I want to preface this with saying that the following “piece” just came to me one day. And the moment I began typing, it just poured out of me - my fingers had a mind of their own. Once I finished it, I knew I had to share it somewhere. I’m doing a much better job at sharing myself and my creations with the world. So…why not share through my own platform! Maybe it’ll resonate and maybe it won’t, but that’s okay! So to that end, enjoy “Familiar Strangers.” I hope it provides some comfort and healing just as writing it has for me.
Familiar Strangers
by Jorré Kiara
How is it possible that you can miss someone without actually having met them? They’re virtual strangers, whose company you somehow long for. How? No - why is this absence tangible?
I’ve felt this longing with ancestors never met. With lovers consciously encountered who’ve not yet met their own true selves (craving what could’ve been, but never was, I guess). With notable names who share their soul with the masses and in turn, do all the touching of your own with their craft, yet still seem untouchable. With that version of yourself you once were or maybe have yet to become. And so on and so forth. But currently, I feel it with soulmates not yet met.
At the core of these soul ties (cuz that’s really what they are) is connection. Somehow they are connected to me. And in more moments than I’d like to admit, I crave their presence - a presence that is all too familiar. Familiar, because I’ve felt it before - physically, viscerally. I know it in my gut. Strangers in this lifetime, but maybe bonded in another.
These soulmates have taken up space in my heart, mind, body and spirit, ever so slowly becoming intertwined with my being…and I’ve learned to welcome them. How bizarre is that? I’ve not yet consciously met them in this lifetime, but I know that we are on our way to each other.
This innate knowing is overwhelming - comforting, yet at times, so frustrating, because I know they exist. They’re right there - I can feel them nearby (in time? In space? I don’t know) and yet, they feel so far away.
What are you supposed to do with that longing? Acknowledge it exists, then tuck it away in the recesses of your mind - to tap into when you need an escape? Or maybe you scream it out into the world, let any and all who will listen know that you are ready and waiting for them to find you - to come to you. Or maybe you do nothing at all - continue walking in your purpose and pouring into yourself to share the overflow with the world.
I think I’m doing a little bit of it all.
And I’ve accepted that everything works out the way it’s supposed to. Everything is aligning for me, for my thriving, for my continued healing and this beautiful journey of life. I know I’ll KNOW them when I see them, when I truly SEE them - because I know how their energy feels. How his energy feels.
I’ve felt it so many times before: in my dreams; in the comforting embrace of the moon’s luminescent glow; in the symphony of colors that paint the dusk, blue sky at the sun’s setting; in the mesmerizing flow of water downstream; in the ballads of love that emanate from the little blue speaker box nestled in my windowsill; in the feel of silk caressing my skin. And I know that when we align, I’ll be ready and open to receive him.
And that’s the kicker. I must be open and ready to receive him. Until recently, I hadn’t noticed how closed off and guarded I’d become. I didn’t realize the extent and rigidity of the walls erected around my heart. These walls that multiplied and fortified in response to each “failed” attempt at a relationship. You know, those relationships that aren’t clearly defined. The ones where you get so caught up trying to navigate this new dynamic and presence in your life that you momentarily lose sight of yourself, caught up in the thrill of it all. Those ones that feel so invigorating at the start then ever so slowly (and painfully) fizzle out. Those ones that are reminiscent of a candle's flame.
When the wick was lit, it was truly set ablaze with an unmatched intensity, fire burning bright, not yet sure how to level out its flame. And then, as if the weight of having to define itself became all too overwhelming, the flame flickered itself out. Leaving you (and maybe even this partner with whom you lit this candle) unsure if the flame could safely be reignited. Because in all its initial intensity and glory, somehow you got burned by something you played a crucial part in creating. And don’t even get me started on the ones that literally blow up in your face.
Enter the walls. They’re meant to protect us - to shield us from the flame - to prevent it from happening again - to combat the heartbreak. Let me learn you a little something that I’ve had to learn and re-learn for years. Those walls block more than heartbreak. They block blessings, too.
“You have to keep breaking your heart until it opens,” Rumi says. Those dormant candles aren’t failed attempts at all. They’re lessons of love. They inform us of the parts of ourselves that need some TLC. They teach us what we like and certainly what we don’t. They illuminate the wounds of ours that need some healing. We have no control over the flame we co-create - what we can control though is how we decide to tend to that flame. And if that flame becomes unmanageable, we also control how we respond to that flame. Sometimes, getting burned is inevitable. Sometimes, heartbreak is inevitable. It’s painful. It’s messy. And it opens us to a deeper understanding of ourselves. Eventually, we pick up the pieces and mold it together again.
This act of Self-love establishes the foundation for the flames that follow. When we focus this love on Self, we create Sanctuary - that’s something those confining walls could never do. When we embrace our inner Sanctuary, our Self-love, we more naturally align with partners who contribute to that Sanctuary. Soul mates. They come in many different forms, and yet, we’d recognize them anywhere.
My walls crumble more and more everyday. The more I contribute to and elevate my Sanctuary, the harder they fall. The work is tedious and at times, daunting, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s truly a blessing - to know yourself, to empower yourself to heal, to radiate your light. With each fragment of rubble that “crumbles away,” even more of my light shines through. And trust and believe, I’m knocking down all the damn walls I can see.
Another lesson I’ve learned: We can do all the healing in the world, but relationships will always expose us to those parts of ourselves we can only access through connection. Those parts that are otherwise lurking in the shadows, until someone else shines their light upon them. There is immense healing that can take place in connection. And I know that my connection to him, this familiar stranger of mine, will provide its own healing for me, for him, for us and for all that we’ll build and create together.
But until then and even after, I’ll continue leading my life with love, light, gratitude, grace, presence, purpose, authenticity, honesty, openness, transparency and peace. I’ll continue building my inner Sanctuary.
Until then and even after, I will define and be my own Sanctuary. It is my superpower.
Until then and even after, Stranger, I am your Sanctuary as you are mine.
Until then.
Yours truly,
A Familiar Stranger
If you made it to the end, thanks so much for reading the first edition (of what I hope to be many) of “Rai's Resonance Corner: Healing Narratives of Love and Light“! Did this resonate with you? Let me know in the comments below!
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