This is an 1859 painting by Nicolas François Octave. It’s called the Cursed Woman.
Why on Earth is she cursed? So I did a little google, and the only thing I can find is that this painting depicts the heavenly side to an orgasm. Yes totally, I can dig that. So again, why is she “cursed”?
So I got to thinking…
Perhaps this picture is to signify a few of the voices within us.
- The in-between the legs: this is the voice of lust. The voice we have that comes from the lust portion of a relationship. The wanting, the desire, the pleasure. The one that tells you just for tonight do the thing that will make your sex organs feel good, even if you have to bend your values a little bit. Just for tonight you can let him have his way, and tomorrow you can stand in your truth.
- The voice of the heart: this is the one of hopes and dreams and romantic love. That over the rainbow type feeling you’re only accustomed to seeing on those W Network movies. (You know exactly what I’m talking about). The feeling of being in love. It’s so sweet and happy…is that joy I feel?
- Your actual voice: how you actually express yourself and put into words the internal voices.
So how does this curse women?
Perhaps if we don’t take the time to properly digest these feelings and the voices within, when we do communicate our words and intentions might come out wrong. We might be impulsive, without-thought, over thinking, full of emotion, etc. Our wants and needs will not be expressed properly because we don’t even know what they are!
…So I’m starting to see the curse! I’ve been there, many of times in my life. That out of whack feeling. When I get this feeling, I know I’ve gone far too long without yoga and checking in with myself. And if I get here, I also know my Chakras are way out of alignment.
Moments like these are anxiety driven and full of fear. They require pausing, reflecting and digesting. We need to S L O W down for the sake of ourselves. For the sake of our mental well-being and check-in.
How am I feeling?
How do I want to feel?
What can I give myself right now to get into the better feeling vibe?
Doing the above work when the internal conflict comes up will help us move more authentically and do things aligned with what we need.
This is enough to drive anyone mad, yes?
And perhaps this is a woman’s curse: learning how to decipher and manage the emotions.
What do you think?
modern love 