The Eudaimonia Podcast with Edwina Murphy-Droomer

Recorded under the Flower Moon.A reminder that something can be both delicate and powerful,temporary and meaningful,simple and profound.Knowing the importance of this work,Knowing the potential it holds,Wanting the perfect words to arrive.And knowing that clarity comes through the willingnessto face the uneaseand take the initiative to move.In the awareness of what you don’t want.Comes the emergence of what you do.It is the language of knowing,felt but hard to put into words.An unease that holds your attention.An unease that desires distraction.But if you can face it and resist the temptation to turn away…This is where the portal to awakening opens.In the language of fairy tales, this is the moment before the wheel of fortune turns again.The moment when something that demands your attention is seen for what it is, not what it looks like.In The Frog Prince and Faithful Henry, a golden ball falls into deep water.The gold ball—a shiny, valuable item, which represents the material world of the known, which is soon challenged by what is unknown.It disappears into the deep watery depths of her emotions.And to retrieve it, she must face an uncomfortable new reality.The choice becomes:Comfort,or Courage.Choosing comfort leads to growing agitation and unease.And here the lesson begins.The willingness to face the unease,the agitation that thrums through your being.When you let your intuition guide you,when you take the initiative to trust your truth,and when you act in alignment with both…something awakens.In the story, the turning point arrives in a moment of raw truth.This is the movement:From unease and agitation,to intuition and initiative,to clarity and awakening.Each phase has its place.Each one plays its role in your becoming.A seed of potential,A blossoming beginning,A flourishing reality.A universal truth said three different ways.Your mind is not a camera.It is a projector.What you think you become.Suffering, more often than not, comes from the inside not the outside.What you perceive reality to be is shaped by the way you think.Changing the way you think, and the words you use, changes your reality.Let your intuition guide you here.Give yourself the gift of time with no distractions.Notice what you notice.This is how clarity blossoms.🎙️ In this latest episode of Maps of Becoming,I explore The Frog Prince and Faithful Henryas an initiation story—as a map of how we move from unease and agitation,to intuition and initiative,to clarity and awakening.These are your 51st and 57th Gene Keys.Reminder: This podcast is also available via my YouTube Channel.If you feel called to go deeper with this story…Below you will find a guided meditation to support you in integrating what has been stirred.The Frog Prince MeditationWith love always,Edwina This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edwinamurphydroomer.substack.com/subscribe

Stories for women—stories that reveal their secrets with time, experience, and reflection.Each one, a Map of Becoming.Each archetype, an aspect of self.The earlier they are received, the better…And it is also never too late.What seems simple begins, with time, to reveal itself as something far more intricate.This is the first story.It is no accident that this story stands at the very beginning of the original Brothers Grimm collection…The desire to avoid what life wants us to face.The wisdom of aligning thoughts, words, and deeds.The gift of responsibility.Unbound love—for self and others.These tales have been carried across generations for good reason.Within them live life’s rhythm of rupture, retreat, return, and rise—the turning points, the Wheel of Fortune, that shape a life.If you listen closely, you may find yourself within this one.I look forward to exploring what lives within this story with you in a coming podcast.Today, I have for you The Frog Prince + Faithful Henry. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edwinamurphydroomer.substack.com/subscribe

A good story is never just a story.It is a map.A map of becoming.And within that map live the forces that shape who you are, who you have been, and who you are becoming.I’m sharing this with you on my 54th birthday—a moment that, as with all anniversaries of the day we arrived earthside, is a threshold.In this episode, I take you deeper into my own story—beyond the rupture, into the retreat, the return, and the gradual, powerful rise that follows.And into a moment that unfolded as a real-life fairy tale.This episode is an invitation.To reconnect with the part of you who is willing to begin.To listen to the part of you who already knows.To honour the part of you who creates, builds, leads, and loves…and the part of you who trusts, aligns, and rises.And to return to the fullness of who you were born to be.Love always,Edwina xP.S. If you prefer video to audio, I’ve shared this episode on YouTube here:Maps of Becoming — The Eudaimonia Podcast This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edwinamurphydroomer.substack.com/subscribe

Today is the 17th of April 2026.A New Moon hovers overhead.A turning of the Wheel of Fortune.A full cycle that has completed, and the dawning of a great change has arrived.I have chosen to mark this day with a beginning that feels like a leap into the unknown. It is not the innocent leap of a small child, but rather a mature innocence that comes with birthing something new into the world, knowing full well that you can’t control where it ends up.And so, it begins.Love ALWAYS,Edwina xp.s. If you prefer video to audio, I have uploaded this podcast to my YouTube channel which you will find here > The Eudaimonia Podcast This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edwinamurphydroomer.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edwinamurphydroomer.substack.com/subscribe

Imagine for a moment hearing the story of Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast but without the pain, rejection, uncertainty, aloneness, and grief.Without the rupture in their identity and the complete destruction of the fabric of their reality.Without the experiences in their lives that invited them to dig deep, to navigate chaos, to stay kind in the face of envy, to discover their innate resilience, courage, and strength.If their stories contained nothing but pleasure, they would be stories long forgotten because they would be little more than childish fantasies that may be mildly entertaining in the moment but devoid of the richness that comes with a story that echoes a deeper wisdom designed to nourish the heart, mind, and soul.One is a little like living on ice cream alone, the other is a banquet… as Mame says so eloquently in the movie Aunty Mame:Agnus, where is your spine! Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death… Live, Agnus… LIVE!This is the difference between empty sweetness and a feast that sustains.I want to say, YES, when I see the words “pleasure is your birthright”, but the wise woman who relishes “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” whispers back, “and so is pain.”To avoid this truth, to avoid pain, guarantees you will also avoid pleasure… and this is where mediocrity robs us of the potential for exquisiteness.The very act of coming into the world involves starting your day in the blissful state of sublime comfort, ease, safety, and familiarity. And then, out of nowhere, your whole world contracts.I imagine it feels much like walking through your day, like every other day, when suddenly the earth moves beneath your feet. But this was no level four earthquake. This is a level 10 that quite literally catapults you out of everything that was safe, familiar, and exquisitely comfortable (even if it is getting a little cramped), into a life that bears no resemblance to the reality that was.It may be shocking, desperately uncomfortable, filled with fear of the unknown… but oh, so worth it… right?Because this is where new beginnings spring from.We were made for this divinely orchestrated event just as we were made to navigate uncertainty, chaos, grief, aloneness, and a rupture in our identity and the fabric of our reality. A child may wail and cry with the expectation that someone will save them, but a woman must learn the art of navigating these inevitable times with grace, gumption, and the knowing that building ourselves into the woman we were born to be is why we are here.Maturity is to view our lives through a lens of anticipation. To delight in our imagination, to play in the realm of fantasy, in the land of what if, but to walk forward and create with the acceptance that pain and pleasure are guaranteed, and that with the courage to face it all, wisdom grows, and serenity prevails.Wisdom is knowing that happily ever after does not mean all pleasure and no pain. It means the inner knowing, the inner peace, and the inner freedom that come when we create, with every thought, word, and deed, a story worth telling.In the story of Beauty and The Beast, there is a moment, just after Beauty’s father walks away, leaving her in a strange place, with nothing and no one familiar to turn to, that she succumbs to the exhaustion that inevitably follows a rupture in the fabric of our reality. And the message she most needs to hear arrives in her dream:She dreamed that she was walking by a brook bordered with trees, and lamenting her sad fate, when a young prince, handsomer than anyone she had ever seen, and with a voice that went straight to her heart, came and said to her, “Ah, Beauty! You are not so unfortunate as you suppose. Here you will be rewarded for all you have suffered elsewhere. Your every wish shall be gratified. Only try to find me out, no matter how I may be disguised, as I love you dearly, and in making me happy you will find your own happiness. Be as true-hearted as you are beautiful, and we shall have nothing left to wish for.”“What can I do, Prince, to make you happy?” said Beauty.“Only be grateful,” he answered, “and do not trust too much to your eyes. And, above all, do not desert me until you have saved me from my cruel misery.”The rich and meaningful archetypes woven throughout these traditional fairy tales reside within us all, encompassing both the masculine and the feminine, the innocent and the mature, the beauty and the beast. (This was never meant to be a story about being rescued; it is a story of becoming whole.)Knowing this, we understand that the guiding voice in Beauty’s psyche is directing her to trust her sixth sense—her intuition—above all else. And the one thing that will lead her back to pleasure is to be grateful.We have been conditioned to see what we don’t have, rather than what we do have, to see fear rather than faith. And in this dawning realisation lies the potential for a completely different experience of life.And you? Where in your life have you mistaken safety for serenity? Where are you being invited to choose gratitude over fear?We can choose to focus on what we do have.We can choose to lean into faith — the place of mystery where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see. And from here, we truly can create a happily ever after…aka Serenity!Happily-ever-after is created, one thought, one word, one deed at a time... with acceptance, courage, and wisdom.Jungian and Tarot Archetypal Insights: a journey from outer authority → inner wisdom → shadow embrace → radiant union.The Eudaimonia Library is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.👨 The Father → The Emperor (IV)* Fairy Tale Archetype: The father represents the outer world of duty, provision, and limitation. His well-meaning but flawed actions (plucking the rose, offering Beauty as a sacrifice) set the rupture in motion. He embodies the incomplete masculine, bound by survival and circumstance.* Tarot Archetype: The Emperor mirrors this energy — authority, structure, order, and worldly responsibility. In shadow: rigidity and dependence on external rules. The father’s act is the Emperor initiating Beauty into her journey by disrupting her safety.🌹 Beauty → The High Priestess (II) / The Empress (III)* Fairy Tale Archetype: Beauty is the innocent feminine called into maturity and sovereignty. She embodies compassion, sacrifice, and love that evolves into wisdom, intuition, and true power. Her journey is one of learning to see beyond appearances and trusting her inner knowing.* Tarot Archetype: She holds both the High Priestess (inner sight, intuition, faith in mystery) and the Empress (nurturance, Earth Mother, feminine sovereignty). Through her, the feminine evolves from innocence to maturity, guided by both heart and intuition.🐉 The Beast → Strength (VIII) / The Devil (XV)* Fairy Tale Archetype: The Beast embodies the shadow masculine — instinctive, wounded, and terrifying, yet carrying hidden tenderness and nobility. He is what must be embraced and redeemed, not rejected. He is both fear and the key to awakening.* Tarot Archetype:* Strength: The taming of the beast through compassion and courage, mirroring Beauty’s embrace of what is monstrous.* The Devil: The shadow self, the curse, the instinctual chains we fear, which are broken only through love, acceptance, and inner freedom.👑 The Prince → The Lovers (VI) / The Sun (XIX)* Fairy Tale Archetype: The Prince is the redeemed masculine — the true essence beneath the curse. He represents integration, union, and wholeness revealed through Beauty’s steadfastness. His unveiling symbolises love’s power to transform.* Tarot Archetype:* The Lovers: The sacred marriage — union of opposites, reconciliation of Beauty (feminine) and Beast (shadow masculine).* The Sun: Joy, clarity, truth unveiled. The hidden nobility revealed after illusion is dissolved, echoing the Beast’s transfiguration into Prince.🌟 SynthesisThe story of Beauty and the Beast moves like a living Tarot spread:* The Emperor (Father) initiates rupture and sets the heroine’s path.* The High Priestess/Empress (Beauty) embodies intuition, sacrifice, and sovereign love.* Strength/Devil (Beast) presents the shadow to be faced, embraced, and redeemed.* The Lovers/Sun (Prince) reveals the integration of opposites, the joyful wholeness born of courage and gratitude.It is a journey from outer authority → inner wisdom → shadow embrace → radiant union. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edwinamurphydroomer.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit edwinamurphydroomer.substack.comJust last week, I was live inside Kim Morrison’s Self Love Mastery Mastermind, where I delivered a beautiful masterclass, and she generously permitted me to share it with you. It’s part teaching, part remembering, part invitation to slow down and turn inward... perfect Sunday vibes. We speak of nourishment, fairy tales, forgotten wisdom, and the deeper longing for serenity beneath all our striving.This masterclass is a reminder.A remembering of what it means to feel at home in your body.To trust yourself.To stop chasing the prize and pay attention to the path.We talk nourishment. The kind that feeds your soul.We talk about the stories we’ve been told… How we learned to follow the rules, tick the boxes, do what’s “right”… until one day, we realise we no longer recognise our own lives.This is a conversation about what it means to come back to yourself. To reclaim your rhythm. To remember your wisdom. And to move in a way that feels like home.🌟 Shared MomentsLiz:“I just surrendered to it… it was captivating. I really, really enjoyed that.”Kim Morrison:“Your stories fill their hearts before their heads and then allow the magic to be interpreted.”“Thank you for allowing us to drop into this space and for taking us on an exquisite journey.”Tanya:“I was activated the whole time. Magical.”“We’ve handed the trust to the experts… I’m the expert of me.”“If you miss the journey, the prize means nothing. That, for me, was incredible.”Janet:“Hello gorgeous Edwina. I’ve missed you reading to me.”“It’s hard for me to grasp fairy tales—my brain’s so logical. But this helped me feel the bigger story.”Kim:“Such a poignant, powerful masterclass.”“You have such a beautiful storytelling voice — very melodic and beautiful to listen to.”“We’ve surrendered into it tonight — none of us care what time it is.”“Thank you for taking us on such an exquisite journey.”✨ The full teaching is above.🔒 The storytelling begins where the journey turns inward — and that part lives inside The Inner Sanctum.Enrolments for “The Illuminarium” are now open, and we begin on August 6th.🔆 A women's gathering for those ready to rise together through story, sisterhood, and soul-led creation. $ 3,333 for 3 months, $ 8,888 for 12. Directly message me for further details.

Some stories are embedded with a living wisdom your soul knows well. This is one of them.As I read The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen, I was struck again and again by the depth of archetypal meaning contained within. What follows is a stream of contemplations, organised into themes, archetypes, symbols, and insights, all existing within the soul of the one female character, Eliza. This story is a form of nourishment for the soul. An awakening and a recognition of what is known but often lies unconscious in the deepest recesses of our psyche. Symbolism and Archetypes Within the Story❄️ Winter and the Land Far AwayAnd so we begin...“Far away in the land to which the swallows fly when it is winter.”The scene has been set in the first line because we instinctively know that winter means turn in, and a season of stillness and inner retreat is calling. The land far away is the place beyond ordinary time, the deep unconscious.👑 Eleven Brothers + Eliza = 12The Symbolic 12.Twelve is a number rich with meaning: the twelve zodiac signs, twelve apostles, twelve months in a year — each forming a sacred circle, a cosmic cycle of wholeness.In this tale, the king’s children are twelve in number: eleven masculine, one feminine. Eliza is the lone daughter — the singular feminine amidst a sea of masculine energy.Archetypally, she represents the deep feminine within the psyche — the soul, the anima — surrounded by many masculine aspects (animus). The brothers archetypally represent inner masculine resources, principles of structure, logic, protection, and action.The wild swans — unintegrated masculine energies.They fly by day, separate.They return at night, only then regaining human form.Eliza’s journey is the restoration of unity/wholeness.She is the bridge between dislocation and Unity (2).Her silence, her weaving, her devotion — these are the acts that return the exiled masculine to her.And when that is complete, she can finally speak in truth (63).🧠 The King as the Blind Archetypal FatherThe king — father to Eliza and her brothers is emblematic of a recurring archetype in many fairy tales: the blind or unaware patriarch. He is easily manipulated. Passive. Unseeing. He marries a queen who is not only unkind but entirely incapable of love — a manifestation of the 12th Gene Key in its shadow of Vanity.She is consumed with her own image, seeing herself as separate, superior, unable to feel connection or empathy.👧 The Children Playing at Receiving CompanyIt hints at the shift from pure openness to performative reception. In childhood, receiving is natural, unblocked and unfiltered. But here, the act of receiving becomes something rehearsed, no longer embodied. This marks the early onset of self-abandonment, the loss of the innate knowing that it is safe — and sacred — to receive.“The children played at receiving” — it is the beginning of the journey, the Fool’s Journey in Tarot, starting at this innocent point. Young children don’t need to learn how to receive. But Andersen uses the phrase “played at receiving” to note that a barrier is forming. It’s the first crack in innocence, to a built-in planetary law that rules all sentient life — To give is to receive (27).🍰 Sand in a TeacupThere’s a haunting line: She gave them sand in a teacup and told them to pretend it was cake.This is the beginning of fantasy, but not imagination as soul nourishment, rather a hollow version of it. Fantasy that does not inspire hope or anticipation is just sand. The child is not told that a real cake is coming. It’s pretend. There is no promise. No sweetness. No becoming.This is emblematic of what happens when nourishment is withheld and illusion is offered in its place. It may appear playful, but it is actually the first taste of betrayal.🧬 False Words and the Wounding of Trust“She told the king so many untrue things about the young princes that he gave himself no more trouble respecting them.”This is the acceptance of distortion without inquiry.Blind belief in another’s words. No discernment(13). No Inquiry(63)This is the seed of suspicion that never matures into clarity (57).This is the 63rd Gene Key in shadow: Doubt that does not lead to Truth.This story is a remarkably powerful study in Gene Key 63, among others. The wounding of trust is a central thread, repeated throughout the tale.False words, when left unexamined, fracture the wholeness of the inner world.🕊️ The Brothers Become SwansThe false words have taken root.The king believes the untruths, and the eleven brothers are exiled.This is the fragmentation of the inner and outer world.It is the beginning of the rupture.⌛ One Day Passed Just Like Another“One day passed just like another” reflects the shadow frequency of mediocrity (8), purposelessness (28), and Inertia (9). But this also marks the next threshold - “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”.🌸 The Return at Fifteen – Crossing the ThresholdShe enters a new life phase: the beginning of maidenhood, the sacred seven-year cycle from 14 to 21.This age marks the threshold of individuation.It is the slow turning away from external voices — mother, father, society — and the beginning of listening to her inner guide/intuition (57).And Eliza’s first test arrives swiftly.The queen, now self-obsessed, seeks to harm Eliza’s naturalness and being (10).🐸 Three toads are summoned:* One for her head, to make her stupid.* One for her forehead, to make her unrecognisable.* One for her heart, to fill it with evil inclinations.But Eliza’s purity (12) is so innate that the toads fall away — as red poppies, symbols of sleep, mystery, and endurance.🩷 Had they not been kissed by the witch, they would have become roses.Even poisoned curses alchemise into beauty when the heart is pure.This moment is her first triumph, not by doing (masculine), but by being (feminine).🌲 Into the Wild Forest – The Initiation BeginsBanished from the palace, Eliza enters the wild forest — the archetypal landscape of the unknown.This is the place where every heroine begins her descent.Lost, barefoot, and alone, she steps beyond the walls of her childhood and into the wilderness of becoming.There is no map, no guide.Only longing.“She did not know whither she was going, but she felt very sad and full of longing. She thought of her eleven brothers who, like herself, had been driven out into the world, and she was resolved to seek them.”This resolve is her first true act of will — a sacred yes to the path.🌿 Nature welcomes her.Moss becomes her bed, a tree stump her pillow. Glowworms flicker around her like stars. Even in exile, she is held.🦴 That night she dreams of her brothers.Their golden slates now hold tales of adventure and wisdom.The dream has shifted from nostalgia to farsight.This is the 17th Gene Key:* Shadow: Opinion* Gift: Farsightedness* Siddhi: OmniscienceIn her dreams, she sees what could be.The soul speaks not through logic, but through image, symbol, and feeling.This is the emergence of inner vision.She awakens with clarity (57) and moves toward water — the mirror of intuition — to discover her reflection.🪞 The Mirror of Water – The Return of ClarityEliza wakes to the beauty of nature, hearing the sound of rippling water as springs flow into a lake with golden sand.Water appears again and again in this story. “The lake was so clear that if the wind had not rustled the branches of the trees and bushes, so that they moved, they would have appeared as if painted in the depths of the lake.”This is the 57th Gene Key:* Shadow: Unease* Gift: Intuition* Siddhi: ClarityWater reflects what is true, whether shaded or sunlit. It reveals both the distortion and the grace.Eliza sees her face and is terrified at how ugly she looks. But when she rubs her eyes and forehead with water, the truth of who she is can be seen again.“After she had undressed and dipped herself in the fresh water, a more beautiful king’s daughter could not be found in the wide world.”She turns to trust:“God, who makes the wild apples grow in the wood to satisfy the hungry, has now led me to this tree.”🍎 Nature nourishes.But now, night descends again. The glowworms have gone. All is dark.She dreams again — but she is unsure now whether she is dreaming or if it is real. This is the threshold between waking and soul vision.🍇 The Old Woman with Berries – Nourishment and GuidanceNourishment returns — this time in the form of the wise woman archetype. The old woman gives Eliza berries to eat and guides her with kindness.This is the 27th Gene Key:* Shadow: Selfishness* Gift: Altruism* Siddhi: SelflessnessThe gift is nourishment freely given. Life feeds life.And so, Eliza parts ways with the old woman and continues her quest. She walks to the edge of the sea.🌊 And there — we meet Water again.“The water rolls on without weariness… all that is hard becomes smooth. So I will be unwearied by my task. Thanks for your lessons, bright rolling waves. My heart tells me you will lead me to my dear brothers.”🦢 The Arrival of the Brothers as SwansWe then see the first reconnection.And I think it’s worth noting here that it is the youngest brother who is significant. In Jungian Terms:* Animus Integration: The youngest brother is an early stage of animus development — emotional, protective, devoted — aligned with the feminine psyche. The oldest brother’s voice comes in at the end of the tale - as the voice is heard, the leadership of the eldest brother is felt.I also think it’s worth noting here the symbolism of they fly above by day. As Eliza moves through her life in the light, her experience of, her knowing of, her feeling of, and her connection to all that the eleven brothers symbolise is experienced as separate from herself.🌊 The Journey Across the Sea + The Question of HowThere’s something interesting about the vast journey across the oceans. At the stopping point, there's nothing but a little rock rising from the sea—barely large enough to stand on safely. And yet, they thank God for this tiny rock. It comes up more than once. That’s significant.They’re permitted to visit home only once a year, and only for eleven days. There’s something here about looking backwards—about the familiar. It's allowed, but only briefly. The focus is forward.The brothers know there’s a task ahead, but the how is not yet clear.Eliza asks: How can I break this spell?The swans fly away, then return. A plan is made. And the question is asked:“Have you the courage to go with us?”It’s a moment of decision. The Serenity Prayer rises:God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,The courage to change the things I can,And the wisdom to know the difference.Eliza says yes.That night, they weave a net. Weaving together what will carry her.🪨 The Tiny RockThe rock is a sanctuary and a symbol of surrender. It is not grand or comfortable, but it is enough.It is symbolic of the moments in our own lives when we cannot yet fly forward, but we also cannot return, when all we are given is a narrow ledge of grace, a space just wide enough to rest, gather breath, and pray.These rocks are the sacred pauses in our transformation. They remind us that stability does not have to be permanent to be powerful. We can be held even in a fleeting moment. We can give thanks even for the smallest ground beneath our feet.🪨 The ReturnThe brothers can visit home once a year — for only eleven days.There’s something here:Looking back is allowed… but only briefly.The focus is forward.They speak of their fatherland — drawn by loving ties — but it is no longer home.They must fly on to a beautiful land. One not yet reached.The how is not yet known, but the call is clear.🌫️ The Ever-Changing Cloud PalacesAs the sun rose higher, Eliza saw mountains, palm trees, flowers —ever-changing cloud palaces of the Fata Morgana.She hears music… but realises it’s the sea.Scenes pass before her eyes, flickering and changing like in The Little Match Girl.The last vision: blue mountains, cedar forests, cities, palaces.She sits on a rock before a great cave.The floor is overgrown with green creeping plants — like an embroidered carpet.The youngest brother says,“Now we shall expect to hear what you dream of tonight.”She prays:“Heaven, grant that I may dream how to save you.”Her prayer is answered.A fairy appears, like the old woman who once gave her berries.The wise woman, the nourisher. 🌿 The Dream and the Gathering of NettlesThe fairy comes to her and says:“Your brothers can be released… if you have only courage and perseverance.”This is the next call to courage.Water returns again —“Water is softer than your own delicate hands, and yet it polishes stones into shapes.”It feels no pain, it cannot suffer.But you will.The task is given:She must gather nettles with her bare hands.But not just any nettles —they must grow upon graves in the churchyard.She must spin and weave them into eleven coats.And she must not speak —“The first word you utter will pierce your brothers’ hearts like a deadly dagger.”Their lives hang upon her silence.This is a descent.In order to find her true voice, she must go within.Not to speak the words of others, but to discover her own.She wakes and falls to her knees in gratitude.She gives thanks.And then she begins.🕊 The Work Begins – The Cave, the Hands, and the Hidden FeminineShe went forth from the cave — the sacred feminine womb — and began her work with her delicate hands.The brothers returned and saw her hands.They understood.The youngest brother wept.Where his tears fell, the pain ceased.The burning blisters vanished.Tears as healing.Time in solitude, in the cave, was time of purpose.Time had never flown so quickly.One coat finished.The second begun.And then —The horn.The arrival of fear.The masculine hunter.She fled with terror into the cave.Then came the king — the external masculine."How did you come here, my sweet child?" he asked.But Eliza shook her head.She could not speak — not yet—for to do so would be to sever her from her purpose, from her inner masculine (the brothers), from her intuition.She hid her hands — the place of her labour, her suffering, her strength — beneath her apron.She hides her power.She hides her truth.The king offered riches and status."If you are good, as you are beautiful, I will dress you in silk and velvet, place a golden crown upon your head, and you shall dwell and rule in my richest castle."But she did not want to go.She wept.She wrung her hands.The sun went down — light into dark again.Another descent.She had no eyes for the glory.She could only mourn.She could only weep.The feminine — deep in devotion, silenced, cloaked, but unwavering.The king — symbolic of the outer authority that does not yet understand the soul’s silent work.The sacred task continues.🏰 The Inner World Hidden in the Outer PalaceShe was led to a little sleeping chamber set aside for her.It resembled the cave.The sacred place of retreat.The womb of her becoming.On the floor lay the bundle of flax she had spun from the nettles.Under the ceiling hung the coat she had made.The symbols of her devotion.The signs of her work.These things had been brought from the cave by a huntsman as mere curiosities.The external masculine does not yet understand the mystery of the feminine task."Here you can dream yourself back again into the old home in the cave."And she did.The cave within the palace.The feminine within the kingdom.💒 The Marriage Feast + The Rising TensionVery soon, the marriage feast is announced."The beautiful dumb girl out of the wood was to be made Queen of the country."The outer masculine seeks to crown her — to elevate her to Queen — even as she remains silent.This is the archetype of union without full expression. The feminine is adored, but not yet heard.She is still in her cave, her task unfinished, her truth unspoken.But now the archbishop returns.He whispers wicked words into the king’s ear — words of suspicion, of fear.But they did not sink into his heart.Each day she grows happier.The trust between Eliza and the king deepens.She longs to confide — to speak her truth — but dumb she must remain until her task is finished.So, at night, she creeps away into the chamber that resembles the cave and continues her sacred work.She wove one coat after another.At the seventh, she finds she has no more flax.Seven — a sacred number — completion, initiation.To continue, she must gather more nettles —but they must grow on graves.And so, the next call to courage begins.🪦 The Graveyard + The GhoulsNow we see her enter the churchyard —because the nettles must be gathered from gravesites.There is something profound here: the life-death-life cycle.What has died now nourishes what will be reborn.Transformation is rooted in what has been lost."Oh, what is the pain in my fingers to the torment which my heart endures?I must venture. I shall not be denied help from heaven."As she steps deeper into the shadows, she encounters the ghouls —hideous creatures that claw open fresh graves, tear apart dead bodies, and devour the flesh.This is death energy at its most grotesque — the archetype of decay, of consuming without creation.She must pass through this horror to gather what she needs to restore life.And only one person sees her —the Archbishop, who was awake while all others slept.He becomes the watcher of the dark, the judge, and the interpreter.But his interpretation is flawed.This is the 17th Gene Key: opinion mistaken for truth.He does not inquire — he assumes.He believes she is a witch.The images of the saints shake their heads —but where meant as a sign of innocence,he interprets it as proof of guilt.This is the danger of inadequacy without wisdom (48),of projection disguised as certainty.And so, the poison takes root.The king’s heart is seeded with doubt —the shadow of the 63rd Gene Key returns again.🔥 The Witch Wound + Truth RisesSo the Archbishop, under shadowed certainty, poisons the king’s heart.He and the king fall under what is not true, and declare that Eliza must be condemned —that she is a witch.This is the witch wound.The ancient memory of women burned for intuition,for truth,for misunderstood or forced silence.She is taken into the dark, into a dreary cell,where the wind whistles through the iron bars —the wind, again, a companion and a witness.Instead of silk, they give her the coats of mail she has woven,a bundle of nettles for her pillow.But nothing could please her more — she gets to continue her task.While the street boys jeer songs at her,and not a soul comforts her,still she works —and still, she holds serenity and farsightedness (17) in her heart.Even in this place of abandonment, she is not alone.🪶 The mice come to her feet, dragging nettles.🐦 The thrush sings to her all night long.This is the power of nature as ally,of symbolic support from the unseen world.While men condemn her, the natural world shelters her.The fire is prepared.But she does not falter.Her fingers continue to weave.Head, Heart, and Hands in alignment.🌹 Blossom and FlourishThe people come. The crowds stream forth to see the witch burned.An old horse draws the cart on which she sits —an archetypal symbol of endurance, burden, and final passage.But her fingers still work.Even on the way to death,she will not give up her task.🛡️ At her feet lay the ten coats of mail.She is working hard on the eleventh.But then, the swans appear.“From heaven — she is innocent,” they whisper.But they do not dare speak aloud.They will not defy authority.At the final moment, she throws the eleven coats over the swans.🕊️ They become eleven handsome princes.But the youngest still bears a swan's wing in place of one arm, for she had not finished the final sleeve.Now, she may speak.“I am innocent.”The people now cry saint, but she has fallen lifeless in her brother’s arms —overcome with suspense, anguish, and pain.Now we hear the voice of the eldest brother for the first time:“Yes, she is innocent.”And while he speaks, the air is filledwith the fragrance of a million roses.🔥 Each f****t (sticks) in the fire pile takes root and becomes a thick hedge,covered in roses.Above them all a single white rose blooms, shining like a star.The king picks this flower and places it in Eliza’s chest.She awakens with peace and happiness in her heart.Serenity = Happily Ever Aftera state of inner calm and peaceful👑 The Marriage Procession – Union RestoredThis is the union of the masculine and the feminine.Eliza’s silence, her weaving, her devotion, her trials — the rupture, the return, and the rise have called back what was lost.Her truth of who she is.Gene Key Integration Throughout, you will note numbers in brackets. These draw further attention to several of the 64 Archetypes outlined by Richard Rudd in the Gene Keys. Below are four additional Gene Keys for your contemplation.🌍 Outer Life – Doing9.3 (Life’s Work): Inertia – Determination – Invincibility16.3 (Evolution): Indifference – Versatility – MasteryEliza embodies this quadrant through the sheer doing of the work: gathering nettles, weaving coats, walking miles, enduring without complaint. At first, when her brothers are taken and she is left alone, we feel the shadow of inertia [9] as "one day passed just like another" — her purpose feels lost, her movement suspended. But she chooses to rise. Her determination [9] returns with force as she commits to the sacred work, and in the final act, when she throws the shirts over her brothers, even on the way to her execution, we see her invincibility [9] shine through.Her father, passive and easily influenced, displays the shadow of indifference [16], unable or unwilling to discern truth for himself. Yet Eliza holds the capacity for versatility [16], adapting through each trial, forest, fire, and storm. She is the weaver, the dreamer, the doer. By the end, her actions reflect mastery [16], an unwavering commitment that bridges the realms of the seen and the unseen.🌿 Inner Life – Being40.6 (Radiance): Exhaustion – Resolve – Divine Will37.6 (Purpose): Weakness – Equality – TendernessThe essence of Eliza lives here. Her being is marked by quiet strength, maternal leadership, intentional silence, and unwavering resolve [40]. Even when facing exhaustion [40] and physical suffering, she does not abandon her task. Her light, her radiance [40], shines through her acts of love.She may appear weak [37] to the outside world, silent, small, unable to defend herself, but she carries a soul-deep strength. She treats others as equals, never speaking down, never seeking vengeance. Her power is born of tenderness [37], and it is this tenderness that calls the natural world to her aid: the mice, the thrush, the soft green of the cave.She lives in a state of quiet equality [37] with the earth, with her brothers, and eventually with her king. She is the place, a home for all that is sacred, true, and enduring. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edwinamurphydroomer.substack.com/subscribe

Leaving school, roughly three and a half decades ago, it had been decided that I didn’t have a creative bone in my body. The experts (my teachers), who assessed this dire situation, concurred that not only was I not creative, I wasn’t really much of anything. Not sporty, not academic, not musical, not artistic… not, really anything deemed enough or worthy.Visiting the careers counsellor in Year 12 was yet another confirmation. The suggestion, after a quick review of my file, was that I try my hand at hairdressing. Not because I had any interest in it, just because he couldn’t seem to come up with any other option.It was a somewhat wobbly and cracked foundation from which to launch myself into womanhood, but there you have it, and so the adventure of adulting began.I am happy to report that I have a happily ever after story to tell, but it took a while to get here.It is pretty darn profound how deeply embedded beliefs can become when our thoughts, words, and deeds are repeatedly used to confirm a story we adopt as true.I am hopeless at…I am masterful at…I am left with no choice but to…I am weighed down by…Here is the thing that a very pricey education failed to teach me: the only participation award that can be handed to all children that is in integrity with truth is the ‘I am a creator’ award.With every thought, word, and deed, we create our lives.We think something.We speak it… or we don’t.We do it… or we don’t.Lo and behold, something is created.You might well ask, can it truly be that simple?I am absolutely certain that each of us arrives with a divinely bestowed gift that we are here to discover and develop mastery of. Certainly, some discover it early, while others find it through trial and error.It is worth noting, before I go on, that our thoughts, words, and deeds create not only our outer world but also our inner world.I had a performance coach some years ago who shared a quote with me that has taken root deeply within my awareness, often arising with a nudge to keep me on track.Your ability to keep your word to yourself is equivalent to your ability to experience joy in the world.It took me some time to really grasp the truth of this. I understood it intellectually, but it was only in the embodiment of it that the wisdom came.I want to unpack this nugget of wisdom with you, because I know how life-changing it can be.To do this, I want to begin with a story.A traditional story that has been told to children for hundreds of years, with the trust that when the time was right, it would blossom into wisdom that would serve them well on their quest to become all that they were born to be.What makes these stories different is that they are designed to speak the language of the right brain — the creative, intuitive, deep feminine knowing that awakens through story, rather than the left, logical, masculine side.I will discuss masculine and feminine energy in more detail later, but for now, know that, like archetypes, they are each part of every human. The story is called The Frog Prince and Faithful Henry.If you know it, I encourage you to listen with fresh ears and an open heart. If you don’t, then you are in for a treat, because this story is rich in archetypal wisdom, symbolism, and meaning, and contains a map of initiation from one chapter of life to another… regardless of age.When you are ready, be still and listen…In olden times, when people could have by wishing…To access the unpacking of this initiation story, subscribe to The Inner Sanctum - $88/month or $888/year.I want to try something a little different with how we unpack the story of The Frog Prince and Faithful Henry. As I explore the idea of this podcast and the kind of content I want to create within The Eudaimonia Library, I truly look forward to hearing from you—what you enjoy and what you'd love to see more of.The way I want to talk about this story is with a more conversational energy. Yes, I’m speaking into the void, but you’re absolutely invited to send me your thoughts, questions, and anything that stirs within you. Rather than presenting a structured list like I did in the first episode, I’m going to flow in a looser, more intuitive way—because that’s more aligned with the purpose of these stories.These stories are here to plant seeds of wisdom. As you listen, different aspects may blossom within you at different times. Something will click. You’ll feel a moment of resonance—a "ding"—a connection to your own lived experience.So let’s begin. Let’s see what unfolds.The Frog Prince and Faithful Henry is the very first tale in every original Brothers Grimm compilation. Why? Because it’s an initiation story. A beginning.The opening line is one of my favourites: “In olden times, when wishing still helped...”We often relegate wishing to the realm of fantasy or woo-woo. But if you remember what I spoke about in the first episode, our lives are created by our thoughts, words, and deeds. When those three align, when we get clear on what we want, we actually do create our reality. That is the magic of wishing. It’s not illogical—it’s deeply intuitive.Now let’s explore some of the archetypes in this story.We begin with a princess. She is the archetype of innocence, of pure spirit, uncorrupted and untested. And then there's the golden ball. The ball falls into a spring so deep that no one can see the bottom. This is a symbol of something lost. A part of the self descends into the unconscious.When I think about losing a part of myself, I go back to age 13, starting boarding school. I’d been confident, popular, and involved in school plays. Then suddenly, the best friend I had grown up with stopped talking to me, for reasons I didn’t understand. It broke something in me. It was like the rug had been pulled out. My self-image shattered. I lost trust in people. That’s when a part of me rolled deep into the water.You may have your own moment like this—the first time you lost a piece of your childhood self.Then comes the frog. He offers help. And here’s where the princess speaks words that don’t align with her thoughts. She says what she needs to say to get what she wants—but it’s not the truth. It’s a moment of manipulation. And then she breaks her promise.This is something we all do at different stages of life. Sometimes we don’t feel safe enough to speak the truth. We don’t know how. However, when we start to expand our emotional vocabulary, we can begin to align our thoughts, words, and actions.In my language, the goal is serenity. That tranquil state of peace—not happiness, not sadness—just stillness. I often share the Serenity Prayer:God, Mother Nature, the Universe—grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.That’s what we’re seeking. And this story is a map to it.Let’s look at the masculine and feminine energies. The masculine is logic, structure, and protection. The feminine is intuition, imagination, and ideas. One of my favourite metaphors: the masculine is the box, the container. The feminine is what lives inside.When our ideas (feminine) don’t have structure (masculine), they flicker and fade like The Little Match Girl’s visions. But when balanced, they can build empires—like The Eudaimonia Library.In this story, the frog is the immature masculine, and the princess is the immature feminine. The frog asks something of her that she’s not ready to give. But the king—symbolising the mature masculine—says: You must keep your word.This is a lesson about integrity. About the maturation of the inner masculine and feminine. About becoming whole.The story reaches its peak in the bedroom—a sacred space. The frog wants to be in the bed. The princess is repulsed. And here, the modern fairy tales often sanitise what happens next.But in the original story, she picks up the frog and throws him against the wall.This is a moment of fury, of awakening. It’s the breaking point—the kind of shocking event that changes everything. It leads to transformation. And that is the moment the frog becomes the prince.In my life, one of those moments came when my first husband walked out. We had four children under the age of eight. And while that moment was pivotal, the real awakening came a little later, when I found my voice. When I stood up for myself. When the wild woman in me came alive. That was my "frog against the wall" moment.And then we meet Faithful Henry.He wrapped iron bands around his heart when the prince was transformed into a frog. This is symbolic of grief. Of heartbreak. Of the way we shut down when we lose love.For me, that happened when I lost the ability to trust love, perhaps even in childhood. And it wasn’t until I had children of my own that those bands around my heart began to break.This story is about the return to love. The return to wholeness. The reunion of the masculine and feminine within.So I hope this has given you something to ponder, something to feel into. Let me know if you’d like journaling questions or prompts—I’m happy to create them.And finally, I want to share what’s coming next inside The Eudaimonia Library:* The Vault: where all the paywalled content lives.* The Illuminarium: a high-level mastermind where we connect live via Zoom.* The Serenity Sanctuary: a creative heart-and-hands space launching soon, with group calls, storytelling, and creative integration—writing, drawing, sewing, and more.If this speaks to you, let me know. I’m shaping it now, and your input matters. The likely launch is in September. There’ll be early bird offers too.Thank you for walking with me.So much love—and bye for now.x Edwina This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edwinamurphydroomer.substack.com/subscribe

There are seasons in life when everything feels uncertain—when unease clings, and joy, if it comes at all, appears only as a flicker of light in the dark that disappears as quickly as it came. But it is from this place—in the dark, in the stillness, in the breaking down of life as we knew it—that something profound begins to grow.This reflection is for those moments.For the woman who senses there is so much more that she yearns to be, do, and have. For the woman who knows, deep down, that the life she was born to live is waiting for her to decide, to choose and to emerge again in ever-increasing alignment with who she was born to be.This is as true for her as is her knowing that spring will always emerge from winter.But sometimes, just as the winter soils can need a little encouragement to let the first signs of spring poke through, so too do we.But before I offer the tools that are to come, I want to guide you to step back, because from there we can leap forward.History shows us that the ever-growing need for greater ease and comfort dates back to the time when our primary purpose in life was simply to survive. However, there was a tipping point. Our obsession with comfort and what is fast, cheap, and easy has led us to overlook a vital truth: evolution shows us that the willingness to face what is unknown, and a little or a lot of uncertainty, discomfort, and even pain, is essential to creating something new.The greatest wisdom, courage, and strength are created in the darkest times.Facing what is uncomfortable is where the change we yearn for lies. As a mother draws on strength to face struggle, pain, and vulnerability during childbirth, who she is on the other side is someone she has never met before… the next evolution of who she was born to become.The same is true for the creator of any masterpiece: acceptance, courage, and wisdom continue to grow with every next act of courage.In the modern world, where avoiding any discomfort has become the primary goal, we as a society are sadder and sicker than ever before in history.A life spent avoiding the unknown, with no struggle and no pain—whether emotional, physical, or spiritual—is a life that slowly withers and dies. It is a life that loses its strength and will to grow. It is a life that gets caught in the web of the "one day" fantasy, forever waiting.It is a life stuck in the modern-day fairy tale of being rescued and living happily ever after… with never another struggle to face.We can create a vision board filled with all the things our heart and soul yearn for, and gaze at it from the comfort of the life we are living now, but with no perceptible change to our thoughts, words, or deeds—the three levels of creation—little if anything will change. It is akin to lighting a match in the dark, using the flicker of light to glimpse a vision of our dreams, only to let them disappear as the flame inevitably blinks out.We turn away and go back to living the life we yearn to change.And there we can stay stuck in the thoughts that keep us there: What if it can’t? What if I try and fail? What if they think I am ridiculous? If we stay stuck for long enough, we will eventually die with our dreams unmet.“Cemeteries are full of unfulfilled dreams... countless echoes of 'could have' and 'should have'… countless books unwritten… countless songs unsung... I want to live my life in such a way that when my body is laid to rest, it will be a well-needed rest from a life well lived, a song well sung, a book well written, opportunities well explored, and a love well expressed.”- Steve MaraboliCourage-destroying thoughts keep us stuck, while the truth that there is always another choice hovers just on the other side of a different thought.There is a story, a traditional fairy tale, that has been told for many centuries across the world in various languages. It is a story that speaks to the inner knowing that resides in all humans, regardless of race, sex, or age. Crafted as both a cautionary tale and as a seed of wisdom, it is designed to plant itself in the deepest recesses of our being, where it waits until the time is right to blossom into a thought that acts as a flicker of light in the dark. With this, we have what we need to emerge again into a new season of spring in the ongoing evolution of our lives.You will likely be familiar with this story, but I encourage you to listen anew with the whole of your heart, mind and soul. When you are ready, relax, be very still, and listen - listen carefully to this tale about The Little Match Girl.🜃 The Archetypes Live Within YouIn The Little Match Girl, we are meeting what lives within each of us.The archetypes and symbols live within our own psyche. These stories provide a soul-map of the tension between inner longing and outer reality. A story of the wild, intuitive self, surviving in a world that has forgotten that the power to create the life we want lies within, with every thought, word, and deed.Initiation often represents an internal journey—a personal trial or challenge that an individual must confront and navigate. This process involves facing fears, overcoming doubts, and emerging with greater wisdom and resilience.A Rite of Passage, in contrast, is typically an external, ceremonial event that marks a significant transition in an individual's life, such as puberty, marriage, or a graduation.Understanding these distinctions enriches our appreciation of how individuals grow and evolve, both personally and within their cultural contexts.🔮 Archetypes🕊 The Innocent / The UninitiatedThe Little Match Girl herself—innocent, uninitiated child, ill-equipped to survive in the world-relies on an external saviour.🕸 The Crone / Wise GrandmotherIn her power as an initiated woman, unconditional love and ancestral wisdom - knowing there is a time for sweet love and a time for tough love.” Hop up, you are ok, move your body, and I will show you how to survive.”In her shadow form, as an uninitiated woman, she offers the illusion of love, but it has no life force, only the permission to lie down and die.🪓 The Shadow FatherThe implied abusive or negligent father represents the absence of protection, authority, guidance, and love.🌫 The Distant MotherAlready dead—her absence speaks to the loss of nurturing and feminine care in the girl’s earthly experience.👁 The Bystander CollectiveThe townspeople represent the many choices we fail to make, and the willingness to hear ‘no’ 100 times until we hear a ‘yes’.🕯️ SymbolsEach image in this story is a vessel for meaning—whispers from the soul, waiting to be remembered.🪔 Matches 🔥 Light / FlameDivine spark, brief moments of insight, the soul's inner radiance, connection to the unseen realm. Flickers of potential, imagination, vision, and the thin veil between worlds; also, the soul's longing to see and be seen.❄️ Cold / SnowThe absence of warmth in the form of life-force energy.🦶 Shoes and Bare FeetIn Women Who Run With the Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estés speaks of shoes as “psychic coverings for the feet—the basis of our understanding.” She sees them as symbolic of the soul's readiness to journey or stand in its truth.* Shoes are part of our psychological protection.* When we’re barefoot, we may be raw, tender, or on holy ground.* When we wear someone else’s shoes (too big, too small), we walk a path that doesn’t belong to us.🦢 Roast GooseEarthly nourishment, celebration, warmth.🎄 Christmas TreeSpiritual illumination, divine presence, joy; fleeting glimpses of heaven.🏚 Corner Between Two HousesLiminal space—between safety and exposure, between the seen and unseen, between life and death.🕛 New Year’s EveThreshold time—symbolic of endings, transitions, and the potential for rebirth or spiritual awakening.🌹 A Closing ReflectionNotice what you notice—the archetypes and the symbols—because what is meant for you will speak to you.The match girl: the tender self who still believes in something more.The grandmother, who coddles and fails to revivify the innocent spirit.The cold, the hunger, the longing… and the light.This story invites you to pause and listen—to the knowing within who is striking matches, showing you visions of all that is meant for you.Ask:✨ What visions flicker in the dark, asking to be honoured?✨ What part of you needs to be warmed, nourished, seen?✨ What guiding presence—within or beyond—is ready to take your hand?✨ What decision, and what choice will see you rise from where you are?You don’t need to force answers. Just sit with this story and let it speak to parts of you that are ready to receive and awaken with a new thought, a new word, and a new deed that will support you in continuing to evolve into the next evolution of who you are here to be.And be ready if, as she did for me, The Little Match Girl and her message for you comes to you in your dreams.To explore this beautiful work in ever-expanding and deepening conversations, you are invited to subscribe to the Vault, and if you have any questions about how I can support you on your journey of becoming, please message me direct via email or direct messages on any social platform. The Inner Sanctum - $88/month or $888/year - 8 resembles the infinity symbol (∞), representing endless cycles and the interconnectedness of life. In numerology, it signifies balance between the material and spiritual realms, as well as the flow of energy - to give is to receive.With warmth and wisdom,Edwina🕯 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edwinamurphydroomer.substack.com/subscribe

The Eudaimonia Library is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.I am certain I am not alone in struggling to put into words what unconditional love is, the kind of love a mother has for a child, as it feels like there simply are no words that do the feeling justice.However, in my devotion to learning the language of love, I feel I have created something that will serve us all.It came in response to a question from a client asking me to explain my understanding of a quote by the great Dr Maya Angelou.“You belong no place, every place, no place at all, the price is high, but the reward is great.”I wondered for a few days how best to answer with a story that would help the message land more deeply.The words came following a challenging week. On a high and roiling tide of emotion, I allowed the waves to rise and break. Then, as the emotions ebbed away again, clarity came.With Love From, The Writing Desk of Edwina Eleanor SophiaThere is a sadness that fills me at times. It sits like lava just beneath the surface, wanting to erupt, but somehow is unable to. It is a deep sadness in my soul that can remain dormant for stretches of time, unseen, unfelt, and easy to imagine it isn't there at all, but it is, like a black hole. Every now and then, when the pressure builds enough, or when I soften enough so that it can crack open just a little, a few tears fall, releasing the pressure just enough so that I can close the seal again and get on with my day.The only medicine that makes a difference is unconditional love. Being in the vortex of unconditional love allows the crack to open wide and the black hole of aloneness to be filled with gentle sunlight.The love we know or imagine a mother's love to be is a compassionate love. It is love that knows that we are all made of strength and struggle and that we are worthy of love exactly as we are.It is a selfless love that says, “All I want for you is to be healthy and happy and to know that you are unconditionally loved. I will do whatever I can to help you with that?" The kind of love that says I don't need you to be like me, I just want you to be you.It is a kind love that says we all make mistakes. Forgive yourself, because I know that until you forgive yourself, the pain will stay. I want you to know I forgive you, and until you can forgive yourself, please know I won't abandon you. I will stay right here with you until you find your way through.I see YOU—not what you've done, not what you have, not what hurt you, but you—the beautiful soul standing in front of me, wanting to be seen for who you are—not for who you have been, not for how you are perceived, but for who you are.The kind of love that accepts that we're all a product of our environment, past and present.From the moment we are born, we begin collecting all that will shape who we become from our environment. Then, we are taught the meaning of those things. Those around us tell us what is good, bad, safe, dangerous, kind, nasty, right, and wrong. All of it gets wired into our nervous system and subconscious with the endgame of understanding the rulebook that hints at guaranteeing love and belonging.Those who are loved and belong follow the rules, and those who don't—well, we all know those people.Those people are those who vote left, unless you vote left, and then those people are those who vote right.Those people are those who don't vaccinate unless you don't vaccinate, in which case those people are those who do.Those people are those who eat meat unless you do, in which case those people are those who don't.Of course, there are those people who have that colour of skin, unless you do, in which case those people are those who don't.I could go on and on because this list is literally endless.The them and us divide is the crack that unconditional love falls through.Fierce, unconditional love is rare, and many never feel its presence.Even those who talk to a Divine Intelligence can feel they are walking a fine line between rejection and embrace because of the thoughts and beliefs they have absorbed from the world around them.There isn't a person on earth who doesn't want to be loved for who they are, irrespective of all the stuff that we believe defines us. The house, the car, the bank balance, the job, the children, the clothes, the weight, the friends—that is all the stuff that surrounds you. It isn’t who you are.If you took it all away, if there was nothing to help me make snap decisions about whether you are one of those or one of them, if it were just us standing in a pitch-black room and I couldn't see you, but we could talk for an hour, that's who I want to know. And I would love you to meet me there too.Just as my mother first met me in the womb, where I belonged, no place, every place, no place at all.The price was high because I had to be completely naked, but the reward was great because there was nothing that defined me, which is true freedom.“I belong no place, every place, no place at all, the price is high, but the reward is great.”My life has been a journey of understanding that unconditional love starts with knowing you are it. We don’t come into the world believing we have to earn it, nor believing others have to earn it. We naturally receive it and give it.The world around us takes us on a journey away from it, sooooooo far away from it, until we feel lost and decide to find our way back.On my journey, I experienced the aching absence of it, repeated rejections that created a distrust and fear of letting any love in, becoming a mother, and finally, becoming the Mother I needed—for myself, for my children, and for the world around me.As a mentor, it is this love that I bring to the women I work with.I am the woman women go to when the life they are living no longer fits. When the identity they’ve carried crumbles. When grief is so deep, it rearranges who they are.And when they’re ready to rise again, not as who they were, but as who they are becoming next, I am the woman in their corner who stays as long as they want me to.I create this space for women to rebuild themselves after sudden irreversible shifts in reality, whether they occurred years ago or more recently, when what had defined them is no longer there.I help them blossom and flourish again by providing a sanctuary to regroup and reconnect to the truth of who they are—and by staying with them until they remember who they were born to be.If you’re living the rupture, the return, or the rise, I'm here for you.I am an Earth Mother, educated for over five decades in the school of life.I am Edwina Eleanor Sophia.Founder of The Eudaimonia Empire – Where Women Blossom + Flourish.Mentorship places are available by application.Please message me directly to learn more.Also, you may notice that the Eudaimonia Reading Room is evolving. Due to the expansion underway, it will now be known as the Eudaimonia Library. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edwinamurphydroomer.substack.com/subscribe