Many people carry childhood [[trauma]] on their faces. I can often see how it subtly torments them and it saddens me to know. When terrible things happen to us in childhood - our identity becomes fragmented from the painful recollection of those memories. We no longer associate our current self with our past innocence. When this effect occurs, the face freezes, becomes stuck in the traumatic experience and is readable to all. But there is an angle of attack, or mental perspective, that allows one to shift from this state of anguish into immediate healing. And the secret of that perspective is in the knowing that you *still are*, at this very moment, that same child the trauma happened to. You are still, quite literally, that exact same person. Know yourself as such, and regard yourself as such. Allow yourself to realize that you're able to hold yourself, and to strengthen yourself right now. The effect on the soul will be the same. Because love does not bow down to time - it transcends it and renews its function through newfound meaning, granted by a stronger and more self-aware mind. Know that you absolutely can do this, whenever you choose to. Even the most terrible memories may serve you, and they will - if you can allow them. You cannot change what happened, but, at the same time - no single thing is set in stone. You can choose the meaning of your pain. And you may yet transcend the past because you are still here, now, in this present moment - an open canvas that can be repaired and readjusted. The very fact that you are here now, the same one that once felt helpless, makes evident that you can overcome the damages of the past. In the past, perhaps the child needed saving, but you are here now and you do not. And you are that very same child, heart and soul. We are each our own guardian angel. You hold the child by holding yourself. You have the power to heal your past. And you can do it right now. ![[IMG_0235.png]]