There is nothing so kingly as kindness and nothing so royal as truth-

are words that I wore around my wrist on a thin metal bracelet from a friend. She gave it to me casually after noting my delight in the message. We were eleven, and the saying took easy residence in my memory and a happy place on my arm for years.

I’ve been considering kings and the kingdoms they build, what role our personal truth has in creating cohesion or coercion. I’ve been considering the Chinese Medicine description of the Heart as the Empress or Emperor, and the nobility of a still flame.

What informs your Heart? What is your kingdom like and the truths that illuminate it?

Photo by Stefan Spezio