I am grateful, and give thanks for the many lessons and teachings along the way in this life. During the past near six decades, I’ve gained experience in many areas, today I’d like to discuss dressing for success.

As a young girl and lady, I lived in the wilderness. The only real appropriate clothes for a tree climbing Tom boy were Levi’s and t-shirts. Tromping around in the wilderness all day wasn’t really a place to be thinking about fashion and “style”.

At school we were treated as we were … poor. We couldn’t afford the clothing or fun games and toys and things the popular kids and their friends had.

As a young woman, I worked in the ship yard. The attire there was steel toed boots, hard hats, Levi’s, and t-shirts. After a couple years I was laid off and got an indoor job.

I began sewing my own clothes. I chose skirts and blouses, back then pantyhose was a thing. I got the looks, oh yes … lust from the masculine and ire from the feminine. It was intense! The perceptions and personas that hit the energy body are sometimes so powerful it’s cringe worthy.

As I aged I gained weight. I began wearing comfortable clothes, clothes that went well with a heavier frame, dress for work casual for home. I felt heavy, sluggish, and thankfully all the lust and ire stopped.

I lost the weight. I still wore the larger clothes, at least until they fell off and I had no choice but to buy smaller. I was invisible, hidden in the folds of extra fabric.

I decided to purchase “going to church” clothes which double as work clothes. I began to get the side-eye from the masculine again … and the ire, the stealy knife glare coming off the feminine. It’s wild.

In the past (middle past) I tried to hide in the shadows. Saying no to a date request and managing the backlash of hurt from that became too much … this isn’t ego, it’s a real thing. Feelings are fragile. When you’re attractive, people want to date you, even if you don’t want to, not looking for it, and have to tell them so. They take it personal, and if too many get rejected then sometimes the energy of multiple rejections can get really heavy and dangerous feeling.

That being said, I like to look pretty. I feel a certain way about self when I look in the mirror and see myself looking good. When I get compliments, it makes me feel good that I took the time, made the effort. Admiration is nice, energetic or physical pawing, not so nice. Can it be any other way?

I once dated a biker who was also a baker for Fred Meyer. He wore all white by night, and black leather by day. With him it was a Gemini life, swapping personas frequently, and it is true, the attire makes the attitude.

If I don’t wish attention, I wear overalls, Levi’s, stained jeans and t-shirts. If I wish to look nice for church, and taking myself out to breakfast later, I will … if I want to show my tattoos, if I choose to cover them … the whole of every occasion, I experience life and it’s various perceptions of Self, surrounding me, poking me with its attention, drilling me with its emotion … sometimes subtle, sometimes intense, sometimes seducing, sometimes causing a quick removal of self … stranger danger!

I love people, and the way folks dress affect their perceptions and responses and characteristics.

Hair styles are really wonderful ways to gain varying responses from life which surrounds us too.

Every so often I’ll nearly shave my head. People are strange, in that the majority automatically treat me like a gay woman, a punk, or whatever … they shun me, speak softly behind hands while side-eyeing me.

I’ll let it grow and curl it, make it sensual, flowing, and the energy I receive is much different.

I encourage people to try on different attire, different hair styles, go to different arenas, partake in a variety of activity.

Learn as much as you can about as much as you can.

Not just by wearing the persona and partaking in the activities, but by becoming something for a time and watching the worlds response. Not because you don’t like self and want to become someone else, but because by doing so you gain valuable information about the sociodynamics of a society and the workings of the collective mind.

When we dress for success … overalls on the farm, long wool skirts and blouses at work, gym clothes at the gym, evening gowns at the opera … enjoy being in these spaces, not pretending to “fit in” but to gain experience and wisdom by simply being present with the collective in these spaces.

The information in the collective field will attach itself to you and whatever persona, experience, you’re wishing to create for self. The experience already exists, you’re just tapping in. It’s why switching up attitudes while in different attire is so easy, we become the field of collective awareness, we tap in to the experience.

Could potentially be the truest meaning of living vicariously … through the awareness of the collective field.

When I wake up in the morning I decide, what energy do I want to wear today? What responses or reactions do I wish to receive from the people in my surroundings? How can I best achieve this by my choice in presentation?

Or not …