashamed
I felt like I could die
It wasn’t just the words that hurt
It was all the other junk,
No matter what I said or did
I was always in a funk
Then one day my whole life changed
And things were not the same
I grew up and I was a mess,
Feeling so much shame
I had to take a look
Way down, Deep inside
To get a new perspective
On all of those old lies
I did a ton of digging
I surveyed rabbit holes,
I did not stop searching
For the truth behind the trolls
I fought, I cried, I analyzed
I got more educated
And what I found along the way
Was that I was underrated
I began to see my magical self
Through other people’s eyes
I saw my inner beauty
With the help of my soul guides
Now that I have done some work
And I managed to survive
I am proud to stand here before you
And tell you that I have arrived