“We are meant to give birth to love. ”
Fecund. Such a fun word. Fecund. See, what I mean? It’s so fun to say. And, then, when you look up the definition, because you do have to look it up, (how else would I have known what it means??), it’s so deeply meaningful. “Capable of producing offspring, fruit, vegetation, etc. in abundance: prolific: fruitful. Very productive or creative intellectually.” A powerful combination - a word that contains the joy of playfulness and depth of meaning - and what it’s like to work at MHT. I came on board as Clinical Director with this group of wonderful women about six months ago and my time has been just that, joyful and deeply meaningful.
And with Christmas upon us, I keep thinking about how this joyful, deeply meaningful word - fecund - encapsulates the message of Christmas in the Judeo-Christian narrative. The story starts with an ever important announcement - the Angel Gabriel visiting the virgin Mary in Luke 1:26-38. The story is fantastical! An angel visiting a terrified, virgin woman, telling her she is to give birth to the son of God. Crazy! Right? But I say dismissing it as “crazy” is old news. How about we let ourselves play with it a little bit, give our imagination some room, and let the story be a parable of sorts, with room for metaphor. The concrete, literal message has a broader reach. A deeper meaning for our everyday lives, loaded with a crucial message for us.
When we let metaphor in, the story teaches us that, as women, (and humans), we are meant to give birth to love. Generative and creative and help meet the world’s needs. No matter our circumstances and when we think it’s impossible, we are called to be growthful, fruitful, and, in abundance, for the world’s sake. Fecund. And, if we remember the way love permeates Jesus’s message in the story as it continues - “For god so love the world, he gave his only son,” “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. And the greatest of these is love,” “love the lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. These are the two greatest commandments.”
This is the message of Christmas to me - that we are called to give birth to love and this love will heal us, forgive us, and ultimately, save us. I wrote a poem in this fecund spirit. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you from MHT!
Love Has Come
The Angel Gabriel and Mary.
The encounter.
She,
cowering in the corner,
hiding in the darkness.
The message.
Love has been born,
inside you.
You are pregnant
with love.
The floor is moving,
the walls shaking,
the house’s foundation
put to test.
Earthquake news.
An identity crisis.
Love has come,
out of the darkness.
Out of the cold.
Through you.
I know you didn't know,
how hard it would be,
to love. To birth love.
To steward love.
Terror. Rage. Despair.
The hardest thing
you’ve ever done.
I know you're scared.
I'm scared too.
But just because
you're scared,
doesn't mean
you can't do it.
You can’t not.
We can’t not.
Where will we be
If we don’t bear love?
Lost.Alone.Dead.
The walking dead,
I tell you. Do you
get what I'm saying?
Love has come, inside you.
We.are.the.mother.of.love.
Labor.Birth.Growth.
This is how healing takes place.
This is where our suffering
can be held.
This is what we need
to be human.
Love has come.
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Dr. Gabrielle Taylor serves as Clinical Director at Michelle Harwell Therapy and is a licensed Psychologist and Psychoanalyst in private practice in Pasadena, CA. She is also a member at New Center for Psychoanalysis where she serves on the Admissions Committee. She is Core Faculty at Wright Institute Los Angeles whee she supervises and teaches – her class The Poetry of Psychoanalysis: Contemporary Psychoanalytic Theory is favored among many of the students.