Acknowledgement

I had a Tarot reading on Saturday night. The reader referred to my fifth chakra. There were tears in her eyes. “You heart is closed,” she said, holding her hands over her heart, “and to have what you desire, you must open it.”

A long conversation with a good friend and therapist helped me sort through this message and showed me how I led with my intellect and humor so I didn’t have to reveal my feelings. I cried myself to sleep, feeling like such a fraud about my life and the relationships in them.

Today, I had more gentleness with myself. I also confronted someone who hurt me. This, my wise friend told me, is the way of the heart and of self-acknowledgement. Acknowledge what you feel, defend your right to feel it, name it to yourself and others, and let go of expectations around reactions.

I did as my friend suggested. All was fine except that it hurt to say what I felt and then have no salve from the other person to put on the open wound. I could feel my own heart breaking, sat on the bed I was making, and cried and cried.

I know this person did not mean to hurt me. I know, too, that there have been times when I have been the one to hurt another. Both roles sadden me. Both roles, I suspect, are part of the path to acknowledging, and opening, one’s heart. 

Your Story: Place your hands over your heart. Does it feel closed or open? What one act can you take to open your heart just a little more, be it by naming a feeling, confronting someone who hurt you, etc.?