All of my life, up until the light body process, I was a skinny person.  I could eat anything in any amount and not gain an ounce.  In fact, when I was a teenager, in the early 60s, the beauty ideal for the female was well-rounded and voluptuous, so I yearned to gain some girth.

I tried weight gain supplements to no avail.  Eventually, though, thin became fashionable for girls and women, so I fit in for a period of time.  Then, with the light body process underway, in the early 90s I gained a substantial amount of weight,

I barely recognized myself.  But I knew it was part of the process, at least in the initial stages of ascension. But it took its toll on me emotionally, on my ego especially.  I kept buying larger and larger sizes of pants and shirts.

I went from about 100 lbs to almost 180 lbs within a couple of years.  It took some adjusting on my part, but I eventually accepted the extra weight, and decided to see it as beautiful.

Since that time I have shed weight, not by dieting or exercise, but simply because it’s a part of this process.  The body begins to just balance itself.

No, I will never weigh 100 pounds again, and that’s a good thing.

It’s fascinating how the standards of beauty for women are so stringent.  Especially when it comes to being thin.  Now, if someone is naturally thin, and healthy, that is wonderful, and that is beautiful.  But if that is the only standard, that is extremely dangerous.

Some attribute the origin of this unrealistic and unhealthy standard to the fashion industry.  Clothes designers and retailers wanted the clothes to stand out, not the woman’s body.  While that in itself is a troubling statement, what is important is that no one really questions why it continues to be perpetuated.

Even in the new age community and in spiritual imagery, the holy person is seen as trim,  not to mention alien races embodying tall and thin bodies.

Is it any wonder that people, women especially are in a low self mage crisis?

A male acquaintance of mine from the coffee shop periodically compares his arms to mine, saying he wishes we could trade because my arms are bigger than his, even though he has at least 30 more pounds of weigh on him than I do.

For men, it’s desirable to be bigger, more bulked out.

So I had to wonder, why isn’t it so for women?  Is part of the reason because we are not allowed to take up as much space as men?  Of course in some countries a full-bodied person of any gender is equated to health and opulence.  I remember when I visited Greece I was seen as quite unhealthy.  At the time I was about 110 lbs.

Many are questioning the old concept of a woman having to look emaciated.  We are seeing more full-bodied models and even very heavy ones as the new standard of beauty.  It sends the clear message that all body types are beautiful.

It is a step toward women’s personal freedom.  Especially if a woman is not naturally thin, and goes through unhealthy extremes to get to thin.  President Trump loves to value a woman by how she looks, and as if that is not bad enough, he tries to demean her by calling her fat, or a ‘pig.’

But of course he is just a symptom of the problem.  It seems the worst insult to a woman is she is unattractive, and the worst insult to a man is he is woman-like.

So, part of the awakening process is, first to recognize we are not these bodies. We are not defined by them.  But that the bodies we do inhabit are beautiful.  To feel proud of taking up space.   And especially as women, to not hide who we are.

And to express through our physical bodies.  To allow life to course through us, and to allow our soul to be part of that experience.

Now, excuse me, but I have to get back to my hero sandwich…time to bulk up!