Who is a Gypsysoul?

Unravelling the journey of Go Gypsysoul over the years

Image from Unsplash

A romanticized term we often use to escape the realities of life and live in a parallel universe of autonomy and freedom. We take off in our imaginary caravans to distant lands in hope of finding peace only to realize that we are still stuck in the matrix of pain and suffering and this was a momentary distraction. When I initially started my website, I was going through a phase in life where I felt caged under the expectation of the society, or rather the expectations I put on myself on behalf of the society.

I felt so suffocated that carrying out day to day activities was a burden, I carried a chronic mean face and suffering was all I knew. I craved freedom, I craved breaking-free and living on my own terms. I had to begin somewhere. As I frantically searched for a name that would resonate with the new identity I was going to embrace, I stumbled upon this term on the internet.

gyp.sy/gipsē/ soul/ sōl/

Someone who possesses a gypsysoul is a person always in need of change and/ adventure. A gypsysoul seeks the next big thing in any life situation. They can be very passionate and often inspired by different ideas, attitudes and experiences. Their sense of identity isn’t always sure of what they want out of life but they are determined to find it.

While I still lived in the body of a sheep, my soul was keen on exploring the unknown. And this word along with the meaning completely resonated with the space I was in almost seven years ago. Escaping from my chaotic world, I found refuge in this word. At that time I wasn’t aware of the true history this word held. Gypsysoul meant adventure, freedom and seeking new experiences to me. My intention was to document my journey of self-discovery through art, travel and life experiences which gave birth to my website www.gogypsysoul.com.

It was much later that I stumbled upon the tragic history of the word gypsy and its racist connotations. It boasted about the plight of a nomadic ethnic group found in Europe believed to be of Indian origin that endured discrimination for centuries due to the difference in their appearance and way of life. I almost immediately wanted to disassociate myself from the word and change my brand name. I didn’t want to be associated with anything that was racist in nature. But the more I learnt about them and their lives, my association with the word got deeper. It helped me broaden my limited perspective of life and my definition of the word became clearer.

For me, the lives of Roma people are a testament of resilience. It’s one of enduring rejection from society yet celebrating life in the face of adversity. It's one of courage, of survival and that’s not all romantic and far from escapism.

Being a Gypsysoul is not

• escaping responsibilities

• it’s not getting on to your caravans and hitting the roads like there is no tomorrow

• It’s not about doing whatever you please and escaping the consequences

• It’s not about living mindlessly

In context to my quest, a gypsysoul is someone

• who dares to engage with life using the language of courage

• who lives in the moment, which means they are intentional about living every moment.

• who are seekers, they are always seeking awareness and on the path of becoming the best version of themselves.

• who have found a home within themselves and hence belong everywhere.

• who immerse themselves in every experience that life offers without attaching themselves to any.

• who is not fixed but flexible and flows and thrives in the unfolding of life.

Being carefree and free-spirited doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of responsibility. As children, we have all been conditioned to living without being responsible for our actions which is probably why, when we think of freedom, we think of childhood, of times when we could get away with things, of times when somebody else owned our mistakes.

Maybe being carefree and free-spirited is all about being intentional and giving your best at every given moment so you don’t have to worry about the consequences. When consequences arrive you still give your best at that moment with your best intent.

This understanding brought me closer to my purpose of embracing life in its entirety and learning to build a safe space within me, to build an unshakable and empowering relationship with myself. And in the process, help others to do the same.

If you resonate with my purpose, I invite you to head to www.gogypsysoul.com and subscribe to the email list. I promise to send you content that’ll add value to your life.