Rodin Wu / Canada, Justin Anantawan
“Thank you for reading me, beautiful souls. I am Rodin Wu, born and raised in Taiwan, and now living in Toronto, Canada.
At the young age of 12, my inner voice told me I was gay and I could not resist the attraction to same-sex fellows. In my hometown of a rural area without any information about it, I innocently thought I was so alone in the world. In traditional Asian culture, being gay means one is not a complete man since he might not be able to marry a woman having children. Generation production is everything, and the end of reproduction brings severe shame to the whole family. Therefore, it took me years to self-recognition because I never liked myself as a “complete person”.
Approximately a decade ago, I was diagnosed HIV positive, which almost ruined my life. I seriously broke down and lay in the hospital bed for the psychotherapy clinic for a month. Refusing to take medicine for the first years was my way to deny the virus had coexisted within me. It was also a silent protest against all the labels and stigma no one deserves. However, this formed another layer of self-recognition. HIV discrimination exists everywhere, including in the LGBTQIA+ community. This made me terribly confused and I didn’t know where I belonged or where I could go.
It is believed that my story is quite universal and can be heard everywhere. Because of the pandemic, my coming to Canada was two years delayed. During the lockdown policy, I just happened to study spirituality furthermore and get inspired a lot. Fortunately, the world gradually refunctions and countries reopen their borders. Now I am a Tarot reader/teacher and a Kundalini Reiki master in Canada. There is a Tarot card named Death, which represents the end of anything. Being gay with HIV does not really put me to death, but the labels, discrimination, and stigma do! However, completely accepting who and what I really am, self-recognition, makes me reborn, which is also what the Death card denotes.
No one can define or hurt us unless we allow it. Until we acknowledge and manage our shadows can everyone use them against us. The only condition of rebirth is to accept death. A phoenix burns to reincarnation. And I’ve learned what others think and say never defines who I am but only who they are. Most important, I define myself! Just follow your heart and chase your dreams. There is always a silver lining behind the cloud. I feel happy and positive at the moment. Wish you, who is reading my story, abundance and well-being in the future every single day. Namaste~~~”
