355 thoughts on “My Vulnerability was the Key”

1. I have always loved coming back to this blog – because I know I have been one of these Cow fearful people, I was also a Dog fearful person as well and I now have a dog and I am working through what it is that I have been fearful of through allowing for feelings, vulnerability etc to come up it has been a very healing experience.

2. Anxiety is a Trojan horse (or should that be cow?) that spreads fear and promotes a dulling of our awareness – the very thing that resources us to live life. Anxiety is not the natural consequence we think it is but just a way to take a sledgehammer to our natural senses.

3. Sometimes I can feel a great willingness to allow myself to be vulnerable, just to let go of the walls which I have built around myself. When that doesn’t happen, I feel bloated, heavy – kind of like a walking ship.

4. Feeling our vulnerability and not going into our survival reactions of fight, flight or freezing allows for the possibility of being with what is and making the appropriate response to each situation.

5. Joan you have so hit the nail on the head with this one – Vulnerability is the key – the key to honouring ourselves and being raw enough and wise enough to acknowledge it and to express it.

6. We were talking about vulnerability in todays management meeting at work, it was talked about as if it was negative so I shared with them how I found vulnerability and delicateness are actually super powerful.

7. I found it very helpful, once I realised that I can feel vulnerable, to discern whether it was vulnerability or fragility. The latter can be powerful and does not need change, the former has benefits but is perhaps not something that I would want to experience permanently.

8. It seems such a paradox that to be vulnerable is the quality of true power.

9. We all know the power of vulnerability, we know it inside and out otherwise we wouldn’t bastardise it as weak.

10. So beautiful Joan – a sweet reminder that we are truly empowered only when we drop all our guards.

11. There is a huge power in vulnerability and a massive blessing in the reflection of Serge Benhayon and others who live truthful and loving lives and inspire others to live by those same qualities, qualities we all share.

12. I have come to feel that being vulnerable is a heavenly state to be in.

13. By denying our vulnerability we are denying the truth of who we are.

14. ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.’ This is very beautiful to read and so true Joan. I appreciate very much your choice of opening your heart as today you are an inspiration of how we can be joyful and harmonious with every situation in life. In this way, what sometimes may seems a fearful challenge becomes simple and a valuable opportunity to heal.

15. From some time to now I’m allowing myself to feel my vulnerability. It’s being a very precious time of acceptance of myself. I’m realizing that it’s ok feeling vulnerable, clunky or not always secure…it’s in these moments where I can feel more clear my body and the solid foundation within it. Joan your sharing invites me to open up my heart more, knowing that any protection is no longer needed anymore. Thank you.

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17. This is so lovely to come back to. When I don’t go over the layers of protection, it starts to feel as though the hardness of protection and the tension that comes with it is me. Vulnerability puts me in the place of allowing and understanding what is happening within me as well as out there, and I feel a better observer of life.

18. Being open to feeling every one and every thing is what keeps us safe and settled within our bodies.

    1. Yes, the openness makes a huge difference.

19. I remember times when I have also been scared of energies in my body and also outside forces that have seemed inexplicable. Universal Medicine has brought an understanding of this world with its energetic outplay that totally makes sense showing there is no need to fear.

20. What we are feeling often goes against everything we think or idealise life ‘should’ be. It’s an imposition we adopt and eventually identify ourselves to be. I am learning that these imposing pictures are actually crippling a sensitivity that is greater and grander than any ideal.

    1. I can relate what you share here Leigh. Not judging and being open of what I feel is being a great step to me. This brings me to appreciate and embrace more the clarity I feel.

21. Reading this again it has struck a chord of realisation of another, deeper layer of protection of my vulnerability and of a tiger I have not yet faced. Very inspiring, Joan, thank you.

22. I love your story Joan. t feels a contradiction in terms to be vulnerable and fragile brings us an inner confidence and knowing, but it is so true, this connection to our bodies is the way to be.

    1. I agree, Gill, it does seem like a contradiction yet to have no need for protection is the greatest form of protection – an oxymoron indeed.

23. There’s a key difference between knowing what feels safe and being controlled by fears. You show beautifully Joan that we don’t need to go with the herd but equally can move forward without apprehension, knowing our every cell communicates and supports us to know what to do, and which way to move, in any given situation.

24. I’ve read this blog many times, but today is the first time I’ve really allowed myself to feel what you share. I know I’ve spent my whole life trying to deny my own vulnerability even though I’ve been acutely aware of it. This approach has left me feeling anxious, hard and guarded. How ironic it is that we feel how safe we are in our fragility when we allow ourselves to let go of the hard protections we’ve built.

25. When we’ve spent at least this lifetime putting up a wall of protection when we feel vulnerable, it can be quite an adjustment to simply not put up the wall and to stay with our vulnerability. But in my experience if we can get past that very first moment where it feels different, it then feels rather exquisite.

26. We think that something big is outside of us, but in fact, vulnerability (inside us) is our greatest gift. For we are always feeling, knowing and we can be all of that in our living day. Acknowledge this if you like, for your world will be greater as you are greatness from inside.

27. What I take from this is that when we are confronted by situations in life is that we just keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving.

28. It’s funny how when we are fearless we see there is nothing to fear and so what we would attract through our fear doesn’t happen. I always assumed that every time I feared something and it happened I was just being astute when actually often I was attracting what I feared most in my demeanor and manor – people felt I was an easy target and had a go; there was an opening of self-doubt or guilt or ideal that I felt I needed to uphold and they were just highlighting to me where it was so I could have the chance to heal it.

29. Working “from the inside out, rather than from the outside in” is how true healing occurs, so long as the ‘inside’ that one connects to is one’s essence and it is that Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine supports one to do.

    1. jstewart your comment has made me realise that for all of the years that I was working on what I thought was the inside, under the umbrella of ‘spirituality’, I was actually not working on anything at all. The false lights of spirituality bamboozeled me into believing that I was digging deeper and deeper within, when all along I was stuffing around on the outside!

       1. Yes, ‘spirituality’ and New Age ‘things’ are real trap. I was completely hooked and sold-out to kinesiology believing I was connected to the truth. When I realised I was not through the loving reflection of Serge Benhayon it was like discovering that the world is not flat and two dimensional, instead it is not only round, there is multi-dimensionality.

30. Vulnerability opens us up to all possibilities. By letting all our defenses down we are then able to just ‘be’. Great sharing Joan.

31. In vulnerability we feel our depth of power as we surrender to the enormity of love we are.

32. Building ourselves from the inside-out is a remarkable understanding to have and initiate. The outside-in model doesn’t work so well for the majority of people yet it has a power that makes it seem normal and even addictive.

33. Observing is a very powerful way of being, offering us a doorway to ever deepening awareness. I find through observation that I see things much more clearly and hence learn what is to be learned from life, simply and with little or no struggle.

34. A beautiful example of connecting to the truth that we all have within. When we connect to this we start to build new movements and pathways back to truth and love.

35. This is gorgeous to feel Joan, giving ourselves full permission to feel and honour our vulnerability and humanness. When we allow this we aren’t fighting against ourselves.

36. ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world ‘ The world is a different place when this happens.

37. Most people are familiar with defending themselves against the world, your sharing about how you actually allowed your vulnerability to lead the way and could open your heart to the world makes sense, it is seeing you as an equal part of the world, no different than everybody or everything else. No hiding anymore!

38. ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.’ Beautiful Joan, so true.

39. Feeling and staying with your vulnerability was the key here Joan, when we simply observe it, it is not the monster we thought it was. It actually supports us to feel more without the self bashing we can do. It is quite a beautiful process of opening up and acceptance and then we get the true healing.

    1. You have hit the nail on the head Gill and a lovely reminder to me to also allow my vulnerability to surface, feel it and stay with it….rather than running with the fear.

40. A simply stunning sharing Joan that might seem simple on the surface but goes right to the heart of everything in life. When you move in a way that you know is true, there’s a connection and a knowing that means everything’s clear. The more I do this the more I can see that fear just comes in when I have pictures that aren’t me. We are so supported, so cared for and protected – all we are to do is honour that in our bodies. God takes care of everything else.

    1. Pictures can take us so far away from ourselves and we can live in complete fear- all because of pictures that have nothing to do with who we are or what is true for us.

41. When I allow myself to feel what I am feeling rather than react, judge, blame or numb it’s never as bad as I believe it’ll be while in the avoidance of the feeling.

42. Allowing ourselves to feel vulnerable honest and open to what is going on is the first step in true healing.

43. A beautiful blog revealing that the reaction to our ‘stuff’ (initial emotional reaction) is often more of a reaction than the ‘stuff’ itself. Whilst we will always have emotional issues to address as life is never perfect, changing our relationship in how we address these issues is absolutely key.

44. When we don’t react at life’s challenges, we can respond in the way that is simply and perfectly needed.

45. Looking back at today and my whole life, if there was one thing I would wish for, it would not be to live a worry free life, or one that took place without toil or strife – but it would be that I was able to embody vulnerability. To expresss how we are feeling right from the heart, to share our intimate feelings without getting hard, to be in touch with our senses and not feel like we need to go into emotions to feel safe again, I feel this would revitalise our lives in so many ways, greater than any solution or fix ever can. Thank you Joan for sharing this stunning blog. It makes me think I don’t have to be one of the herd just going along with hardening up in everyday life.

46. Joan this is lovely to read. Accepting our vulnerability is accepting the truth of that moment.

47. working from the inside out is the way to go! It makes complete and utter sense to start with the inner beingness and then gradually allow that to flow through the body.

48. We can expend a huge amount of effort in avoiding our vulnerability. We protect ourselves and build up a shield so that we feel strong – something we believe is the opposite to vulnerability. But contrary to popular belief and the rational mind, in vulnerability lies strength. When we feel the truth of what is there we then have no need to harden and protect the body. We may need to get ourselves out of danger but this is quite different to walking around in daily protection.

49. Embracing our vulnerability and fragility allows us to become more real in the way that we express, there is no need to brace or harden the body in order to protect but just a surrendering to that which is divine.

50. I’ve grown up around you can’t show your vulnerability, it was considered weak, so I learnt to harden myself. Its only since attending Universal Medicine’s workshops that I have allowed vulnerability emerge more often. When we give ourselves permission to connect to this, we really emerge out of something we never ever meant to be – true connection.

51. I now know that when I feel my vulnerability I have a choice to either go into protection, or allow myself to feel what my body is saying, I now know that to feel vulnerable is a moment which I can embrace rather than hide from.

52. Our confidence, or our assuring in who we are, is key in life. It’s how we walk and how we hold ourselves even in situations we are not sure in that actually makes these situations easier to handle.

53. What you share Joan reminds me of dressing up in disguise in games as a child. I feel as adults we behave this way when we get in a situation we start to fear. We put on one outfit after another to make it appear we are strong. And yet this constant outfit changing and many layered dress does nothing but weigh us down and cause us great stress. It turns out if we just stand, unafraid but open, gentle yet focused, feeling but not upset we have everything we could ever need to be in life. We are naturally the perfect style and design to thrive in life.

54. Hi Joan, thank you for exposing the myth that vulnerability means we are less. By this I mean that many of us have grown up feeling that if we expressed any vulnerability or fragility then it meant that we were less worthy, not coping, weak etc. What has been shared is the amazing strength that fully allowing what we are feeling can bring and appreciating all that these feelings are telling us. I loved your comment – ‘I then connected to something big! I was now allowing a connection to my vulnerability!’ Thank you so much.

55. Vulnerability is not fear – vulnerability requires us to be connected to Who we are whereas fear disconnects us from ourselves.

56. It is crazy that we are born into a world naturally all very vulnerable and tender and then brought up by society to dismiss this vulnerability. Shutting out something that is so innate in us is only going to cause harm to the body.

57. ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.’ Spot on Joan, to honour how sensitive and precious we are is a beautiful way to deepen the relationship with ourselves.

58. It may not seem like it to some but there appears to be a lot of things to be fearful about. The media pushes this at us at every turn as well, make sure you’re insured, keep fit, eat breakfast, don’t speed etc etc. There are all manner of things out there to be scared of and to avoid and yet it seems the more we close off and retreat into our homes, because you are safe there, the more unwell we are becoming. I remember growing up with such a freedom, yes I lived in a smaller country town but you had the whole town to explore if you wanted. The restrictions on us as children were fewer then it is today. I am not saying back then there wasn’t problems but there seemed to be more space to deal with them. Is the thought of fear driving us in a direction that we retreat more and more from each other and hence our true selves? Could this point be a point that then causes us to be more and more unwell? As they say anything is possible and I say this is very possible.

    1. There is an individual responsibility here as well as a generational responsibility. It’s not about bringing the old times back but about holding onto or more living the value of where we are from. If we don’t consistently live this value then within a generation you can see it simply disappear. You can’t get rid of it all together but you can only see it as a distant memory. I remember life not being about cars, houses, boats and relaxing etc, life had a meaning above the physical things we can collect. Life was about truly connecting with those around you, it was about relationships and people first and this is what I hold dear. When we walk away from this then the world appears to be something when truly all we need do is come back.

59. Vulnerability is part of transparency – taking off what doesn´t belong to us so that we can be who we are without any pretend or protection.

60. It is only until we embrace vulnerability that we can allow ourselves to be seen for the true tenderness and delicateness that we are, presenting ourselves in full transparency to another allowing for true intimacy in all our relationships.

61. Wow I love the support of the intelligence all around us, the fact I have read this blog today is incredible as I am feeling everything you describe the willingness to feel my emotions the vulnerability and yet the sense of grandness and purpose of light.

62. “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.” Yes beautiful Joan. There is great strength to be found in vulnerability.

63. Vulnerability is a necessary step to let down the guard and open up to people: We cannot have both – being protected and being love.

64. So much of our life is geared around ‘the fight for survival’ ‘the pursuit of the truth’ or ‘the drive for success’. No one it seems is talking about the magic of the stillness of you. Your words here Joan inspire me to face life without the need for defense – to stop protesting, barricading with tasks and start letting Love in it. For it seems the more we surrender control the more powerful and connect to all we will feel.

65. There is so much strength and assurance in vulnerability – not at all what it is associated with the word in the modern day.

66. The fear and expectation of how it will be to face our ‘shadows’ often is greater than the encounter itself. Actually the worst already happened and we managed to deal with it, ‘survive’ so to speak, proving that we have what it takes. The fear is only a paper tiger but as long as we give it power we will feel like a mouse.

67. To be vulnerable is to drop our protection and I used to walk around very protected keeping people out because it was a way to get by. But I can see the harm that caused me and how actually there is an opportunity to be more open with myself and with others.

68. Our minds can make many of our challenges seem like ferocious tigers but when we meet them with love and our true self they have no claws.

69. Reconnecting to our true sensitivity always starts with vulnerability, but it is worth remembering that vulnerability is only a stepping stone, and has no place in the true delicacy one feels when one opens themselves up to their true sensitivity.

70. Thank you Joan for sharing your experience and the power of; “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.” Opening up to feel more of the tenderness and love we hold deep inside.

71. What a beautiful tale, its a story I won’t forget. I have always been super freaked out by cows, so I totally relate.

72. A powerful and inspiring sentence Joan. Opening to vulnerability and fragility is the greatest healing gift to ourselves, allowing us to feel a deeper level of connection with ourselves and others
    “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it”.

73. Our fragility melts away the hardness we can carry and opens the heart to even more love.

74. When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, we are accepting ourselves more in our fullness, which when everything is everything, we are accepting more of who we truly are. Any judgement or separation from ourselves becomes a same reflection towards the world, and will also be reflected back from the world.

75. Through embracing our vulnerability, we discover the strength of who we are is in our connection to our tenderness within, our love, the quality of who we are in essence.

76. Our choices are very powerful – more so than we realise I feel.

77. Vulnerability allows us to feel exactly what is needed in any particular moment. Protection and security give us instruction of what to do – however this is not what is needed in the moment, but instead what we need the moment to be.

78. Ah – there can be a sense of ‘how many times’ will I fall for this game of before I see that the ‘terrifying’ herd that is before me is not powerful or scary unless I let it be. Like a man who is petrified by the fly in his soup, it’s great to stop and ask what is going on underneath and what am I getting out of being fearful this way. It seems reflecting on your words Joan that it’s simply a trick to avoid feeling our true power.

79. I really enjoyed reading this Joan. It is significant in so many ways and I can relate to having many tigers I have avoided facing over the years. Giving yourself permission to feel vulnerable and simply acknowledging your feelings is a life changing decision, and the point you make about not having to be at the mercy of emotions is very liberating.

80. That choice to come back and connect with our inner-most – it brings such clarity and it really helps me see the falseness of my habitual reaction and thought patterns and lets me know I am love and can live it, if I choose to.

81. Reading your brilliant words again today Joan, I got to see that reactions turn up in my life pretty much exactly like the cows you describe. It’s really up to me if I want to get scared, run away or get trampled under foot, or simply observe them for what they are. I feel if I can do this, I will start to see this impending stampede actually has no power over me, but in fact it’s truly the other way around – everything is looking to me, to show the way and take the lead.

82. Connecting to and living life in honour of our sensitivity allows others to see and feel that it is OK to do the same.

83. When you wrote about Universal Medicine and that the courses you are attending are helping you to change deep internal patterns that you thought your were stuck in for life – I was struck with how amazing these courses are. They are truly supporting people to get to the root cause of these patterns and behaviours, to look at what areas you have been responsible for these patterns and then to let them go. Highly recommend these courses and modalities if you are ready to make true change in your life.

84. Until I had studied with Universal Medicine I really felt like i was at the mercy of my emotions at that they were an unknown beast to a degree. Understanding energy and our choice and responsibility has changed all of that for me.

85. Vulnerability is the bridge between true sensitivity and the protection we have built up around ourselves. It is in itself not part of our true nature, but is nonetheless completely necessary to get used to if one is coming from a life of protection.

86. This fear you speak of Joan is something I have been pondering on lately as well. It seems like it is everywhere in everyone and most of us base our choices on fear ultimately by seeking some kind of control or security. And of course then there are the multitude of ways that we try to cover up the fact that we are doing this with layers of other behaviours to mask this. However as you say this is honestly a miserable way to live and cuts us off from the divine love that we are and that is available to us at any time.

87. I bet you never thought you would find yourself in a situation where you were saying thank you to a field of cows! Very inspiring Joan.

88. We often see vulnerability as weak, I know I have and yet is is so deeply powerful as is gentleness. This poses much of what is said in the world, nut all we need to do is begin to be more honest about what we feel, to feel the quality and power of vulnerability and gentleness.

89. Thank you Joan, I haven’t read this for some while, how lovely it felt to connect to another human being who honesty and fully expressed how they felt. There need nit be any embarrassment about our humanness but there often is. Acceptance is such a brilliant point of healing we can offer ourselves and others. I appreciated this gem Joan “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.” I feel that sense of defence a lot, so a great pointer about the vulnerability. Joan I would also love an update from you – another blog perhaps?

90. I have always struggled to show my vulnerability. I would go more into behaviours of pretending I was okay or more that I just didn’t care and would go hard and totally shut down or shut off to others. The more I learn to open up and allow others to see my vulnerability the more I am able to let go and allow the love and support I crave in.

    1. MW that is a truly beautiful comment, you speak for more than just yourself with those words – thank you.

91. Vulnerability is a powerful feeling. The difference between this and your hurt is honesty. My hurt in reaction can be so quick sometimes that I think it is me whereby my reaction is to blame another instead of embracing and being honest with what is being reflected to me. In its simplest form if what I feel is harsh in the way I express or just not right it is my own reflection of myself and what I have allowed.

92. I can feel I am going to a deeper level with my expression as a woman, and what I am being asked is to not be afraid to show my vulnerability and express from there…. and I can feel I am ready! So this sentence is key for me today Joan; Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it’.

93. “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.” I have found the true honesty of the soul is spoken when I allow my vulnerability and fragility to be seen by others and not shy away from it. It deepens our intimacy with ourselves and from there magic happens in our connections too.

94. Joan, this is beautiful what you have shared! At any point when we can step into our power and realise that we have allowed something to dominate us, we feel a real sense of expansion. It can be seemingly big or seemingly small things – yet those big and small things are not so small or seemingly so when we are being dominated by them. I have always experienced an intense anxiety about travelling and catching planes and driving in places I am not familiar with, and when I finally faced my ‘fears’ and did it, it was an incredibly freeing experience. When I now look back I wonder how I could have been so scared of this in the first place. But I know how all-consuming the fear was when I was in it, it was very real as an experience then too! Amazing how we can grow and learn from such experiences!

95. One thing your blog has made me ponder on Joan is just how many of our fears actually come to life or otherwise control us because we feed them?

96. Learning to allow myself the space to feel vulnerable and sensitive after adopting a way of being that is hard and tough has been transformational to say the least.

97. The presentations that Serge Benhayon gives on life are very simple and practical and anyone can do them. But actually, I have found them quite challenging because a lot of what has been presented over the years has really pushed my buttons about my personal choices and my comfort zone that I have built up around me in the way I live. My comfort zone has been my wall of protection to keep everyone out and me in.
    Dismantling my own ‘Berlin’ wall has taken many years and is an on going process, as my wall is coming down brick by brick, but as I take more responsibility for my actions I’m growing in confidence that there is a part of me that does naturally know how life should be lived and understanding that life is not about protecting myself but interacting with the community at large as I believe it is though re building a sense of community amongst us that our society will naturally change.

98. True resurrection begins when the rose understands it is more than its thorns.

99. When we let go of the hard shell we use to cope in life, and simply admit how we feel, there is so much ease and steadiness available in the body. We are our own worst enemy when we fight what we feel. The issues we feel out there are actually in there.

100. Perfect timing to read your blog today Joan, I could feel how I have not been allowing myself to feel my vulnerability and sensitivity and honouring this. It can be so easy to let something get in the way and unless I continue to feel my vulnerability I can quickly go into protection and react in some way even if the issue at the time may feel quite small or insignificant.

101. I love re-reading this blog especially when I feel vulnerable. What I’m realising is that when I allow my vulnerability and the layers of protection to drop I discover another layer of me that’s divine that I can share with myself and the world.

102. Emotions fear and anxiety are all a self made pressure that we allow to exist in our life it is like we have no other choice but to run away and hide. Pressure is constantly there it is us who are learning to walk through life and feel the pressure and not be effected but understand that it is only their to create complications and take us away from our connection to our inner-most. With conscious presence our walk take on new way that brings in a Livingness that is keeping us true to our connection and keeps the pressure at arms length.

103. I do love your blog “I am no longer under the illusion that my emotions are going to disappear, but I have understood in myself my own reaction to them and felt a fundamental change of attitude.” How freeing is that? We think we cannot live without emotions – they make us real, and on some level its true we will always feel, but what we do with what we feel is where we see the change and our next step from my experience. To go into emotional reactions like anger, frustration, rage from what we feel, or to acknowledge the original hurt and work out why we felt it, bring understanding to both ourselves and the person or situation that presented the learning to us – that has been my greatest opportunity for growth.

104. How beautiful that by acknowledging your vulnerability Joan it became your priceless key; a key that I am sure that you have carried with you since and that as the time has passed it has become more powerful; the power of vulnerability to bring change to our lives cannot be underestimated or ignored.

105. Reading your blog and the comments, I can see how much vulnerability is a key to opening you up to how how life can offer us – and where true healing can occur. A timely tale for me to read this morning, thank you.

106. Why do we fear ‘surrender’ when it opens the way to all that is possible? Fears narrow and block the world from knowing and feeling the truth of who we are.

107. I’d say this is one of the most beautiful blogs I have read. Every time I return I have a smile on my face and somehow expect to read a simple story about cows. Then it dawns on me, everytime, how what you write about Joan applies so completely to all areas of my life. For when I am able to stay with my feelings, no matter how rocky or emotional they might seem and express simply without venom, judgment or critique, they often melt people in a way I could not expect. In fact, me being vulnerable often leads them to be open themselves. Gosh to me, vulnerability must be one of the most precious qualities in the world. Thank for this timeless reminder.

     1. What an in-depth sharing Joseph I love how you have shared so much. Our vulnerability and feeling are part of our Livingness that opens us all to a connection that is so divine which is naturally who we are. The rest comes from not understanding the pressure in life so we absorb which can take them into emotions and therefore also anxiousness instead of observing life feeling the vulnerability then making a loving choice to stay connected to our essence.

108. Joan reading your blog again today has highlighted for me that the subject matter is different for us all but the vulnerability that we all feel is shared by us all. We are all protecting the exact same vulnerability and if we, like you, allowed ourselves to both expose and feel our own vulnerability then we would naturally open ourselves up first to ourselves and then to each other and my what a different world we would live in.

109. Thank you Joan, this is a great reminder to stay in the present and with oneself and not allow the looming of impending events get in the way of our equilibrium. Fear only exists because we allow it, in fact we create it, it is purely a projection. We may know this but it is feeling that solidness in the body that truly supports us. The more still we become on the inside the more easy it is to stay with ourselves and the easier it is for those around us too. Checking in with the quality of our breath and movements in the day and bringing ourselves back when we have dropped the quality that we know truly supports us, helps build a platform where we can stand with the cows in the field and feel confident in our own skin.

110. I can’t help but feel that in such a meeting of any vulnerability we may be experiencing – in a true acknowledgement and admission of it – that the quality of our presence is deepened. Rather than disconnect or disassociate from ourselves, we are accepting and acknowledging of what is occurring within, and are then empowered to be present and connected with ourselves and our bodies in the steps that may follow…
     It seems that your ‘cows’ Joan, could sense that you were present and connected with yourself, and so allowed you your space. When we withdraw, there is a diminishment of our presence, effectively allowing much to enter our space and fill the vacancy we ourselves have allowed to be so…

     1. Vulnerability is the gateway to going much deeper into the truth of who we truly are.

     2. I can feel all vacancies in this case is the emptiness that has to be filled and we can either choose love and connection or disconnection and the emotional drama and anxiety that this brings to fill that space. This is a great way to deepen our understanding so thank you for sharing Victoria and I choose ‘the quality of our presence’ as my Livingness.

111. I needed to read this today – I have had a pattern of hardening myself when I have felt attacked instead of allowing myself to feel my fragility and vulnerability.

112. Great blog. Vulnerability in itself does not offer the healing we are looking for, but what it does do is make us humble and open and aware, and that sets up the possibility for true understanding and healing to occur.

     1. So true Adam being vulnerable and open to feel so that in life we are able to observe and not absorb is only opening us to healing. Life has pressures as these pressures remain constant and we can be in a place of connection where we know that are not us or we can take them on. Anxiety is one example of something that is from outside our-self so that we feel that pressure but it is not who we are it is just a pressure we have turned into an anxiousness.

113. It can be something so simple and it is fundamental to life changes-there are always deeper levels of intimacy we can take ourselves to-the key is to keep feeling and choosing and feeling and choosing and this consistency brings unfoldment and ultimately our evolution.

114. Such a beautiful, simple and powerful lesson you have shared with us here Joan, thank you;
     “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it”.

115. What a great example of the difference between your head understanding something and your body allowing vulnerability and then joy and lightness. Beautiful.

116. Great story Joan. Simply stopping and allowing ourselves to really feel what is going on and being honest about it, is the first step back to embrace vulnerability as a form of inner strength and a great key to true healing.
     “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it”.

117. What a powerful blog Joan. Discovering that we are not our past experiences is truly liberating! I too appreciate immensely the reflection and the lived life of Serge Benhayon.

118. Absolutely – to observe life allows us to not be swept up by the current of any moment.

119. Thanks Joan, it confirms that pushing through things is not the way but we need to be humble with ourselves and then change can come. And we have ourselves with us, rather than if we push for change. I think we then leave a part of us behind. Thanks for sharing!

120. It’s so interesting to observe the Universe giving you exactly what you feared, an opportunity to choose to heal or continue the old pattern, creating another layer of protection. Feeling and honouring our vulnerability we allow the feelings to come up and in this case Joan, out, even the cows got it and didn’t react.

121. Thank you for sharing this Joan. Our greatest protection is to walk with ourselves, and this we are communicating energetically… and can be read.

122. I love how life gives us perfectly constellated moments for us to deepen our understanding and the relationship we have with ourselves. It’s amazing how once we know the truth, a situation can no longer effect us.

123. I loved reading this again Joan, your honesty and openness is very inspiring. Understanding we can be empowered and vulnerable at the same time would be considered an oxymoron by most… they are polar opposites. But I understand exactly what you mean… and it is part of being empowered in a true sense. Nothing tough or thick skinned about it… but raw, real, solid and clear.

124. Facing a herd of cows can be pretty scary, I’d rather have a fence between me and them! And whilst I never faced a tiger I agree that this was a very courageous act Joan.

125. I am sure we each have these fears that live below the surface, we simply have coping mechanisms to deal with them. What I have loved about re-reading it today though is I saw what a gift the cows are, they sense your fear and showed you what you were ‘giving off’ that was drawing that experience towards you in a bigger and more dramatic way. When you addressed the fear and felt the strength of yourself in acknowledging your vulnerability the animals also responded to that change in energy. Very cool.

     1. Yes, isn’t it great how connected animals are to energy and naturally respond to it? Of course as we have a body, we do have that same connection but do not always choose it as we think our mind superior over the body. A great downfall for us and our health!

126. I love re-reading this. I appreciate how being vulnerable is about letting go of all the shoulds I keep myself trying to live up to and letting them go is revealing the simplicity of simply being me.

127. ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.’ I sure have made my own castle to protect myself Joan, to live in a way nothing and nobody could touch me but never realised I had became hard and unreachable for myself too. To become vulnerable again I needed to step down and to have a closer look at my life and my choices. How I manipulated and had security as my highest goal. Since meeting Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine I started to make other choices and I feel this path is constantly asks me to be vulnerable and open, to strip away what is not me and not of truth. It gives me confidence from inside out, vulnerable and all. I love this simple way of living, feeling my body, enjoying life and not to forget, people.

128. ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.’ Reading this this morning I felt that there is something more here than I am allowing myself to access. There is still a desire to protect myself from the obvious harm that I can feel in the outside world, sometimes it may be an intended harm that is coming right at me. How did it get in in the first place? And can I live in such a way that all that is not love just doesn’t touch me, like water off a ducks back? I know the answers in my head but there is a deeper embodying that is being asked of me here. Thank you Joan for inspiring this in me this morning.

     1. I also noticed that line and really felt the physical consequences of living in that way could potentially contribute to heart disease, as the energetic consequences of holding back that love and the protection started affecting the physical organ. If there is even an inkling of a chance this could be true it is so worth taking time to address that protection.

129. We definitely contribute to the situations that make us fearful, and I too have found there is an energy we give out that animals pick up on way more than humans openly acknowledge (I say that because I now see that humans feel everything we just choose to shut down and not acknowledge the feeling). I have learnt so much from animals about myself. Your blog has been a wonderful confirmation this morning.

130. I loved reading this Joan and being reminded of the simple fact that in any situation we always have a choice and how allowing ourselves to feel vulnerable is certainly a strength that can beautifully support and empower us.

131. Thank you Joan for a great article,” I was now allowing a connection to my vulnerability! Before this moment I hadn’t been allowing myself to feel my own vulnerability and fragility, or my own humanness.” when we allow ourselves to feel what is there to be felt and not go into protection the fear we once had dissolves allowing us to heal.

132. Joan I love how you allow your vulnerability to become your strength, listening to how you feel has allowed you to break through one of the biggest issues we have – holding ourselves in protection.

133. Gorgeous to read how with the support of your partner you let go of any fear and instead allowed yourself to feel a vulnerability. As I was reading this I could feel parts of tension within my body melting away. Also I I feel this is really important and something we should discuss more, how we build layers of protection instead of truly expressing what we want to say ‘built layers to try to protect myself, to no avail, and ended up really ill because I could not express how I was truly feeling.’ It is so much easier on us and our bodies when we allow ourselves to let go and express what we truly feel.

134. Our choices are very powerful – more so than we realise I feel. Other people, animals and perhaps even our environments respond to the energy in which we move, live and breathe and understanding this takes life to another level in my experience.

135. Great to read your article Joan, I can feel how facing these fears is really important, rather than hiding behind someone and wanted to be either be protected or to run away, it shows how very powerful we are and that we need not live small and in fear of anything outside of us.

136. In my travels and experiences in the health industry, one thing stands out that Joan has captured very well in this blog – that people do not live empowered by the choice to connect to the innate wisdom in their bodies. This plays out in so many ways including trust in their own capacity to heal but also trust in common sense and the intuitive feeling that can walk them through so many life experiences.

137. I have loved reading this again Joan and these words I can relate to so easily after a moment in my life some time ago. “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.” I made the choice to express my vulnerability and fears to a member of my family and from my honest expression our relationship, that has been stagnating for some time, began to expand way beyond what I thought was possible, and from there rippling on out to others.

     1. This line stood out for me too Ingrid. I can feel how to be exposed or pulled up for behaviours or patterns I have been choosing to live can be difficult at times, vulnerability is what has allowed me to not react, go deeper and allow more understanding and truth to those situations

138. “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.” For many years I lived in the world in protection, I never allowed myself to connected to my vulnerability or fragility. This caused a lot of hardness in my body and control. It is only over the last few years I have truly got to feel the impact it has been having on my body and life. I have started to connect to myself and can slowly see the changes taken place in my body.

139. What is it about vulnerability that we are so scared of? Is it that we are so use to having a certain amount of control that we are afraid that without it, the wheels might fall off? When we are brave enough to allow ourselves to feel everything that might come up in a moment, we are truly free.

140. When I express from my heart, which usually means not knowing how it is going to be received or come out, I always feel amazing afterwards. This keeps confirming to me just how powerful this is.

141. This is a beautiful sharing Joan. Our love is our only true form of protection but if we are not willing to return to our full expression of this due to hurts that stand in the way, then we build layers of protection under the illusion that behind these walls we are safe, when really we are imprisoned because we will not allow ourselves to feel vulnerability that is the gateway home to the love within our hearts.

142. I am experiencing how much easier it is when I am vulnerable, my body surrenders, I connect with my delicateness, I am honest with who ever I am with, there is no need to defend or fight….what a relief and it saves so much energy. As well I am having much more loving and fulfilling relationships.

143. Joan allowing yourself to shift from being fearful of the world to feeling confidence in yourself in the world is huge. I have known many people who are fearful, including myself in parts and when it’s all consuming, it takes over your life. The truth is, is that this is not who we are naturally. Yes there are times when we may experience fear, but it has a clear purpose to get us away from danger. We have ended up converting every moment almost to a danger potential, which has so many ramifications for our own health and wellbeing.

144. ‘ I have understood in myself my own reaction to them and felt a fundamental change of attitude’, this is a massive realisation towards feeling our deep responsibility and power we hold to shift patterns we may have felt we would have forever, very cool.

145. Beautiful Joan thanks for sharing this. Vulnerability is something usually only considered akin to weakness, a negative trait few wish to claim as their own. You have shed a different light and shown it for the strength it actually is.

146. Fear can be a STOP for us all, whether it be real or not it still has the same outcome that caps our expression. Knowing we are never alone and the plan for me is already there, I know I have nothing to fear.

147. That hard shell you mention Joan, from blaming ourselves for our reactions makes a lot of sense to me. Allowing ourselves to feel and acknowledge this is the beginning of the vulnerability which as you mention opens us up so much to life and to a deep appreciation for the power we can hold and the confidence to face our cows!

148. When we open our hearts to the world the world is no longer threatening as we are no longer threatening the world!

149. ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to me opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.’ So true Joan, feeling our vulnerability is the most beautiful doorway to our power.

150. Beautiful Blog, about the true essence of why we should embrace what is happening in our lives instead of fighting it as it causes so much more trouble. Thank you for this great example, it does not matter if it is a cow, tiger or spider or anything – when we allow to feel what is happening and we are honest about it, the healing already taken place.

151. “I then connected to something big! I was now allowing a connection to my vulnerability! Before this moment I hadn’t been allowing myself to feel my own vulnerability and fragility, or my own humanness.” This is simply huge Joan and your sharing is much appreciated.

152. As I read the recent comments I felt tears coming up and filling my eyes for the gentleness and understanding and deep wisdom they conveyed, and also the affirmation and appreciation of what I expressed a couple of years ago in this blog. I feel this is because I have recently exposed yet another layer of vulnerability in a core exercise class. I have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, and since then have been aware how fragile my body is and my bones, and that I have not been in touch with my core muscles that support the rest of the body. The tears on this occasion (in the class) were for the harm and disregard with which I have treated my body by driving it hard to protect myself from the feeling of vulnerability. It is a feeling I have not wanted to feel all my life. The incident with the cows was the beginning of a long journey to feel what I have just felt recently within my body. It is through the body we truly heal the hurts we have done to ourselves and also those we have received. Allowing myself to go there and feel it in every part of myself loosens everything, and a great humbleness replaces the supreme arrogance I have been living.

153. Joan the more I allow my vulnerability the greater honesty and feeling of inner contentment I have, the fact is I used to think being vulnerable was a weakness – yet in many ways hiding and burying that vulnerability is the real Achilles heal. You show us a great lesson that when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable the seeming scary monsters in impossible situations are no longer.

154. How often in life do we make those “tigers”, and in your case Joan, cows, so much bigger and scarier than they really are? And in making them bigger than they actually are we begin to carry around this unnecessary weight with every step that we take and in everything that we do. No wonder we are always exhausted and looking for something to “pick” us up, whereas allowing ourselves to face what it is that is scaring us and to show our vulnerability, has the potential to dis-empower those “cows”, as you so beautifully discovered.

155. Gosh, this is a dangerous world, one click on the news site right now and we will see a million serious life threatening events. How could one be at ease amidst this all? And yet each time I return to this simple sharing of yours Joan I am reminded in my heart that this whole world is just a work of art, a test, a play to see how we will stay in line with the Love and stillness we know is true.This fear and anxiety has nothing to do with me and you. Wow – this is what should be front page news.

156. We can easily make life out to be a hardship and a struggle, with the most obvious reaction to toughen up – but Joan what you reveal here is the power of being vulnerable, of letting our guard down, of having nothing to hide. This level of transparency can be felt and appreciated by all.

157. Feeling our vulnerability is definitely key to building ourselves from the inside out rather than the outside in.

158. What a confirmation of how far you have come Joan. It simply takes us to accept our vulnerability and be fully in our body; and then anxiety and fear has nowhere to go.

159. I can also relate to being scared of the cows….as I feel this for myself from my own past experiences, I know it is not the cows I am scared of, but a lack of being able to be in my own power, to be with me fully, so the cows feel that and I am not imposing anything other than just wandering by a bunch of cows and they of course just get on with eating grass as I simply keep on with my walk. Beautiful sharing Joan. I will not be scared of the cows again.

160. Being able to be vulnerable ‘is’ key, and something that I found very difficult to allow myself to go to. I was always so used to putting up the facade of being perfect, or that I could handle anything, I was tough and independent, so didn’t need to or couldn’t show my vulnerability. That is a very different story now, I find that it is in my vulnerability, my gentleness, my tenderness that is everything. It is those qualities that reflect deeply who I am, that it is ok to feel that and not put on a tough exterior. That there is strength in being vulnerable. It feels amazing to claim that from within.

161. I love that through Universal Medicine you found the strength within to face your tiger and confront your fear to realise the world is no threat to you when you embrace and express your true self.

162. Awesome sharing Joan. Vulnerability, what’s that again….! I only just realised what it was recently. I had been hiding my feelings of vulnerability behind my own self created shell for so long I had forgotten what it was like to allow myself to feel vulnerable. Sitting here writing this, I am aware that I have put the guard up again, so instead of trying to hide or bury my feelings I shall allow myself to be vulnerable and see how the day flows. This for me is the ultimate responsibility, to be true to myself and not worry about what anyone else thinks. Just wish I had a field of cows to walk through, guess I will use the reflections that come into my life right now, in whatever form they take! Thank you for the inspiration.

163. What I have noticed and felt about vulnerability is that it allows others in, it allows a surrender to a deeper connection and I am appreciating more and more how valuable this is.

164. Vulnerability is indeed very powerful.

165. By allowing ourselves to feel our vulnerability we are able to connect to who we are, surrender, feel our power from within and from there fear cannot exist.

166. Embracing our vulnerability. Now there’s a great reminder. So often it feel easier to push on through, toughen up and just get on with it, but to what avail? We end up harder and more defended from the world which means as well as shutting out the bad stuff, we also shut out Love.

167. ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.’
     Amazing Joan. Our answer to deepening relationships ✨

168. ‘Then I met Universal Medicine and started to work with myself from the inside out, rather than from the outside in.’ This is what sets universal medicine apart from every other place I have ever known. Working with myself from the inside out was life changing and I will always appreciate this. This alone has supported me to embrace life like never before.

169. “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.” This is gold Joan. So many of us try to protect ourselves instead of being open, visible and vulnerable – on account of our past hurts. But does this protection really work? I think not.

170. Well, I’m back again – its seems like this blog contains something very important for me to understand. I can see in your words today Joan, that we all have this choice to return, to our vulnerability throughout the day and that up until what I have called ‘my way’ is more truthfully just a collection of patterns and behaviours that try to block and obscure and deny what I really feel inside. Today I can see this will always be here with me until I live connected to my delicacy, and most of all, it absolutely can change if I just honour me.

171. I appreciate this blog very much, at important times in my life I seem to be magnetically drawn back. Who’d have thought some simple words about cows could have such an effect, but what you have shared Joan is sacred to me. Because underneath this experience and your moments in the field is the fact that there is no need for us to go into this nervous tension or big apprehension when we appreciate and allow our delicacy and tenderness, our warmth and our gentleness – wow therein lives our super power.

172. “I am no longer under the illusion that my emotions are going to disappear, but I have understood in myself my own reaction to them and felt a fundamental change of attitude.” Love your blog and this line in particular Joan. This allows me to accept that I will feel emotions like fear at times, however, this does not mean I need to indulge in them or react. I can simply appreciate my awareness of what I feel and use it as an opportunity to deepen my relationship with myself and the world.

173. Joan – what I get from this blog is how fear does not really have to exist unless we allow it in our minds. The experience you had with the cows is similar to when I walk my dog, and I can get very scared to let him off the lead in the paddock for fear he will run away. But this week a member of my family has been visiting us, and without any holding back, he lets our dog off the lead and every time he comes back. I walked with him to observe this, and it was a case of me surrendering to the fact that my dog would come back, allowing him to respond to me and not freaking out – which if we bring it back to everything is energy, then of course my dog will feel this before he feels the love there is to come back too. Being vulnerable and letting how we feel guide us is key.

174. A great read Joan thank you. I smiled a little being scared of cows, such docile and in reality fearful creatures themselves in my experience, yet there are many more things that don’t exist at all that I have been fearful of, so this was a very sobering reflection for me.

175. Reading this again today I can feel the expansion too and am reminded of times when I have connected with quite fearsome looking people and how sweet and tender they are on the inside.

176. This is huge Joan. We all have fears that have got bigger and bigger, seemingly magnifying because we have hidden and hardened and not wanted to deal with them. Love is steady and strong and allows and gives space to what is needed. When this blown up fear and love collide fear is punctured like a balloon.

177. Thank you Joan for sharing your inspiring story, I have worn a suit of armour most of my life, protecting myself from perceived dangers. Coming to know and feel the truth off who I am, has enabled me to gradually peel away this armour, and control, bit by bit. Allowing, that it is ok, for me to feel my vulnerability and fragility, and my humanness as you so beautiful expressed.

178. ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.’ – I agree with this beautiful statement Joan, there is strength and power in our ability to be vulnerable.

179. What a great example of allowing ourselves to feel our vulnerability and humanness as you so well put it. Its true that if we try and go through situations with a guard they cause ourselves and those around us to be tense, but with vulnerability and openness, not so. One thing we as humans are so afraid of is things being out of our control, and learning to accept vulnerability is awesome because its how we get to feel that we choose our state of being all the time. Choosing the grace that we are sets us up for the next moment to constellate in grace, and if it does not feel graceful well then at least we have something within ourselves we can draw from to deal with a situation accordingly.

     1. So true harryjwhite. Lack of control = complete fear and vulnerability for us when control has been our way of living. Control is a safety to make us think we are on track when we are not actually on track at all! All because when we are controlling we are never living from our inner hearts

180. This example is so simple and so powerful Joan. Simply healing our hurts, our misperceptions that stay within our bodies for our lives can change enormously the way we experience and interact with life. It is the wisest thing we can do and it all starts with surrender.

181. Next time I walk through a field with a herd of tigers i will tell them your wonderful story.

182. “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.” This week I found myself in a vulnerable situation and I was able to clock it, before I have always lived in controlling way that I have not been able to recognise these moments. As I clocked it I allowed myself to just sit and feel into how I was feeling, and tears came down my eyes, I could feel I had not appreciated myself and that I was enough as I am and I did not need to do any more. This was great for me to feel as I have had a pattern of doing more.

     1. Beautiful Amita, appreciation is the key. It is so lacking in all of our lives.

183. I could feel the expansion too when you claimed your place and space in the world with your vulnerability and openness and willingness to feel. Well done.

184. Ah Yes Shirl, I agree… ‘Allowing’… what amazing changes can take place, when we allow ourselves to feel the naturally tender, fragile and delicate beings we are…

185. Joan, what an awesome realisation. I love how you were open enough to receive the magic of god in the reflection of nature. Being open to God all around us is part of that vulnerability.

186. This is amazing to read and feel – ‘I then connected to something big! I was now allowing a connection to my vulnerability! Before this moment I hadn’t been allowing myself to feel my own vulnerability and fragility, or my own humanness’. I have always know that I have this vulnerability and fragility but have buried it and tried to keep it hidden for years and although I know I have been removing the layers of protection more recently, simply nominating that this is something to embrace and connect to which opens our hearts to humanity feels magical – thank you Joan.

187. Joan thank you for sharing your experience with your partner, it seems you have been on a huge journey of re discovering yourself. How awesome you can now truly start to heal. We really are capable of so much when we don’t let our fears engulf us.

188. Thank you Joan for sharing the power of vulnerability and the power of re-imprinting an experience. I often feel, like a lot have shared, set-up barriers to not let the world or people in…from past hurts I never actually see life without coloured lenses. I am feeling inspired to take another step towards allowing myself to be vulnerable and fragile – to take off those coloured lenses – for only then can we understand the intricacies of life and to understand more clearly what we are feeling – as we allow ourselves to feel it and see it all once again. The power of vulnerability therefore feels key to unlocking our clairsentience.

189. Thank you Joan for sharing your vulnerability and the beauty that comes from honestly feeling what there is to feel without protection or a mask. I really liked how Noel was there as that loving support which you allowed.

190. I am leaning that being willing to accept and honour our vulnerability holds true power and allows us to open up to letting people in, instead of keeping them at a distance.

191. Joe, I had not considered and am yet to explore this but it feels significant and valuable that being fragile and vulnerable is a choice that is counter to comfort.

192. Joan, the way you describe at the start of this blog how would throw yourself into things and the numbing this caused has helped me to understand how we can harden in our body and create a vicious cycle of burying what we really feel and numbing until we have completely lost touch with what we feel or if we do feel it, hold no space within ourselves to consider honouring it. You have shown in this blog that with honesty we can break this cycle.

193. Joan, thank you for your blog- it opens up a number of situations we might feel vulnerable in and how honesty can change so much around us. Your cow example reminds me this also includes being physically vulnerable not just emotionally. I have walked past many herds of cows, sometimes I have felt totally left alone by the cows and other times I have been wary and felt trepidation but until reading your blog I would not have considered to at least admit feeling physically vulnerable.

194. I used to think vulnerability was a weakness – how wrong I was for there is great strength and power in allowing ourselves to be vulnerable as your blog so beautifully reminds us of Joan.

195. This is the fourth time I think I have read this blog. Amazing Joan how this oh so simple story you share of meeting cows, keeps resonating. The joy and expansion in this aha moment feels so precious – like a key. It is like you accepting your vulnerability allowed you to return to equality.

196. “They all looked up and stared, but not one moved. I walked past them confidently and felt this great expansion in my chest, and a wonderful feeling of being joyful and connected to everything. My body was light and free, and the cows and the world were no longer a threat to me. I did not feel the relief I had felt the first time after I had passed them, there was no need. I had embraced my tiger – or rather cows”
     What you have written here Joan I find so powerful; thank you for sharing your experiences and wisdom.

197. Vulnerability allows us the space to connect more deeply with what we truly feel within us. It is a step away from being in reaction and allowing us to approach the situation with more openness and observation. It is very powerful to not be in reaction to a situation and to stand tall knowing you are far grander and from a stupendous form of Love.

     1. A powerful sharing Joshua that confirms the depth that vulnerability offers and what comes from that when we simply allows ourselves to be with what we feel.

198. Perfectly said gilesch, a great reminder for me to unconditionally accept myself, and give myself the space and freedom to express all there is to feel inside of myself. I’ve definitely lived in the strain of putting on “a face” of all is well and it’s a horrible way to live, especially when I’m judging myself for what I truly feel.

199. Hi Joan, what a sweet person you are, I loved the sweetness of you I felt in the words and the loving accepting way you wrote about your experiences. Panic and anxiety can feel like it’s so big inside our body, and overwhelming by how intense and real it gets. It’s interesting that it’s not necessarily a reflection of the danger of our circumstances but it sure make every moment feel very threatening. I loved how the more of you that you let in to yourself and your awareness, the more there was to discover including the big expansion you felt at the end. The cows helped herd you back to yourself 🙂

200. For so many years in my life I condemned my vulnerability. I’m very grateful to know and feel now, that vulnerability is my strength and it is very precious.

201. Living from the inside out is quite a shift and one that I have found requires a moment to moment awareness. When I stay with that awareness my body guides me and very loudly reminds me when I am going into these old patterns and also how to let them go. Some patterns are much easier to discard and others are so old, that my consistency and commitment is the only thing that can break them down, until that old way of being is no longer chosen.

202. Joan thank you, this is a awesome story to share. Facing vulnerability is so huge and sharing these stories honestly is important for all of us so we can become aware that facing our own is a possibility too.

203. Joan this is a great sharing. I will watch out for my own cows and remember I have a choice how I respond.

204. Awesome Joan. The power of honoring our fragility. super beautiful.

205. What a beautiful expansion of vulnerability in love. Thank you Joan for sharing such a powerful truth.

206. Allowing to feel our vulnerability is very powerful indeed, I like your sharing very much, without the fear, no one will or can truly hurt you.

207. I loved reading this blog, a wonderful account of a deep healing. These words “I built layers to try to protect myself, to no avail, and ended up really ill because I could not express how I was truly feeling” really resonated with me Joan – our layers of protection are so harmful in Truth, hurting us and others equally because they do not allow any true expression.

     Luke Yakota I also love what you have shared here ” From my experience vulnerability is a stepping stone to even something grander as vulnerability allows us the honesty, that we have been deeply hurting for a long long time.” So true, our vulnerability opens the door to healing deep hurts.

208. Thank you Joan for sharing your vulnerability, opening your heart to us. I see it as a strength also.

209. The sentence which stands out for me is “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.” I still sometimes judge my vulnerability – in these moments I have this idea of “I have to be strong”. Now I discover as you Joan, the huge value of being vulnerable and vulnerability is my strength, not my weakness.

210. What an amazing shift through dedication and committing you have made Joan, it shows us all what is possible in our own lives. There is a great strength and power when we allow our tenderness and vulnerability.

     1. I too am beginning to feel this power as well Oliver. After years of hiding behind masks, shields and a hardened shell of protection, I have stepped out of hiding and have slowly reconnected with, and claimed the vulnerability, the fragility and the delicateness that has always been within me, and I am loving this new and liberating way of living.

211. Vulnerability is definitely a step closer to stopping the abuse we see everyday. From my experience vulnerability is a stepping stone to even something grander as vulnerability allows us the honesty, that we have been deeply hurting for a long long time.

     1. That’s great Luke. Not honouring my vulnerability is not showing respect for how truly am. The more vulnerable I allow myself to realise I am, the more I can respect that same vulnerability in others.

212. “Allowing a connection to my vulnerability” sitting with this for a while I felt that for me also – I would constantly want to run away or hide away when this feeling of vulnerability raised up in me. Hiding further into being busy or driven in away that would exhaust me, Just numbing that sensation. Finding ‘the key’ as you did – by ‘opening your heart to the world’ opening the door of new opportunities/possibilities, making more self loving choices. Just clearing those cobwebs away of self doubt and taking back responsibility for your own choices. Such a beautiful sharing with us Joan – thank you.

213. It is very interesting what you are sharing here. The reaction to the reaction can make you totally stagnated and wanting to run away. In my experience when I announce that I am anxious about something, it immediately changes. When I don´t announce it, I might go into autopilot how I learned to react towards the situation. My anxiousness doesn’t change though. The moment I don´t react to my anxiousness, there is space created to release.

     1. Fantastic reminder of the magic that happens when we are simply honest about how we feel.

214. Feels like you are speaking directly to me Joan. My relationship with vulnerability is unsure yet I can relate it to an experience I recently had- after an intense session with an Esoteric Psychologist and deeply feeling childhood hurts for the first time, I was feeling very raw and beautiful. I walked into work like any other day but the response from my colleagues was utterly embracing, it was like a welcoming committee ready to love everything about me. Cheers, hugs, laughter and compliments were all there with immense love and acceptance. This is what I feel vulnerability is and everyone can feel it, I walked into that office with no barriers, I had been completely exposed in session and carried that with me into work. Which also highlighted how I walk in guarded every other day. Thank you for the opportunity to remember and feel this today.

     1. It is amazing, what effect is has, when we walk and talk and meet others without barriers.
        So much is there..so the big question is, why do we still choose to put on the barriers, when everything is just flowing and so welcoming us to not being protected?

        1. Good question, Steffi. My answer would be-I am afraid of once others see me in my fullness I will be asked to be this fullness all of the time. And be responsible for consistently maintaining and developing it.
           I am getting there even though from time to time I might take a “break” I could feel how it interferes with my loving momentum and eventually needs to be stopped. Work in progress.

        2. Saying YES to responsibility indeed. Work in progress- same here 🙂

     2. Maybe our vulnerability for others is them feeling accepted by us to know how we are fully. They get “let in” so to speak. I really judge my own personal feelings in relationships and worry about speaking up but I’ve realised by not expressing how I truly feel there is no connection between myself and whoever I’m with. I’m also not letting others in when I do this and I’m not trusting them to continue to love me if they know how I truly feel.

        1. Melinda, your realisations here add much value to Joan’s blog, in particular how vulnerability is an important way to move forwards in healing lack of trust, holding back expression and fearing the loss of love from another. Just as protection and hardening are very physical behaviours so can be learning to be vulnerable and expressing at times, even to oneself what one is afraid of, just as you did here Melinda in the example of “….not trusting them to continue to love me if they know how I truly feel”. Being able to express this starts with tenderizing the body, dropping the shoulders, loosening the jaw. Joan also brought it home for me with “I am no longer under the illusion that my emotions are going to disappear, but I have understood in myself my own reaction to them and felt a fundamental change of attitude.” It is an attitudinal shift that says yes to feeling vulnerable whatever it may be about and is the beginning of honesty.

215. I feel that we protect our vulnerability all the time in a variety of ways. In being vulnerable we are so exposed and that is scary. Having a supportive partner and your willingness to change allowed you, Joan, to expose your vulnerability. A learning for me.

216. I totally get this, or the importance of having a relationship with our emotions as they arise, rather than avoiding them, or kidding ourselves that we don’t have them. Becoming more vulnerable is a strength in that when I’m feeling immense pressure, by being honest about it with myself and therefore others, it gives me an opportunity to understand why and rid myself eventually of it. Without a willingness to go there (be vulnerable), it’s very difficult to move the seeming mountains standing in the way of that fluid powerful selves.

     1. ‘Becoming more vulnerable is a strength’ I love what you’ve said here Oliver Hallock. That when we feel pressure, it’s ok, we don’t have to put ourselves under more pressure because we are feeling it. It’s just about honesty and not investing in what other people think of us, it’s how we choose to be with ourselves that counts.

217. Joan, I can relate to the experience of the ‘interested cows’ approach (!), and so great that you were able to feel your vulnerability in this, as opposed to run away from it.. to then see that there was nothing to be afraid of. Great symbology for life.

218. I love how a deeper connection to your vulnerability allowed you to open your heart and embrace yourself, your tiger and your life in ways you once never thought possible. It seems like the love and support that has been offered to you by Universal Medicine has enabled to you feel the joy and connection to yourself so that it is now you that is purring like a kitten 🙂

219. What a timely blog to read as I can see how by allowing ourselves to feel our vulnerabilities we truly honour what we are feeling and not holding ourselves in a protection pattern. I am beginning to see that when we let our guards down and allow ourselves and others see all of us (vulnerabilities included) we open up to more true and honest connections. Then it feels we can look deeper, not judging ourselves but allowing ourselves to take true responsibility for our choices and begin to claim who we are.

220. ” I knew I could not hang on to my old ways anymore”. Yes I know that one. And it is also time for me. Thank you.

221. Like many I too resorted to using alternative therapies to ease my pains/aches which were showing up in my body. Yes some ‘seemed to of worked at the time’ little realising ‘the issues’ of why I got that way in the first place were actually being buried deeper for me to deal with later on. Feeling our vulnerability – having this wonderful awareness of ourselves is a moment to stop and feel ‘our truth’ to what is really going on and embrace it. Thank you Joan, a lovely sharing with us all.

222. Returned today to read your words once again Joan. Your simple story about you and the cows it feels very powerful to me, as if it can speak and apply to almost anything in life. There is always a choice in ourselves between energy of vulnerability and defence, and when we choose to open up the world around us changes too. Or at least this is what I herd from you 🙂

223. I loved this blog, Thank you very much for delivering it so beautifully. I relate to feeling under ‘attack’ like everything is coming at you but as you revel in this blog it is a total trick. When you find your way out of that illusion and you may realise everything in life can actually reflect your amazingness on a daily basis, you truly feel the strength in vulnerability.

224. It is an inspiration for me to read this Joan, as at first all I’d want to do when faced with something I don’t like is to get away from it (avoid even thinking that I have this fear in me somewhere), then there is the I’m-tougher-then-the-fear way of squashing the fear to the side like it isn’t there (the fear is now just stuck inside me more than before)
     And now: I am learning that to sit with the fear and work out where it comes from allows me to get rid of the actual cause of my fear so it will not show up again (fear has been told to get out of my body and it has left). Ah what a relief.

225. It changes the whole construct to realise that emotions aren’t really from the inside, rather that we pull them in. Sometimes this is hard to remember because they can be all consuming. But if I move forward with this understanding the resolutions and healing really gets to the root cause.

226. Thank you Joan for sharing your vulnerable but powerful moment of facing fear.
     I had a fearful experience when I was 19yrs old in America, on this ranch riding a horse.
     It was a hot day, the horses were thirsty. On the horse ride- 2 hours, my horse sensed I was afraid of it and it saw a water hole in the distance. Instead of staying with the trail it bolted for the water hole. I lost the lead and yelled for help, trying to hang on, fearful of falling off. The leader of the horse trail finally caught up with us and grabbed the rein of my horse, and took control of it.
     Terrified of the experience, I asked to go on a placid horse to ride back.
     This time I had another horse come towards me trying to nip the horse I was on. My horse reared up, I got thrown off. I was shaken, a little bruised, but not hurt. However after this experience I swore I would not ride again.
     I’m still not sure what it was all about. I had been fearful of life growing up, and had trust issues.

227. Thank you for sharing your experience. I have been wobbling between vulnerability and hardness lately and its pretty yuk. As I read I could feel how healing it is just being real with what I am feeling is. The hardness instantly melts, no more trying to hold it all together. Vulnerability and honesty are indeed key to feeling who we really are.

     1. Beautiful Fiona, I too can feel a sway between connection and tension. It seems crazy to stay in the tension or hardness when we know the feeling of being connected and raw in the preciousness of vulnerability.

228. A touching and beautiful story Joan, what an amazing power vulnerability
     and tenderness we have when we allow ourselves to feel and be it.

229. Thank you Joan, I too have built this protective shell around me in fear of many things in life. The way you have shared your experience with vulnerability is so beautiful and inspiring. I am beginning to learn that vulnerability and trust in life omits fear. Fear simply cannot exist when I let go, trust and connect to my vulnerability.

230. This an amazingly awesome revelation Joan. What is also lovely is to see how we sometimes expect we have to come up against a ferocious lion or tiger before we get the message that the grandness of our love is nothing to fear but sometimes the package, the gift comes in other ways. I have a bit of a soft spot for cows so I find your cow experience to be quite gorgeous and very cute, just like you. 😇😇

231. Thank you everyone for your supportive and illuminating comments. It is such an ongoing journey, this feeling and allowing or vulnerability. I am discovering that I often notice it after the event and am beginning to feel that moment when I could make a choice not to go into defense. Other times I make a conscious choice as I approach something that is going to be difficult, like going to hospital, and then it works wonders! It is the unexpected that shocks me into rigidity and hardness, but the more I practice the more it will become my natural loving response.

232. Joan, what a supporting blog. I have still quite some reactions and it is a great way to observe one’s own vulnerability and to accept it.

233. I know that feeling, that our vulnerability is as scary as a tiger, until we let it be, then we realize it is beautiful like a butterfly.

234. Great observations Joan. When we stop trying to protect ourselves from our vulnerability it becomes a strength. I too have a herd of tigers to embrace!

     1. I agree, vulnerability is a strength when we truly embrace it. Your comment is beautiful and honest Mary. I have found what stops me from connecting to my vulnerability and trust are my thoughts. These thoughts that are not supportive are a reflection of how I have chosen to live. When I choose to connect to love and truth and to live this way everyday, all things just come together beautifully and when I don’t choose this, I contract and harden. I know now, what is the true way to live and I can choose this anytime. I am continuously learning everyday to embrace truth, love and vulnerability in full.

235. Thanks for your writing Joan, it made me recall how in moments where I am struggling that if I accept my vulnerability it can change how a whole situation feels, as if the pressure to be something I am not has been wiped away. Perhaps we are less of a threat to others when we do this and like the cows, other people don’t feel the need to react to us either.

     1. Great point Stephen, so very true. I have experienced this myself for sure.

236. A beautiful sharing Joan. I love how you “..started to work with myself from the inside out, rather than from the outside in.” With this approach it allows us to feel and honour our natural tenderness and fragility.

237. What I like about this Joan is that you had the opportunity to turn back, your partner Noel had offered this to you as an option but you chose to remain with the situation and walk past the cows and allow what would be to be.

238. Thank you Joan, for your beautiful sharing. I can’t help but imagine what it would be like if all the world allowed their vulnerability and tenderness to show, and dropped their hardness, their protection and their guards. How truly powerful would our relationships be then, and how amazing would our world be.

     1. Agreed Annie, it would be a completely different place.

239. Thank you Joan and Jaime, I agree, the more open and trusting we become the truer our expression becomes.

240. Who ever would have thought that the key to being confident in the world is to show that side were taught to keep hidden and under lock and key, we seem to have it backwards in so many areas of life

241. Vulnerability is also a key to let love in, which you expressed in letting your partner Noel help you. For me this is the gateway for love in your article, reflecting that we are only able to live love and evolve – together.

242. I guess to walk on the Earth without fear, is absolutely possible if we’re completely open or vulnerable to what we feel. There’s never going to be perfection, whereby there’s nothing to spark strong feelings or would be emotions (reactions to these feelings).

     This blog is great for me to read, being a very sensitive man. The power is embracing the sensitivity and staying open and vulnerable to read the situation, rather than using bucket loads of energy in constantly bracing myself for the next challenge.

243. Possibly the cows are going to be reborn as holy human beings after having met you… just kidding. But seriously, Joan, the blessing of your decision in that instant is felt strongly. Delicateness and vulnerability are such strong qualities in us.

244. Beautiful blog Joan, I really like what you have shared, especially “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to me opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.

245. Agree Julie, often vulnerability is seen as a weakness in society, when we honour this feeling in any moment it becomes a strength as your blog so beautifully expressed.

246. Great blog thank you Joan

247. Thank you Joan, this blog has been a great reminder that there are times when we are feeling vulnerable or fragile and that it is not a weakness and that it is ok to admit that we are having one of those moments.

248. It is tricky sometimes not to equate vulnerability with weakness – hence we layer up all the protection we can muster – yet your blog here truly reflects how powerful and freeing vulnerability can be – this is simply gorgeous Joan – it touched me deeply – thank you.

249. I felt a great expansion in my chest as I read your blog Joan, thank you.
     Allowing our vulnerability and fragility is certainly the key.
     I loved the examples you gave and the message you presented.

250. Thank you Joan for so honestly sharing how you realised feeling your vulnerability is such a key ingredient in life. Just this morning, on waking I could feel my body immediately become tense. Something I have felt before, but had not allowed myself to feel into this feeling. I did this morning. I could feel how so very tender, fragile, vulnerable I am and this tension in my body has been my way to prepare for the day, to protect, so to speak. In feeling the truth of the tension, I could feel my body release. As there is now absolutely no need to hold myself in this way any more. The strength, openness and connectedness that I feel from connecting to my vulnerability is my way forth into today.

     1. Thank you Leighstrack for your contribution to Joan’s blog. It has brought more clarity to me about how I also use tension to protect myself rather than honour my fragility and vulnerability.

251. Thank you Joan for sharing such inspiration , we feel everything, it is about being aware of what we are truly feeling and being with that.

252. And I knew that even if they would come to me, I would know what to do…..

253. Recently I had a similar experience. There was a field where cows were grazing and outside of the field there was a sign: Keep your distance from the cattle, they are unpredictable in their behavior! When the sign wouldn’t have been there, I wouldn’t have given it much thought other than just quietly walk past them. But the fact that the sign was there, made me a little anxious. And I made the same choice as you, I felt my vulnerability and at the same time my strength and that nothing would happen to me, so the contraction went away.
     They didn’t even look at me when I passed by, as they fully accepted me walking there….

254. This was just what I needed to read tonight Joan, thank you. Allowing our vulnerability is the way to opening up to people. A very important reminder to cherish our fragility as the powerful strength that it is and not mistake it as a weakness.

255. ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it. I can so relate to your words Joan. It has taken me along time to accept the truth that feeling my fragility and vulnerability is actually a strength. A strength that gives me clarity and understanding in all that I feel and see. Thank you for sharing Joan.

256. As a woman who has lived much of life with a hard exterior, attempting to protect herself from possible pain and attack it has been a revelation to access my vulnerability “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.” There is real power in opening up, feeling the vulnerability and honouring what is felt.

     1. Very true Samantha. We’ve been brought up — most is us that is — to ‘toughen up’ in order to handle the world, but as one very wise man told me, our loveliness, which comes from embracing our fragility, is the only true ‘fortress’ there is.

257. ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.’ This is what I have experienced to, how the more I let myself be vulnerable the more I am open to connect with people in the world. And with this vulnerability comes an understanding for what is there. Thank you Joan for sharing your adventure with the cows.

258. This is a very touching sharing Joan, thank you. To find that your vulnerability is the key to let go of your fears is quite extraordinary and so simple.

259. Thank you for sharing this story Joan. Vulnerability is a strength – we are told that it is a weakness, yet being able to hold true to your essence and love, while feeling this vulnerability, provides masses of strength. This then becomes a marker, a base, from which to express and go forth into life.

260. Great Blog Joan. It is amazing how freeing it is start to develop a relationship with our emotions that is based on just allowing ourselves to feel what is going on without trying to fix the problem, or judge ourselves for feeling this way. That in itself does not offer true healing, but in this way we are more likely to get to the truth of what we are really feeling. After all, emotions are nearly always secondary feelings to what is truly going on, but if we do not develop an honest relationship with them, then they own us more than we allow ourselves to know, and prevent us from getting to a deeper layer of truth.

     1. So true Adam and exactly what I needed to be reminded of this morning.

261. Such a beautiful sharing Joan – I remember so well as you expressed of “throwing myself into activities in a very driven way”. A very familiar pattern of hiding behind the ‘doing’ and I’m ok sort of attitude (of which I certainly was not ok – far from it) and not giving myself a moment to be still and connect. understanding now that all my choices are my responsibility allowing that vulnerability to guide me into feeling/connecting to make even more self loving choices.

262. The fantastic thing about experiencing a situation where we are feeling ‘in the moment’ and then something changes which throws us into reaction and the old pattern, we feel the fullness of it’s power and control – the willingness to go deeper exposes what it is that keeps us trapped in that old patterns. When I have had this experience, I have found that the comfort of the old way invites me to remain there. When I have chosen to break the old cycle there is an amazing freedom. Thanks for sharing, I could feel the lightness in your step Joan, as you passed by the cows the second time.

     1. Yes the freedom that is felt in the body when we decide to embrace an old pattern and work through it is lovely and spacious.

     2. So true, a freedom and an expansion inside is felt, when we chose to break the old cycles that binds us.

263. This is spot on Kristy, filling a situation with what we think it is going to be. In my experience, in those heightened fearful situations, it never ever is what I make it out to be in my head. So, maybe it is just about saying I feel vulnerable here and addressing that and cutting the wild thoughts that create the fear.

264. I loved your comment, “I started to work with myself from the inside out, rather than from the outside in”. So often we think that we can find the answer ‘out there’ when it is there inside us all along. It takes so much energy to not feel our vulnerability, yet it feels so easy and right when we finally become brave enough.

     1. I agree Fiona, it takes so much energy to not feel our vulnerability. Or just to not feel anything. When I choose to feel, it is never as huge and bad as I thought it would be, it actually makes me feel I am in ‘charge’ and can choose to react or to just feel what is there to feel.

     2. I agree Fiona – the answer are inside to such an extent that when connected to that the question disappears!

265. Animals are excellent at reading people. It sounds like you got a great realization from them. They simply read and act to what is presented.

266. Hi Joan, this is a great blog. Very inspiring, I feel It is time for me to be with my vulnerability.

267. One of the keys that I picked up from this blog Joan is the power of self-talk, how we speak to ourselves is vital for how we live our lives. Claiming as you did the power of your love is fantastic to read for so many of us are ruled by harming words that do nothing but disempower us and keep us small.

268. What more can I say to that Joan, except that allowing our vulnerability is to melt away the outer protection we create for ourselves. Nature is an amazing reflection, and full of symbolism, I had a similar experience working with horses, they are a mirror too. We are our own worst enemies; when we open up to ourselves, the world reflects back and everything is revealed. Thank you Joan for your lovely sharing.

269. I really enjoyed feeling the power in your vulnerability Joan. Thank you. It is a great reminder that no ‘cow’ is ever bigger than who we are on the inside.

270. I think we all have our ‘tigers’. Probably several levels of them. Interesting how we often harden or go into ‘Tarzan’ mode to fight them rather than just walking past in our gentleness with our vulnerability in hand.

271. Amazing how a walk in a paddock can bring such awareness and opportunity to make different choices. I have panicked in many situations in my life and felt the dire consequences in my body. I realise now there is always a choice to surrender, connect, and as you said, “open my heart to the world, instead of defending against it”. Great blog Joan, thank you.

272. I loved reading you blog. Vulnerability and fragility have been big ones for me to honor within myself and allow myself to feel with others. But through this I have been able to discover how tender and delicate I am, a part of me that I had ignored and not wanted to feel but it is now a part of me that feels so delicious to claim. A beautiful reminder, thank you Joan.

273. These are big changes Joan that you have made thanks to the choices that you are now making. I can relate to what you have shared of the beauty in connecting with our vulnerability. There is such deep healing in being vulnerable, when we let our shields come down and stop defending it, what is left underneath is love.

274. “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.” Thank you Joan for showing us how beautiful allowing our vulnerabilities can be.

275. Ah! Acknowledging the feeling and allowing myself that moment to give space for change, is the key into feeling the fragility and vulnerability. There are always keys followed by more keys as the doors open one by one on our journey to know our inner heart.

276. Thank you Joan, for sharing your cow story with us. Feeling vulnerable is not something I am used to allowing or admitting, but I can get the sense from your experience that there is a huge benefit from allowing yourself to feel and choose to just be. It must be a huge relief to not have to protect yourself from fearful situations anymore.

277. Very beautiful Joan, a great revelation how vulnerability is actually something very strong and power-full. It is something we are very scared to show, but how beautiful is it when we truly feel what it brings.

     1. Yes Benkt, the feeling of being totally open and exposed as we admit our vulnerability is very scary until the moment we take the plunge and do it! I am continually learning about this in every situation, and am just facing one such challenge at the moment. It is not cows this time, but the fact that I have built up an edifice of protection by trying to do more than my body is able, and need to stop the doing which feels like letting people down. As I go into to telling them I can feel even more protection building up, but I am saying no to that and allowing myself to feel how exposed I feel. I am also being shown that I am letting them down by NOT letting them see my vulnerability. Same thing as the cows, they accepted the vulnerable me, and so will people, in fact they will respect me for it. Why do we not let ourselves believe that, for when we do it is so joyful.

278. To be honest and allow ourselves to feel the vulnerability and then trust that deeper part of ourselves , Thank you Joan for such a beautiful blog.

279. Great blog Joan. I agree that just acknowledging and feeling what your feeling goes a long way. Allowing yourself to be in that moment gives space for change.

280. I love this line Joan “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.” Beautiful.

281. Joan what a great sharing. Life will throw these situations up for us to look at and experience until we “get it” and you did just that! Congratulations.

282. Every day I am so appreciative of life’s teachings, Nicola, and am still being exposed to situations where I am scared of standing in my truth, and they are always gifts that allow me to know myself more deeply. The cows were the first step, but more needed to be uncovered, and slowly, step by step, the root cause of why I make myself less than I am is being revealed

283. What a beautiful sharing and example of how life is our teacher ever there offering us opportunities to evolve.

284. Toni I feel the same vulnerability is about trusting the self and letting go and allowing the self to feel what comes up. The power of allowing this vulnerability is amazing.

285. ‘Then I met Universal Medicine and started to work with myself from the inside out, rather than from the outside in’
     Isn’t this just life changing? For me working from the ‘inside out’ has connected me to a deeper part of me that I was missing and longing for, for so long.
     Thank you Joan for sharing this ‘cow-rageous’ moment with us all. 😊

286. A beautiful sharing, thank you Joan.

287. That is interesting Ariel, I used to be scared of spiders for no reason until one night in bed I felt this delightful tickling on my arm. I thought it was my husband stroking me, but then realised he was asleep. I put on the light and there was a BIG black spider sitting on my pillow. Now I can pick them up to move them out of the bath and watch them with interest, and this is because I felt its gentle quality on my flesh. I also know that in the animal kingdom it is not size that matters, it is the energy — whether it is great or little, so a tiny dog can actually master a great dane. The spider, of course, was in the UK and so not poisonous, that puts a different spin on it.

288. Seems like the cows where moo-smerized by you 😉

     1. I love it Madeline! and actually, as I think about it, I was moo-smerized by the cows by my own choice till I allowed myself to feel more deeply and so make the change. How often are we mesmerized by life, letting it pass by us as we “keep ourselves safe” in our own little protective bubbles. Bursting the bubble means exposing all the glorious tender fragile interior, the very essence of ourselves which is so powerful.

289. Wow, simply beautiful Joan, thank you. I can so relate to living with fear and going into controlling the situation and hardening my body to keep out the world and protect myself “just in case something happens”. Through the presentations of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine I have been inspired to develop a relationship with my body where I listen to how I feel and deeply care for my body…this has led to more awareness about how I live. What I have discovered about using protection to keep out the world is that it creates much tension and it actually hurts the body. Then when I am in a place where I feel safe or with a person I feel comfortable with it is harder for me to be open because my body is still holding the hardness of my choice to protect. Through the support of the Esoteric Healing Modalities I am letting go of much of the hardness and protection and finding that surrendering to the love that is within me is the greatest form of protection there is. Feeling this has been profoundly healing and I am learning to trust that there is no protection in hardness and defence but true protection in surrendering to the love within and allowing myself to be vulnerable.

290. I too have found many beautiful gifts brought forth by allowing myself to feel my vulnerability. Thank you Joan.

291. Vulnerability is something I have yet to fully understand or embrace. Something I am still pushing it to the side, I feel. The acceptance you have shared here is just beautiful and inspiring. Thank you, Joan.

292. Connecting to our vulnerability and that power within us is a great healing, something I am working on.

293. Joan thank you for sharing how it is with presence, acceptance and connection to ourselves that this brings interconnectedness with the world. The power felt from your lived realization is something we can all learn from.

294. Thank you Joan, I love how you say ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it’. I haven’t experienced panic in my life, but I have definitely lived in fear of something terrible happening to me, always tending to go to ‘worse case scenarios’. But I realised that if I go through life with so much protection for what may happen, but will almost certainly not happen, it means I’m keeping myself so closed off from everyone. As I’ve peeled back all that protection, and allowed myself to feel vulnerable and fragile it’s been such a beautiful experience to feel what it’s like to let people in.

295. Vulnerability is such a strength to feel, and unlike common thought, not a weakness. What a truly deep and essential feeling we have !

296. “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it” – I love this line. It has left me a little speechless!

297. Beautiful Joan, just beautiful. You resorted to (vulnerability) to deal with what you feared most (being hurt because you felt vulnerable)

298. I love this story, who would have thought there was so much power in allowing ourselves to be vulnerable.

299. Your article is very beautiful and confirming, Joan. I notice myself that it is more familiar for me to go to my hardness and pretend that everything is fine and I am strong instead of feeling my vulnerability, accepting it and maybe even ask for support instead of struggling on my own. We are always surrounded by potential threats. – It might be cows or humans or bankruptcy- and knowing that it is part of life and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable can bring us freedom and strength to deal with it from the place of connection and love rather then from resistance and fear.

300. Joan, your blog is beautiful and a gentle reminder for me to accept my vulnerability – I often give myself a hard time and react to my reactions, rather than just accepting them and the world and feeling what I feel. I’m learning to do this more and more and to accept that is part of learning, it’s not about knowing everything in every situation, (much as I’d love that sometimes!), it’s about being honest, feeling and being open. Your line ‘Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.’ sums it up beautifully, when we close off we keep people out and ourselves starved of connection, to ourselves and to others.

301. Joan such a lovely sharing thank you – it served as a gentle reminder for me as to the first time I allowed my self to accept my vulnerability – I was brought up in a farming environment and being the only girl was acting a lot of the time like one of the men – trying to keep up with them and yes I started to take on very masculine traits, particularly my muscle development. I continued with pushing myself to the limits for many years (physically/mentally) and eventually something had to give – seeking help or that there must be more to life than this! I was introduced to Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon – listening to the presentations and realising I was my own responsibility, I can make choices for myself -this was not selfish – it was self loving.
     I didn’t have to act that I was ok when infact I was crumbling inside. Having healing sessions with the esoteric practitioners have enabled me to really feel much deeper within and yes at that point I was feeling vulnerable – but so open, a joy I had not felt since childhood, tender and inspired.

302. I have built so many protective layers around myself that sometimes I do not choose to see through these layers to see, feel and accept the the beauty that I hold within. Connecting to who I am within supports me to peel away the layers of the onion that I have built around me.

303. It is so stunning, how something seemingly is a tiger and panic makes it impossible to see the kitten and the beauty within. I shunned myself away from people and hardened myself a great deal in the past. It is gradually that I feel what beauty is in everyone and that it was me who choose to step away. Making different choices now, it is so beautiful to feel what magical moments love and openness and just being me can bring.

304. Isn’t it amazing how when we choose to go a little deeper with ourselves that we can get a reflection back immediately as confirmation? Love it.

305. Yes, it is a huge learning to feel your vulnerability and to stay with that vulnerability. For me it is not so much cows (though I was once in a paddock with young bulls and that was scary – my then partner and I fooled them – she went left and I went right and by the time they decided we were out of the paddock) but humans. Staying open and vulnerable with humans is hugely rewarding but in the beginning it wasn’t easy.

306. Thank you Joan for sharing you ‘Tiger’ story. It’s a wonderful and empowering real life example of the power of choice, and trusting love (you!)

     1. Joanne, it really is about trusting love and power of choice.

307. I love this line Joan: “Allowing my vulnerability was the key to my opening my heart to the world – instead of defending myself against it.”
     I have been defending myself for my whole life. It has only been with the inspiration from the teachings of the Ageless Wisdom, presented by Serge Benahyon, that I have started to even be aware of this and allow myself to be vulnerable. No need to be tough and pretend that it isn’t bothering me, I just need to be honest, surrender and give myself permission to be vulnerable. A work in progress!

     1. Hi Rosie, I agree with what you’re saying; thanks to Serge Benhayon I am learning to not feel like I have to defend myself constantly. Thank you Joan for this lovely blog.

308. Re-reading this blog today, I found new insights in what you wrote Joan. What if this seeming weakness of vulnerability is not that at all, but true strength of ours? What if there’s no need to soldier through? It is as if all we need to do is confidently connect to how we feel in our body. Thank you, once again, for your tale of tigercows.

309. So lovely to revisit this blog Joan. Feeling the space that fragility and vulnerability opens up around us and the amazing healing that can then be allowed. Thank you.

310. Great article Joan. It has left me with a lot to ponder on this morning. Thank you.

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