They met again a few days later after Bri had a chance to do a little more reading and let some of the ideas soak in for a while. Bri was full of questions at their next meeting.
“So what you do is help young women achieve their dreams,” said Bri. “Isn’t that a bit like being a Fairy Godmother?”
“Oh we haven’t been called that in generations. To tell you the truth, I always liked the romance of thinking of that way.” explained Diana.
“As Fairy Godmothers? But isn’t that sort of silly and trivial?”
“Everyone needs a Fairy Godmother from time to time dear.”
“You’re kidding, right? I’m supposed to go into training to be a Fairy Godmother?”
“Just like you needed Lydia Day, other women need someone who believes in them. Unconditionally. Someone who can see our strengths when we’re too confused to see clearly.”
“We’re the Daughters of Inanna. Not that there’s anything wrong with Fairy Godmothers, mind you.” Diana looked off into space and began to talk, as if to no one.
“We all need a Fairy Godmother sometimes,” she said again. “Not to magically improve us or lift us up out of our circumstances. The real magic of the Fairy Godmother is in the mirror she holds up for us to look into.
The mirror shows us the possibilities of our Selves and our Lives. It shows us what we can become.
The Fairy Godmother never brings us what we don’t have. She doesn’t change us. She doesn’t even suggest that there is anything wrong with the way we are. She knows the truth.
The Fairy Godmother works with what is present. In Cinderella, she transformed the girl’s ragged dress into a ball gown. The Fairy Godmother transformed what was already there. She brought forth a different aspect of what was present. The Fairy Godmother knew with absolute certainty that what Cinderella saw was not the whole truth. The Fairy Godmother knew that in a different form the dress Cinderella was already wearing would be perfect for the ball.
Notice that Cinderella was already beautiful and graceful. She just couldn’t see it herself. The Godmother didn’t need to enhance that or Cinderella's wit and charm. Cindy just needed the confidence of all the trappings. Once her confidence was bolstered by the dress, the coach and all of the accessories, Cinderella let her own inner beauty come forth. So, of course she won the prince. She had everything it took. She had always had it. The prince, is of course only a symbol. A symbol of a young woman’s heartfelt dream. Today, it could be a family, a career or a simple desire to help in the world and feel fulfilled.
That’s what we all need sometimes. Someone to truly look at us. Someone to see our strength and beauty. Someone to see our true selves. Then we in turn can act as a mirror to the one who doesn’t see so clearly.
Most of us need the Fairy Godmother to serve as that mirror. Once we see what’s really inside, our confidence builds and we demonstrate who we really are. Once our self-doubt is removed, we no longer hesitate to follow our hearts. In our hearts we find the truth and beauty of who we are. Then we truly have something to give to the world.
That’s the reality of it all. That’s one of the big lessons we come to this life to learn. Once we are truly ourselves, when we live from the core of our Divine nature, that’s all we want to do, is give. We recognize the unity of all life. But that’s very difficult to do when we’re blinded by day-to-day troubles.
So that’s what we do. We help women find their true Divine nature. Then the world has the gift of that beauty and that truth. And our women can’t wait to return the favor by passing on beauty, truth and service to the world. We don’t call ourselves Fairy Godmothers, but the principle of bringing out the best in women is one of our prime directives.”
