“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ~ Anaïs Nin

We are not meant to walk through life with guarded hearts, bracing against love as if it is something to fear. Yet so many of us do—carrying wounds that whisper love will hurt, love is dangerous, love is not for you. But what if those stories weren’t true? What if love is not something we must chase, but something we must allow to gently unfold like a delicate rosebud?

Love is not something we find. It is something we allow. It is the river that always flows, waiting for us to step in. Yet, for so many of us, our hearts remain guarded—shielded by past wounds, conditioned fears, and stories that whisper love is dangerous, love will hurt, love is not for you.

But love is for you. It has always been for you.

Opening your heart to love is a courageous act. It requires tenderness with yourself, a willingness to feel, and an intention to soften the places within you that have learned to tighten. It is a practice, a devotion, a sacred unfolding.

If you long to open your heart to deeper love—love for yourself, for others, and for life itself—this journey begins within. Are you ready to take your next step? 

Step 1: Be Willing to Feel

How To Strengthen Your Feeling Muscle

Love begins in the body, in the willingness to experience emotion without retreating into analysis or avoidance. If your heart has been closed, it is likely because at some point, feeling became unsafe. Perhaps it was overwhelming. Perhaps it was ignored.

But love asks us to feel.

• Recognize Your Vulnerabilities – What emotions feel unsafe for you? What moments in your past taught you that shutting down was the best choice?
• Lean Into Emotions Rather Than Away From Them – Instead of distracting, numbing, or intellectualizing, pause. Feel. Breathe. Stay with yourself.

Let your emotions move. Let them teach you. The more you allow yourself to feel, the stronger your heart’s capacity becomes.

Step 2: Embrace Vulnerability

How To Let Yourself Be Seen

To open your heart, you must be willing to expose it—not only to yourself but to others. Vulnerability is not weakness; it is the birthplace of intimacy, connection, and real love.

But what does this look like in everyday life? Here are some examples:

Sharing a Truth About Yourself That Feels Tender

There are pieces of us we hide because we fear being judged, misunderstood, or rejected. But love requires visibility—your heart cannot be fully loved if it is not fully seen.

Example:

• With a new partner: “I have a hard time trusting love because in the past, I’ve been deeply hurt. Sometimes, I might pull away even when I don’t want to. I just need you to know it’s not about you—it’s something I’m working on.”
• With a close friend: “Lately, I’ve been struggling with feeling worthy of love. I find myself doubting that people really care about me, even when I know they do. It’s something I’m trying to work through.”
• With yourself (journaling or reflection): “I am afraid of being too much. I am afraid of overwhelming others with my emotions. But I also long to be fully seen and accepted. How can I honor both parts of me?”

Expressing How You Feel in the Moment Instead of Hiding It

Many of us were taught to suppress our emotions—“Don’t cry,” “Don’t make a big deal out of it,” “Be strong.” Over time, this can make us numb or disconnected from ourselves and others.

Vulnerability is about reversing that pattern and allowing emotions to be present in the moment.

Example:

• In a relationship: Instead of saying, “It’s fine” when it’s not, try: “I feel hurt that you canceled our plans last minute. I know things come up, but I was really looking forward to seeing you.”
• At work: Instead of suppressing self-doubt, try: “I want to share an idea, but I feel nervous about speaking up. Still, I think it could be valuable.”
• With yourself: Instead of brushing off sadness, sit with it and say: “I feel lonely right now. And that’s okay. I don’t have to rush this feeling away.”

When you allow your emotions to be expressed, you build self-trust. Your body learns that it is safe to feel, and your relationships deepen in authenticity.

How Vulnerability Becomes Easier Over Time

The first time you reveal a part of yourself that feels raw, it may feel terrifying. Your mind may tell you that you’ll be rejected or seen as weak. But something beautiful happens when you practice vulnerability:

• You realize people don’t run away—in fact, many will move closer to you.
• You feel lighter, no longer carrying the weight of unspoken emotions.
• You begin to trust that you are lovable even in your unpolished, imperfect, deeply human moments.

Each time you share honestly, it rewires your nervous system. Vulnerability becomes less like a risk and more like a doorway—to love, to intimacy, to the connection you’ve always longed for.

Step 3: Do Parts Work

How To Meet the Aspects of Yourself That Fear Love

Deep within you, there are parts—fragments of your being that developed in response to pain. Some parts long for love, while others fear it. Some cling, some push away, some remain frozen.

Parts Work is a practice of gently recognizing and speaking to these aspects of yourself, helping them feel heard rather than controlling your experience.

• Close your eyes and ask: Which part of me resists love? What does it believe? What does it need?
• Approach it with kindness. Hold space for it. No part of you is wrong—only misunderstood.

When you dialogue with the parts of you that resist love, you begin to integrate them rather than allowing them to drive your choices in the shadows.

Step 4: Question the Stories You Hold as Truth

Not everything you believe is true.

Some of the strongest beliefs that shape your experience of love were formed when you were a child—when you didn’t have the full picture. As a child, you only knew how to make sense of love through what you experienced. Is your inner child running your love life?

• Pause and ask: Is this true?
• Where did I learn this?
• Does this belief open my heart or close it?

Truth is what remains when fear falls away. Love asks us to be discerning with our thoughts.

Step 5: Consciously Open Your Heart Chakra

Your heart is more than a physical organ. It is an energy center, a bridge between the earthly and the divine.

When your heart is closed, love struggles to reach you—even when it is all around you.

A simple practice:

• Close your eyes.
• Imagine a soft, warm light at the center of your chest.
• With each inhale, see it expand.
• With each exhale, feel yourself soften into trust.

Step 6: Consciously Cultivate Empathy

Love grows where understanding lives.

To open your heart, begin to see others. Not just their actions, but their hearts. Their fears, their wounds, their humanity.

• When someone frustrates you, pause. What might they be feeling beneath their actions?
• When you feel misunderstood, ask: What if they simply do not yet know how to see me?

The more empathy you extend, the more love flows through you.

Step 7: Practice Gratitude

Love flourishes in appreciation. When we shift our focus to noticing beauty, kindness, and the small moments of love around us, our hearts open effortlessly.

Appreciation Changes Your Heart’s Frequency

A simple practice:

• Each day, write down three things you appreciate—about yourself, about another, about life.
• Let your body feel the gratitude, not just think it.

The heart expands where gratitude is cultivated.

Step 8: Make Kindness a Daily Devotion

Love is not only a feeling—it is an action, a choice, a way of being in the world.

• Smile at a stranger.
• Speak softly to yourself when you make a mistake.
• Offer warmth, even when you don’t have to.
• Ask: What would it look like to be loving in this moment?

Every small act of kindness strengthens your heart’s ability to give and receive love.

Love is Here, Now.

You do not have to earn love. You do not have to chase it. You only have to allow it.

As you read this, love is reaching for you. Through a gentle sunrise. Through the warmth of your own breath. Through the next kind word you offer to yourself.

Let love in. Let it shape you. Let it move through you.

Your heart was always meant to stay open.

If you want to love again, but you are still struggling to forgive and love yourself, contact me. I can help.

I've been through heartbreak and loss. This journey from healing to love has been a long and winding road for me through darkness and light and back into the underworld again. I know the way out and into the arms of love.

Book a call with me and find out why healing and aligning your energy to the kind of partner and relationship you desire is essential for having the love you deserve, crave, and live for...

 Consultation Call with Catherine

When you heal and love yourself, you will be amazed how many people want to be in your energy. You will be told that you have beautiful energy because that is the first thing they will see in you, and you will attract more of what you want and repel what you don't want.

Don't wait another day to live your life fully loving who you truly are 💖

Don't wait another moment to live without the warm embrace of your soulmate.

I promise you that love is within you and all around you once you can let go of all that isn't you. 💗 xoxo love Catherine

xoxo love, Catherine

The Love Priestess

Purchase "Before You Say I Do: Transform Your Love Life From Within" by Catherine Josephine

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