Elsa, Your Authentic Self, And How Embracing It Changes You Dramatically

Elsa, Your Authentic Self, and How Embracing It changes you dramatically

Last week, I made a stream-of-consciousness post discussing why walking the path of authenticity changed me dramatically. All I'm doing is being myself. Why, in any hell, would being my authentic self change me in so many ways?

On the path of authenticity, I lost friends I'd had for years. Friends I thought I would have in my life forever. I resisted seemingly "practical advice" from sources I respect because I knew what I wanted and what was good for me. I felt distance form between me and the support system I'd had all my life - including family.

But in the same breath, my career got kickstarted, literally within weeks of the beginning of this journey. My spirituality drastically changed to have me at the center of it instead of being at the whim of every tom, dick, and harry that tried to highjack it - both energetically and physically. I took on a job that, though continues to be difficult, has taught me so much about our system and human nature. I have a growing following on social media, a thriving tarot channel, and a renewed support system that is far more emotionally mature and consistent than almost anything I've had before.

I always prided myself on being my authentic self. 100% of the time.

And yet there was so much within me that could not breathe and when it finally did... I'd always related with the goddess archetype. And now I felt like that is what was coming out of me. That Goddess of Creation.

How is it possible that just by honoring and living my authentic needs and self... that I became bigger than I ever thought I could be?

Elsa is a good example of this phenomenon.

I am going to come right out of the gate and say that Elsa was far more repressed than I was growing up. I've gone on record saying that I relate with Elsa in a really intimate way because her magic functioned exactly like my intrusive thoughts functioned. The difference is that I got the treatment I needed.

Elsa never did.

We all know what the TRUE ELSA looks like. You know:

Gotta have that cape

But the thing is, you can tell Elsa was repressed in her childhood just by her clothing alone. I don't really count how she dressed when the accident happened because kids don't really have a choice what they get to wear at that age. However, into her preteens, teenage years, and early adulthood, she dressed rather conservatively.

It could also partially be due to her being the princess of Arendelle, but I don't think Agnarr and Iduna really cared about their daughters' fashion. I think for Elsa, rules were essential. She had to have a structured routine because if anything was out of sync, she could get surprised. Anything unexpected (even her own imagination) and she would "lose control." Hell, sometimes even when she was just distracted, her magic came out without her consent.

And to be fair, her magic is not always... privy to her consent to use it.

I mean, there is Frozen Fever with the snowgies

There is F2, with the spirits hijacking her magic

Elsa's magic is sometimes out of her control, but by the time she understands love is the key, she is no longer scared. However... when she is afraid, she has to keep shoving down her emotions, desires, and anything else because nobody can get hurt again.

It's almost like if she allows herself to be a person, everything will go south. Or so she thinks.

A lot of people are hard on Agnarr and Iduna, but... as a person who has experienced that same scenario, I can tell you that in a way nobody is harder on you than you. So much so that Elsa continued the regiment set up by her parents into her adulthood.

When her coronation hits, she is in that familiar gown. It is beautiful and regal and has that familiar style of cape.

But Elsa did not ask for that cape. That cape is because she is queen now. If she had her way, she would have continued with that same conservative look.

Buttoned all the way to the top like WOW

However, this is the start of her journey of authenticity. That cape is symbolic because it is the only piece of any dress she wears that is carried over. There is, of course, the bodice and skirt and all that. But the cape is the most obvious because no matter how Elsa spins it, she may have always felt... she was regal.

She is Queen

She even spends a little time with Anna, has some fun with her. That goes south, but then Elsa makes her first command - albeit a regressive one - to close the gates. She is a woman now. She is in control. It is her butt in that throne, not her father's. Her parents do not speak for her. The trolls do not speak for her. For better or for worse, our girl has become her own advocate.

And well...

It was an accident and Elsa did not plan it. At first, she regrets it like crazy and runs away just to protect everyone. But as the girl runs and slips into Let it Go... those lyrics...

Be the good girl you always have to be Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know Well, now they know

Let it go, let it go Can't hold it back anymore Let it go, let it go Turn away and slam the door I don't care what they're going to say Let the storm rage on The cold never bothered me anyway

These are the words of someone that may have feared her magic... but not necessarily hated it. Elsa may have had an inner truth inside of her that even though her magic can harm... that does not necessarily mean it is bad. Keep that in mind as we move forward.

I mean, look at Elsa's excitement after she made the ice stairs:

That is not the face of someone who hated who she truly was. She just goes on and on and on, gets bigger and bigger and bigger until...

I mean

what more can I say?

When you repress who you are and you try to follow the rules of what society impresses upon you - in Elsa's case being her parents and the generational trauma that was passed on through both of them - you look starkly different from how you truly are. You behave starkly different from how you truly are. In this case, Elsa was the perfect Arendellian princess.

When she lets it go, her dress, her home, her life is made of pure ice and snow. Wind and sky. Pure nature.

More to come, friends.

Merry Christmas!!

I absolutely love Olaf’s Frozen Adventure and especially the song, When We’re Together, so in celebration of the holiday, here’s two times I believe WWT foreshadows lyrics in FII!

- “I would travel miles and miles and I would follow any star.” -> “The only star that guided me was you” (The Next Right Thing)

- “I'd go almost any place if it's any place you are” -> “I follow you around, I always have. But you've gone to a place I cannot find” (TNRT)

Elsa has discovered new memories in Ahtohallan

But for some reason, she can’t access them.

She's tried everything! Her own magic, the assistance of the spirits, even Northuldra wisdom! Nothing works!

But Elsa has a feeling.

It’s the same feeling that told her to trust the voice that brought her north to Ahtohallan. It’s the same feeling that told her the spirits of the Enchanted Forest are good. Now, that feeling is telling Elsa to talk to her sister.

Anna, the Queen of Arendelle.

The sisters don’t quite know it yet, but those memories they are about to find are yours.

Introducing...

A fanzine, for fans, by fans! 10 installments over 6 months!

10 installments for 10 years!

Elsa and Anna will descend into the depths of Ahtohallan to find our memories of Frozen. You see, Elsa and Anna together are the Fifth Spirit. To see these memories they need to work together to part the ice. As they do, they will find more and more memories through each year, through a whole decade! They will find everything—the movies, the books, the spin-offs—and our memories too!

Those memories are your creativity!

We are calling YOU, the fans of Frozen, to share your creativity! Art, poems, photography, non-fiction, short fiction! Frozen has touched so many hearts… what does your heart have to say about it? What year means the most to you? What are your memories?

Let’s show Anna and Elsa together!

If you are so inclined, you can find more information below:

Water Has Memory: A Frozen Decade is a fan project in the form of a single fanzine released in 10 installments over a 6 month period. Starting with the 10th Anniversary, November 27, 2023 to April 27, 2024.

Each installment will align with each of the ten years Frozen has been with us: 2013-2023.

At the end of this 6-month journey, the fanzine will be brought together as one PDF.

The submissions period is OPEN. We will be accepting submissions for every year. Submissions for the YEAR OF 2013 will end January 12, 2024. The submissions period for the following years will be open until we announce a deadline for that year OR we reach the maximum submissions for that year.

There will be a maximum of 10 SUBMISSIONS accepted per year.

We are accepting submissions in the form of: Art, photography, short fiction, non-fiction, poetry - Art – All art accepted EXCEPT FOR animatics and longform comics - Photography – All photography accepted except for 18+ content - Short fiction – Fanfiction is welcome! Word count: 1000 words max, 500 words min - Non-fiction – Word count: 700 words max, 400 words min - Poetry – 20 lines max, No shorter than a Haiku

The means of submissions can be found in two places. On THIS TUMBLR and through our email, frozen10fans@gmail.com. When you submit your piece, please include what name/handle you would like to sign your work with, what year (2013-2023) you would like your piece to be placed under, if you so choose your bio of no more than 100 words (to be used when the full fanzine is brought together at the end), and if you so choose an image/character/picture to be used alongside your bio (to be used when the full fanzine is brought together at the end).

Please DO NOT submit a piece unless you are certain you can commit the time and energy needed for the project (i.e. communication, meeting the appropriate standards, punctuality, adaptation to change, etc.)

Please understand that this is a project for fans OF ALL AGES. We are PG-13 here at most. There is no hate for 18+ content, this is just not the place for it. That said: OFFENSIVE CONTENT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. This includes: - Hate speech - Gore - Bullying/Gatekeeping/Shaming THIS IS NOT AN 18+ PROJECT - No NSFW content - Keep the language appropriate

If you have any more questions, please reach out on our tumblr or at frozen10fans@gmail.com

We look forward to seeing your memories ❄️

could you hold my heart

Ok, last post about Wish for now, I promise! A few years ago, I was writing a lot of short-ish analyses on various Disney Movies, and I remember I actually wrote one for Wish based only on the song This Wish! So I thought it would be fun to go through my analyses from over a year ago and see how correct I was now that I’ve actually seen the movie…

The black text is all direct quotes from what I wrote over a year ago. The purple is my comments on it now.

09/12/22

Considering that it is over a year until this movie comes out (the current date is 9/12/22), I am fully aware how ridiculous it is that I’m already writing an analysis on it. The main character, Asha, appears to be princess-like, although she may not be actual royalty. (I personally think she isn’t royal or high-ranking at all, since I think that will work better with the story and themes). That is actually true, although I still think she is Disney Princess coded. When I listened to More for Us (This was the original title for This Wish) the other day, I was literally crying, and that is with it out of context. It is a beautiful song that combines the simple magic of The Golden Age with the power of the universal truths and complex themes of The Revival Era. It is a perfect I-want song, and showcases Disney at its heart as a beautiful celebration for its 100th anniversary.

09/13/22

I finally found the lyrics to More for Us! (This Wish) Now that I have the lyrics, I can analyze the song properly. Also, after reading the lyrics, I’ve changed my mind about what I think the themes will be and where the story will go. Seriously, by giving us the I-want song, Disney gave us the most valuable single piece of information they could give. I have a LOT to say about these lyrics. Who is “us”? Now, I’m thinking that either she is part of a minority group in her kingdom, ehhhh, that is not true or that this is kind of a kingdom where the rulers (presumably the people who live in the tall palace-like building on the left side of the concept art) control/harm the people in some way. That was spot on. Knowing Disney, I would assume the first option, but the way she says “open their eyes to all lies” implies some sort of combination of the two options. I’m thinking that themes could be something like, action, making choices, standing up, etc. I will stand by those themes, in a way. They certainly aren't the only ones, but they are definitely present (think “if not us, then who and when” from Knowing What I Know Now. I would also say a theme is how knowing the truth can change your perspective. And a bit about willful ignorance in the way that the people unquestioningly gave their wishes to Magnifico because it was easier than trying to pursue them themselves. It appears that Asha is on the edge of something when she sings this. She’s had some sort of realization that sets her apart from everyone else in her world, but she hasn’t taken the step to act on it yet (“I’m past dipping my toes in, but not past diving in”). By challenging Magnifico and learning about the wishes, she’s gone too far to go back to her life just as it was, but she hasn’t made a decision on how to act on this yet, but she knows she needs to. By the end of the song, she has made her decision to act on her realization/feelings. Mhhhmmm not quite. I think she knows she needs to act already when she starts singing, she just doesn't know how. And that’s what Star shows her. She gains strength and confidence throughout the song. It acts as an I-want and a catalyst, as most of the recent I-want songs do. Yeah, that is definitely true. I find it interesting that the I-want itself was the catalyst, but I love it. It feels very Disney. Asha says “the way you always taught me to.” Who is “you”? My guess would be some sort of (likely dead) mentor figure like a parent or grandparent. Yeah, Disney’s pretty predictable with the dead parents. It does make sense story wise though. Whether this is the case or not, whoever “you” is has clearly had a significant impact on Asha, her personality, her values, and how she views the world. They will be an important part of the story, even if they’ve died before the movie begins. Her father was actually mentioned directly less than I predicted, but I still think that what he taught her about the stars’ guidance stuck with her and is the reason she wished on one to begin with. So in a way, her dad did have a big impact on the story, just in a less obvious way. And he definitely affected how Asha views the world and how she chooses to respond to what she learned while in the palace.