Mirabai became 'unsanctioned' by her family and society; your grief may include mourning the social validation that your former identity provided, and discovering an unsanctioned self.
Mirabai lost her family's sanction, her caste status, her social legitimacy. She became a wanderer, publicly associated with ecstatic devotion that violated norms. In losing her sanctioned identity as dutiful widow, she found freedom but also profound loneliness. When you release an identity that was sanctioned by family, community, or institution, you grieve not just the identity itself but the validation it carried. That identity may have been limiting, inauthentic, or painful—and yet it provided confirmation that you belonged, that you were seen, that your place in the world was secure. Becoming unsanctioned is terrifying. There is profound grief in no longer being recognized by those who once saw you, in being misunderstood by people close to you, in navigating a world that does not have a category for who you're becoming. Mirabai's example shows that an unsanctioned life can be rich, purposeful, and deeply authentic. Your grief for lost social validation is real. And the freedom of an unsanctioned self—seen only by those who choose to see you truly—may prove more nourishing than all the official sanction you've left behind.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
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