The Encanto of Us
Encanto. Personally I believe Encanto is a brilliant picture for instilling the values of acceptance and family bond but the more and more times I watch it, and listen to its soundtrack on repeat, 🎶 “We don’t talk about Bruno, no, noo noooo “🎵 I get more and more insight that I’d love to share.
For starters, I believe each of the characters represents a part of our own being and personalities.
The Grandkids are our various personalities or archetypes.
We have the need to be strong in the face of trouble (Luisa)
We have an engrained desire to be perfect (Isabela)
Our subconscious hears everything, even things we don’t realize we are hearing (Dolores)
We can change our being depending on who we engage with (Camillo)
I see it’s so beautiful to have the Aunt’s and Uncle representing the Larger systems of our being. Our Feelings, our forever healing bodies and our all knowingness of the spirit. which can be mysterious at times, it can leave and hid… it never truly leaves us.
When our feelings get out of control it can feel like a hurricane (Pepa)
The mother, the healer giving unconditional love. that is always within us (Julieta)
All of these characters lie within us. I know because I experience them within me.
I see one of the main underlying messages of this movie is, you have to allow yourself to be who you are regardless of expectations (what your grandmother or mother is going to say). And yes the family believed it was their duty/purpose to provide magic for the community but in working so hard for the village they failed to honor their own needs. Teaching us if you don’t take care of yourself an honor who you are you will crumble just like the house crumbled.
The grandest thing of Encanto is that it is the journey we are all on. The movie is the story of Mirabel questioning herself, why wasn’t she given a “miracle.” That is the journey of self acceptance to live an authentic life.
“Who I am inside
So what can I do?
I’m sick of waiting on a miracle
So here I go
I am ready!
Come on, I’m ready!
I’ve been patient and steadfast and steady!”
And what does she do? In the song “Waiting on a Miracle” Mirabel admits that she is not fine and dare’s the universe to show her *why* she was put here.
What is her miracle?
More like she is asking “What is my purpose.”
She’s ready to see it, and what does the universe do? As always, the Universe answers! The magic started to crumble, exposing whats is broken in the family foundation. Needing to see all the parts that contribute to making it whole. I sure loved watching how it takes the whole family on a journey of self discovery starting with her sisters Luisa and Isabela. And funny how her ever hearting subconscious (Dolores) was the one that told her to start with Luisa. (We always need to trust those gut instincts.)
“Under the surface, I hide my nerves and it worsens, I worry something is gonna hurt us
Under the surface, I think about my purpose, Can I somehow preserve this?
If I could shake, the crushing weight
Of expectations would that free some room up for joy?
Or relaxation? Or simple pleasure?
Instead we measure
this growing pressure”
When listening to the song, “Surface Pressure” Luisa confesses how she has to be so tough, she knows that is her worth. “I take what I'm handed, I break what's demanded,” How she has to live up to the expectations the family and her community put on her. Damn, that hits me hard as a person that feels the weight of my many responsibilities of being a mother, wife, daughter, friend, leader, member of community…. And yes, many of these expectations are self imposed. The things I *think” I need to do in-order to be deemed “worthy” of love and acceptance. It’s taken some good therapy to see the destruction in this need to be “strong” and juggle the many responsibilities of life myself….
And like the song shares “…but Under the surface, I feel berserk as a tightrope walker in a three-ring circus”
If you wanna get really artistic really listen to Luisa’s tone while singing the song, it totally matches how we feel. When under pressure her voice is so contained, ridged. But as she lets go her voice relaxes and begins to flow dreamily along.
Oh Bruno, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” I love this song! and isn’t it the truth? There exists a taboo in speaking of our spiritual self. Especially as it refers to our inner knowing. Bruno is our inner wisdom, its knows which path we should choose or at the very least, which direction or clues that can get you to your fate.
In the movie, Bruno answer Mirabels question of how to save the miracle, leading them to her sister Isabela with the key they need to have an embrace. And just like we have free will to choose, it is Mirabels choice to pursue it or not.
So Isabela, I really can identify with her in that I always feel the need to be “perfect.” For example, I was recently making a flyer for my nutrition coaching business and a big part of me wants the font and descriptions to be perfectly professional but the wiser me learned to let it go. I know my cropped images weren’t perfect but it is perfect for what it needs to be, a sign for people who need to see it, to see it.
I realize how I put fear of what everyone else will think so much on our ability to live a more fulfilled life. I have a fear that I won’t be good enough or I won’t be able to do the thing I want to do which is just to help people but I don’t even allow myself to try because of this fear. This is what I have always wanted to do, what I dream of, what I went to school, what I’ve been working so hard all of these years to overcome myself for. And you know, some people say I’m a wounded healer, and well yes I did heal myself first I do not discredit that accomplishment and I see how my knowledge that can heal other people to ….actually, I have a lotta f-cking knowledge. In fact, I believe I’m smarter than a lot of other people in the space. There’s so much I can do!!!
And yet, I let fear hold me back from doing it.
Fear of time away from my family and my husband.
Fear that I’m not going to be good enough.
Fear that I’m not working hard enough of doing enough.
Fear that I might do the wrong thing.
Fear that I’m not perfect enough.
It’s what makes me imperfect that makes me special. It’s the way I think differently that makes me special, that allows me this ability to help. This is my gift. This is my miracle.
I am not waiting for it to show up I already have it. And sooner I can be in full acceptance of this without fear and judgment, without the influence of past programming limited beliefs of unworthiness the sooner my life’s purpose is fulfilled. The more I feel whole to live in my purpose.
My miracle is me.
All of me.
I am my miracle. And this was given to me for a purpose. As much as I try to deny it it returns to me over and over.
In the end of the movie, like have just shared, Mirabel realizes that she was the miracle all along, it was her. Being herself allowed the magic to return to the casita.
The only path to change and grow is first acknowledging “I’m not fine”
Maribel admitting she wasn’t fine opened the door for others to follow. It allowed her older sister to confide (acknowledge) that she’s not fine holding so much of the pressure, that she has to be so strong but not wanting too. Isabela confides that she’s not fine having to be perfect all the time, she doesn’t want to make perfectly beautiful flowers, perfectly practice poses, no she wants to be who she is.
And the aunt who controls the weather she feels like she can never let her true feeling show for if she did the weather would be a disaster! And I’m sure Dolores doesn’t want to hear everything that she hears, how can that be fine? And I bet the cousin that changes into different people, I’m sure someday he’s going to get confused and wonder who he really is.
Each member of this Madrigal Family would endure these uncomfortable and inauthentic existences over the fear of upsetting Abuela and her expectations.
I invite you to explore for yourself, are you fine? Are striving for someone else’s imposed expectations? Or are you discovering your true miracle within?