Embracing Vulnerability: The Path to Healing and Self-Discovery

FEELINGS – EMOTIONS – VULNERABILITY 

In a perfect world, we’d all be joyful, peaceful, and carefree—skipping along in harmony, untouched by chaos or pain.

But we weren’t born into a perfect world, were we?

I wish happiness was the longest-lasting emotion. But it’s not.
Like a muscle, happiness requires relentless, consistent effort.
Life demands emotional labor, whether we acknowledge it or not. And pretending that emotional “masks” protect us only delays the truth we all carry deep down:

We are human. And humans feel.

Emotions Are Messengers

Emotions are what fuel us to keep moving, keep learning, keep engaging with the world. But when we hold on to negative emotions or cling to past pain, we unknowingly block ourselves from opportunities—what I call pentacles.

In astrology, pentacles represent growth, abundance, prosperity, and life lessons.
They symbolize the fullness of human experience.

When we don’t understand our emotions—especially the unnamable ones—they start running the subconscious show. They drive decisions we didn’t consciously choose. They become silent saboteurs. This is how unprocessed emotion impacts our manifestation. If we believe a single thought to be our truth long enough… we make it so.

ANGER

You can be mad. You can feel rage.
You cannot be mean.

So why are we so afraid of anger?
Why is it uncomfortable to witness in others, or express in ourselves?

Anger is a sacred signal.
It marks boundaries. It tells us when something is misaligned. When harnessed with awareness, it becomes a powerful motivator—not a weapon.

Release your anger without causing harm:

• Scream into the sky
• Channel it into movement
• Paint, run, write, cry
• Take care of your body like it’s your first home

Anger deserves respect. When you witness someone else’s anger, you are being offered insight into their limits, their values. That’s not something to fear—it’s something to honor.

Ask yourself:

Feel it fully. Release it. And then—step out of it.

You’re not here to suppress emotions.
You’re here to manage them.
To understand them.
To heal with them.

SADNESS

Sadness is the most misunderstood emotion. Society treats it like a weakness—something to hide, avoid, or rush through.

But sadness says:
You cared.
You loved.
You felt deeply.
You were affected.

There’s strength in that.

Sadness can stem from the inside (negative self-talk, anxiety, depression), or from external sources (loss, trauma, relationships). Even places can be haunted by old memories. And your body remembers what your mind tries to forget.

Here’s a truth:
Sadness often begins when you’re in the middle of happiness.
That subtle undercurrent of ache behind the smile? That’s sadness whispering: “You’re not done healing yet.”

Some of the most visibly “happy” people carry the heaviest sadness inside.
That’s why practicing sadness alone is a form of strength, not shame.

Try:

• Crying intentionally (yes, you can!)
• Listening to sad music or watching films that release emotion
• Meditating through emotional discomfort
• Journaling your grief out loud or on paper

If you’ve learned to suppress tears—like many of us have—it may take time.
But sit with it. Cry in solitude. Feel the grief.

Say to yourself:

• I need this.
• I need to feel this.
• I need to move forward.
• I need to forgive myself.

This is the soul’s threshold. The moment where you either hide again—or truly break through.

Being Vulnerable With Others

After learning to be vulnerable with yourself, invite someone in.
Not to fix it—but to witness you.

That might look like:

• Sitting in silence beside someone
• Having an emotional conversation
• Connecting with a partner during intimacy
• Letting a trusted friend simply be there

It doesn’t have to be a family member. Sometimes the safest connection is with someone outside your usual circle—someone who agrees to hold space with no judgment, no solutions, just presence.

The Power of Self-Kindness

You only get one you. One body. One voice. One life.

You don’t owe the world constant productivity.
Sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is pause, and say:
“I am enough. Right now. As I am.”

When you’ve learned to sit with your own vulnerability, to treat your feelings with compassion and care—you’ve met your primal self.
You’ll begin to feel whole. Empowered. Blissful.

But beware—ego and pride may try to pull you back into the cycle.
Let them pass. Respect your journey.
Each emotion you feel is a stepping stone. Keep walking.

As long as you can breathe, you can move forward.
One breath at a time. One minute at a time.

Just breathe.

The Nomad and Old Man

A nomadic man approached a river, dropping his satchel on the mossy ground. He rushed forward, submerging his face in the cool water.

From a short distance away, an old man called out,
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you!”

Surprised, the nomad looked up. Realizing he wasn’t alone, he approached the old man and asked for cleaner water.

The old man motioned to a flat stone, where a wet scarf and a mug sat waiting. Grateful, the nomad filtered the water with the scarf and drank deeply.

“Do you have shelter nearby?” the nomad asked.

The old man replied,
“Is it shelter you seek—or protection from your own denial?”

Confused, the nomad argued, “It’s cold. We’ll freeze without fire and cover!”

He ran to gather firewood, but everything was too wet. Frustrated, he returned. “Why aren’t you helping me?” he snapped.

The old man only watched.

“This is madness,” the nomad growled, pacing. “No one could survive out here.”

The old man finally replied,
“Why seek a place you don’t know how to survive in—or understand?”

Irritated, the nomad turned back to argue.
But the old man was gone.

Only the scarf and the mug remained.
No footprints. No farewell.
Just the whisper of wind in the forest.

Written by Celeste Mowrer

A Guided Practice: Feeling With Kindness

Visualize this:

There’s a rope inside your chest.
It’s tied to a box of pain—heavy, locked, and stuck.
Begin to pull that rope. Slowly.

Feel it tug and catch on your ribs, your organs. It’s uncomfortable. It hurts.

But you’re magical. You can heal.

Once the box is out, breathe deeply:

• In through the nose
• Out through the mouth
• Repeat 10 times.

Now smile and remind yourself:
You are amazing.

Look at the box. Open it. You may see memories you don’t want to revisit.

You don’t need to relive them. Just acknowledge how far you’ve come.

Let that pain go—let it float into the air or burn into ash.
You are not that memory. You are the healing.

You are not alone. You are not weak. You are growing.
Keep breathing. Keep feeling.
And above all—keep being kind to yourself.

Let me be clear… if your being physically abused, leave the situation immediately. Don’t pass go, just leave and find help.