The Dream

Ceremony.
A square of fabric–
adorns the floor.
A woman
kneels,
a small table
in front of her.

A young girl
jumps excitedly
around the
candle-lit room.

I speak.

You can do
without that
stole.
It just
gets in the way.
And it makes
no
difference.

The Meaning

ceremony
The accessories are all present—fabric, fire, posture. Reverence is here.

girl
Her energy disrupts the solemnity, but no one chastises her. Youth and joy are allowed, even in ceremony.

me
I refuse what feels ornamental.
I seek resonance, not excess.
Rebellious, yes—but also practical: if it makes no difference, why keep it?

What Lingers

What if reverence is meaningless unless joy is allowed to run through it?

What if ceremony begins not with tradition, but with trust in what’s already known?

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Marginalia

This isn’t the first time I’ve wrestled with appearances and gatekeeping.

In Appearance isn’t Identity I question the costumes of belonging.

In Walking Away with the Door Still Open I read Tarot — a beginner, yet I trust that I know how to proceed.

In the Christian faith, a priest’s stole represents spiritual authority, humility, and the yoke of Christ. Here, I’m rejecting the “exclusivity” of that role and its attire.

This dream is another step in questioning the gatekeeping of spiritual connection, and in choosing to trust my own inner knowing.