Hi Reader!

I've tried to write to you at least three times this week, and each time, I ended up hitting delete.

Earlier today, I crafted an entire email about Neptune entering Aries, but couldn't find a point that felt important enough to hit send.

Then I went home, collapsed on the couch with my dogs, and sent my friend Angela a voice message.

"I want to write an email today, but I just feel too sad," I told her.

I'm approaching the end of my dog Kumba's second round of chemo treatments. He's been dragging for the past two days, and the uncertainty of what comes next hangs heavy.

I haven't seen my daughter Kiara in over two weeks - possibly the longest we've ever been apart. That absence weighs on me too.

It's hard to create anything meaningful when life feels so heavy that remaining upright takes everything you've got.

Just like the figure in the 10 of Wands tarot card.

I've always interpreted this card as representing someone carrying a ton of responsibilities (many not even theirs) who desperately needs to know which ones to put down.

But maybe it's also showing us that when we're holding too much, whether it's responsibilities or emotions, we have to pause and be present with ourselves before we can see the path ahead.

That's exactly what happened when I shared with Angela. I cried about Kumba and Kiara. I sat with one hand on Kumba's soft belly while stroking Jorgen's head in my lap.

And then, simply by being present with my feelings—by acknowledging how hard things felt—the sadness began to lift.

Suddenly, I could feel the spaces between the sadness. It was like the figure in the 10 of Wands set those burdens down for a moment and realized that even though the wands still exist, there's also a blue sky and a village in the distance.

What I've realized today (and honestly, what I've realized many times throughout my life) is that when I'm at my saddest, I try to push forward even more doggedly because I don't want to feel the weight of it all. I don't want to acknowledge my pain.

But those sad and painful moments are precisely when I need myself the most.

Because the more I ignore what I'm feeling, the harder it is to see the blue sky between the wands. And the longer I try to keep going without acknowledging what I'm carrying, the heavier my burden becomes.

Today my invitation is simple: be present with your feelings and struggles. You might be holding just one or two wands... or you might be like me, almost blinded by everything you're carrying. Either way, give yourself the gift of your own attention.

You deserve it.

Warmly, Daniela

P.S. I want to hear from you! Hit reply and tell me about one wand you're carrying today. I read every message.