Wearing nothing is divine, naked is a state of mind…

“Wearing nothing is divine
Naked is a state of mind
I take things off to clear my head
To say the things I haven’t said
….
Knew I had to say goodbye
To all the old things held inside
If I let the moment fly
I knew they’d all be magnified
….
My vision started to be clear
I watched the sunlight coming near
I knew the day I knew the night
I knew I could regain my sight.”
– Luscious Jackson

When I was in college, I listened to the song “Naked Eye” by Luscious Jackson repeatedly.

I loved the idea of naked being a “state of mind”, I loved the phrase: “I take things off to clear my head.”

It was sort of a huge “a-ha” moment for me in that the song was the first thing that introduced the concept of me actually having some control over the things inside my head and my heart and soul.

I never really understood that the things we carry in our hearts and souls and minds are ultimately extra baggage, and that we could choose what we held onto. I know it’s *not* quite that simple- there is brain chemistry involved and synapses formed from old experiences and memories. But every time I heard the song, and sang along to the lyrics, I felt like I had a way to work through them and really clear myself of the extraneous junk (heartbreaks, resentments, disappointments). As I listened to the song, and celebrated my own dominion over *me*, I felt like I was growing new courage inside, and a new way of living that would carry me into my adult life.

Ever since then, whenever I hear the word “naked”, I don’t think of the human body, but of a clear emotional/mental space. I think of getting brave, getting real, and getting authentic. It doesn’t have to be a “public” event, it can just be something that I spend some time working through inside my own self. But it’s important.

I revisited the song this week in anticipation of writing this. It’s funny how so much has shifted in the last 15+ years, and how some things stay the same. I’m still working through the concept of mindfulness, of owning my own head and heart.

But the message of the song still resonates for me, just as clearly. In fact, the message of the song for me has evolved- now I take more notice in the phrases about self-expression. “Knew I had to say goodbye to all the old things held inside. If I let the moment fly I knew they’d all be magnified.” In the last fifteen or so years, I’ve found myself becoming quieter and quieter, often holding things back rather than expressing them out loud because there’s less of a chance of confrontation.

But I’ve had things come up lately that are reminding me how important it is to “say the things I haven’t said”. One of them is having a an eight year old daughter who observes my behavior. Sometimes she’ll well up in tears and we’re not able to figure out what’s happening with us because she doesn’t want to burden anyone with her emotions or hurt anyone’s feelings.

So I’m trying to not only explain to her how important is it to speak her mind, but also show it to her through my own behavior. Not in a temper tantrum way, but in a “this is how I’m feeling right now” way.

Ultimately, I think it’s really important to “get naked”, both physically and emotionally. It’s good to throw off EVERYTHING, and take a good hard look at what is there, and recognize both the imperfections AND the beauty. Sometimes when you really look at something, you see things you weren’t expecting to see. Sometimes you find magical things you didn’t even know were there.

You find yourself.