A special community post in honour of Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dog. We’re anonymously sharing our biggest secrets in hopes of freeing the shadows from our past selves. #teasecrets
There are two kinds of secrets, the ones we hide from others, and those we keep from ourselves… Secrets can feel like walls when we hide them inside, but if we can find the courage to share them, we discover we are not alone at all. Our secrets become bridges. ~Frank Warren
Welcome back to Empress Tea! This is a special community post in honour of the Year of the Dog. We’re anonymously sharing our biggest secrets (instructions here) in hopes of freeing the shadows from our past selves. I hope this is cathartic for the people expressing secrets as well as the people reading them. As you can see below, there are many similarities in our worries and desires–we must remember we’re never alone, there is always someone who can empathise with our experiences and offer much needed support and advice.
After reading this, I’m hoping you’ll all feel better–feel lighter even. I’m also hoping some of you will consider seeking counselling if you need it. Perhaps you will feel emboldened to stand behind your secret, say it out loud to someone, and dismiss it as confidential once and for all. Some secrets are better kept under lock and key, but sometimes it’s more comforting when they’re secrets no more. Only you will know the correct path to take with your secret, be strong but be gentle with yourself. You’re only human, after all.
But first, before we reveal all your secrets, a little summery of what to expect from the dog year. Hopefully, it turns out to be much better than the year of the rooster!
February 16, 2018 marked the beginning of the year of the earth dog. This year will have better stability and go at a much slower pace than the fire rooster year. You’ll find you’ll become more confident and at ease. It’s an excellent year for working on building things that are important to you; career, family, or maybe personal growth. Envision your goals and then steadily work towards them, your dedication will pay off. It will be a year of increased social awareness with an emphasis on the people with less power. The generosity and selflessness of the dog will become the prevailing sentiments and replace the take, take, take, mentality of the previous year.
And now, what you’ve all been waiting for…
An Empress Tea Community Project
TEA SECRETS
These secrets have never been shared with anyone ever before.
Thanks for stopping by and a big thank you to those of our Empress Tea community who donated their precious secrets for our perusal. Reading your secrets brings out the mother empress in me and makes me want to reply to each and every one of them with words of encouragement but that’s not what this project was about. However I will leave you with this:
-things aren’t usually as bad as we believe,
-you have the ability to overcome anything,
-we’re often our own biggest critics,
-it’s okay to be scared and make mistakes,
-dreaming and striving for something different is how we grow,
-expressing your faults and dreams is a wonderful thing but it’s what you do with them that counts,
-you are important and you are loved.
I hope this process helps you let go of your secrets as you march strongly into the year of the dog. May this be some much needed metaphorical cleansing, a way of setting these secrets adrift on the wind. I hope the year of the dog is generous, loyal, and kind to you all.
Take care of yourself,
The Head Empress
