Crafting Your Crown

by Raphaela Fritz 10/25

One of the biggest lessons I wish I’d learned earlier in life is how to truly love myself, not the polished or perfected version, but the messy, honest, in-progress one.

The self who’s a little cracked in places, who still forgets,

still feels too much, still tries again.

That kind of love didn’t come easily. It arrived through the slow alchemy of life: through challenges, heartbreaks, traumas, and the long road of remembering who

I really am. Out of that journey, Sovereign Pearl was born,

a living, breathing space for women to come home to themselves.

Right now, I have the privilege of holding space for ten extraordinary women

as they move through this very process. This week in our circle, we’ve

entered “The Queen.” It feels fitting then, that a dear friend and gifted

photographer, recently sent me a photo that brought it all full circle.

A year and a half ago, I sat in a small headdress workshop led by a local artist named Ka. Around me were bits of wire, silk, feathers, pearls; ordinary materials waiting to become something sacred. My hands were hesitant, unsure. But as the weekend unfolded, something inside me softened. What began as a craft

became ceremony. I wasn’t just making a crown; I was meeting

a part of myself that had been quietly waiting to emerge.

The crown I created that night wasn’t perfect. It was asymmetrical, a little wild,

and wholly my own. It reflected exactly who I was in that moment,

still becoming, still remembering. And that’s the quiet truth of this work:

sovereignty isn’t something bestowed. It’s something you craft,

piece by piece, from your lived experience, your wounds,

your joys, and your willingness to stand in your own light.

The path of becoming Queenly isn’t about performance or polish.

It’s not about wearing someone else’s crown or chasing a vision that doesn’t fit.

It’s about authenticity. It’s about allowing yourself to be seen,

adorned not in perfection, but in truth.

And how do we get there? Slowly. Tenderly. With devotion and practice.

If this language stirs something in you an ache for deeper embodiment, creative ritual, sisterhood, or self-anointing you may already be on the path.

✨ Sovereign Pearl will open its next round in late winter/spring of 2026,

with registration beginning this November.

 If something in you is whispering yes, reach out to be added to the pre-list. You’ll be the first to know when registration opens and receive

the most queenly, generous offer of the year.

With love and devotion,

 Raphaela

Sovereign Pearl