The Other-Self by Mercure Rose (Original Painting)

I had this dream, I lined along a summoning circle in the depth of a forest, a bright beam of light exuding around me. I ripped from my chest a stone, carved deep and exposing all inside. I witnessed the distorted form of the self, a figure stretched thin and wide, with my own face, its presence a mirror reflecting my own being. Being genderqueer and struggling with self identity and body, this moment emphasized our understanding of ourselves, the other-self, shaped by interactions and perceptions of gaze, but also in self acceptance versus shame. Shame for my person to, for all I have made in my mistakes in judgment, in love, in being. I hold a host of a creature who can enact such violence, most of all, the violence inflicted onto myself, within myself. Harboring the remorse of my and generations, you cast any incantation to expose in earnestly the belly of that beast, yet are overcome, too much to face it.