The Sovereign Circle

      

By Shajen Joy Aziz, M.Ed., M.A.

Warning - a Personal Post.    Beginning 2026, I find myself standing inside a major life pivot. Not just a change in circumstances, but a change in how I see love, belonging, and myself.   Recently, I had a profound conversation with my dear friend, Heidi. We spoke about losing our mother's, about love in this era, about the power of women’s friendships, and about what it means to desire a masculine presence that stands in his own integrity. We talked about what it feels like to long for a love that truly shows up for itself, for you, and for a shared life, and how rare that feels in today’s world.   We spoke about how, as women, we have become that for one another: partners, supportive and available to live life together. I am constantly in awe of the power of the feminine, the depth of sisterhood, and the way women hold each other with strength, compassion, and loyalty.    Then Heidi gave me a gift that changed me forever. She said, “Shajen, no one on this earth thinks about you the way your mother does. No one will ever love you, hold you, and keep you on their heart the way your mother did. And you lost your mother at twelve.”   In that moment, something deep inside me softened. I realized that much of my life I had been searching for a love that could fill a very specific ache. A love that could never truly be replicated, because it was the love of a mother. I was searching for something that, in this lifetime, I will never receive again in that exact way. And suddenly, I was okay.   Not broken. Not grieving. Just clear. That awareness freed me. It helped me see where I had been unconsciously asking others to hold something they could never hold. It showed me how I had been seeking love that was never truly in alignment, because no partner could ever be asked to replace a mother’s devotion.   With that realization, my heart opened in a new way. I became softer, more present, more whole. I no longer needed anyone to fill that space. I could simply meet someone as an equal, and bringing my full self while they brought theirs. Then, something beautiful happened. The man I had hoped to build a life with, walked through the door; ready.    But this time, I was different. My energy clean, in a way I now fully understand, as I was not seeking completion. I was not seeking rescue. I was not seeking a wound to be healed by someone else. I was simply available to love, freely and honestly.   True love begins within, with the understanding of yourself, your needs, your grief, and the quiet ache you are trying to soothe. It begins with knowing yourself, and your relationship with your parents, with Mother Earth, to the people who love you, and to the universal energies that hold us all.   From that place love has found its way to blossom in singularity and in partnership. Words truly cannot express the gratitude I have for the powerful feminine forces that show up for another unabashedly, and conquer life's transitions together.    May peace be the way for you and your loved ones. I am forever grateful. Shajen Joy Aziz, M.Ed., M.A. Award-Winning #1 International Best-selling Author, Speaker, Publisher Your Voice Matters ~ It's Why I'm Here  https://www.publishing-joy.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/shajen-joy-aziz-lichtenstein-woodstock-vt/257631 https://www.linkedin.com/in/shajen-cheyenne-joy-aziz-m-ed-m-a-35053715/ http://www.discoverthegift.com http://www.alivingcurriculum.com WATCH THE MOVE -> https://www.gaia.com/video/discover-gift