Its been a while since I wrote about my actual semester and not just the huge dangling essay that has been keeping me awake at night, literally. In between manic typing sessions, I have been continuing my reading on female mystics in religion. I started this semester wondering why female mystics were used for their skills, yet not able to lead within their various religious organizations. I’m still not sure of that, to be honest. I’ve read about countless mystics now, in Christianity, Judiasm and Islam and the one thing that all of those women share is their passion – for religion, for God, for a man, but mostly, they share their passion in themselves, so to speak.

This is the same passion I witnessed as my belly dance instructor talked about what belly dancing brought to her. Passion. Her eyes lit up, and you could see how she was energized just thinking about her art. Its also the same passion that I feel when I am able to explain to a woman why she is in the position she is in, when unhappy, and encourage her to change her own views of the world, to change her views of her life, of her self and to pass on her own lessons to others. (That, and database programming, but I realize that’s not nearly as exciting as women, unless you’re a geek, and this isn’t a geek blog, so go away.)

Some women find passion in art, in music, their children, in a man or another woman. Some find it in books or computers. The women I’ve read about were remarkable enough to have books written about them, they had something significant to share with the world, and they demonstrated that with true… passion. Those are the women, who believed so whole-heartedly in themselves and their beliefs, they would (and did!) give their lives to their passions. These women give us perspective into their lives in order to broaden our perspective of our own lives.

Sometimes, you have to fight for what you believe in, even if the people around you don’t understand or support your visions. You will not get applause, or even a pat on the back, but since passion rarely comes from the external, there’s no point in seeking adulation anywhere but from within. You know your dreams, your fantasies, what stops you from them? Is it something you can change? Then change it!

It is part of growth and maturity to fight for what you know is right, regardless of the outcome. When you fight, and fail, you at least know you tried. When you fight for one thing, it can lead to another, even greater prize. Its the journey, not the goal, that should fan the flames of one’s passion. If it doesn’t, then maybe its time to make a left turn, or even stop and sit on the side of the road for a while, and just think.

When was the last time you felt passionate about anything, and fought for something crazy?