Through the Portal of Vulnerability

Loretta Falco — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 03:35:52 +0000

“Your courage is a gift. Your passion is a compass. And your willingness to be vulnerable is the key that unlocks a fuller life.”

Through the Portal of Vulnerability
by Loretta Falco

What we feel most passionate about often carries the greatest weight of vulnerability. To share what stirs your soul means stepping into the unknown. The mind, always trying to keep us safe, sometimes protects us from real danger but just as often from uncertainty. Passion demands heart. And heart is raw, exposed, and powerful.

When you keep your dreams or ideas locked away, you are not only silencing your own spirit. You are withholding something meaningful from the world. Passion is not random. It is spirit moving through you. It is an invitation to create, to connect, and to answer a deeper call. Vulnerability is not weakness. It is the doorway through which something real and transformative is born. The more truth you bring forward, the more energy moves. Passion and vulnerability together create a force that awakens, inspires, and ripples far beyond what you may ever witness.

This journey asks you to show up fully, even when it feels risky. It may stretch you. It may test you. But it will also reveal something real and alive within you.

Courage is not something you either have or lack. It is something you build over time. Like a muscle, it strengthens through use. Everything done for the first time feels unfamiliar and weird. The first date, the first month in a new job, writing your first page, trying yoga, traveling to a place where no one knows your name, or simply changing the way you eat. Each time you acknowledge fear or discomfort and move forward anyway, you level up. And with practice, it gets easier. There is always something to gain from the experience. Even if it does not go as well as you hoped, you learn. You adjust. You get better and better each time you put yourself out there.

Still, the journey can feel lonely. You might believe you have to carry it all on your own. But no one is self-made. That idea is a myth. Humans build each other up. We are shaped by those who came before us, by those we walk beside, and by those who extend their hands to guide us. Knowledge, strength, wisdom, and skill are passed down. Sometimes through story. Sometimes through practice. Sometimes through presence alone.

There are elders and peers who see fire when it flickers. They recognize potential because they remember what it feels like to be at the beginning. Many are just waiting for someone like you to show up so they can pass on what they have learned. But they cannot help you if your presence remains hidden. Let yourself be seen. Speak up. Share what you care about, even when it feels uncertain. You will begin to attract the right people. People who support you not because they have to, but because they believe in what you are doing. Their support is genuine. And one day, you will become that person for someone else.

Author: Loretta Falco

Loretta is a professional tarot reader and spiritual practitioner based on the island of O‘ahu. Her path blends intuitive insight, ancestral memory, and a lived understanding of both mysticism and the material world. Shaped by movement—through military communities, international travel, and deep inner work—Loretta is an autodidact whose practice is grounded in personal experience and a lifelong curiosity about the unseen patterns that shape our lives. Through Falco’s Emporium, she offers readings, spiritual tools, and gathering spaces for those exploring spiritual awakening, healing, and transformation.

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The Power of Passion, Courage and Vulnerability: Mars transit back into Leo

Mariah — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 09:49:40 +0000

The Power of Passion, Courage and Vulnerability: Mars transit into Leo
By Mariah Dandylion

The question that comes to my mind when I think of this planet Mars, that represents action, passion and conflict, moving from watery Cancer into the fire sign Leo today is, ” What was I running from and what am I really fighting for?”

Since this transit is occurring after Mars moved from 6 degrees Leo back to 17 degrees Cancer in it’s retrograde it represents the energetic rebirth that comes from reflecting and facing our feelings and patterns with the healing rays of love and honesty. It’s realizing the power that comes with being vulnerable enough to change and still face all of ourselves in the mirror with love, choosing courageously to bear our heart and take action to protect what we whole heartedly believe in.

While in Cancer Mars was in what’s known as its fall and is considered debilitated. While Mars is in retrograde it’s a good idea to take time to reflect and review the areas of our lives we are noticing conflict and evaluating our actions to see how we can better maneuver going forward after fighting or being wounded in some way. Cancer is ruled by the moon so Mars moving retrograde through this sign can show up as a time when we evaluate how our feelings shape our actions, as well as, the feelings we have about the actions we choose to take, especially any habits that have caused us to fail in the past or make us feel vulnerable.

Now moving direct and returning to Leo we begin to feel the warmth of a fire that comes from consistently taking action in alignment with our true beliefs and identity. How do our actions express who we are and what honestly fuels our actions?

How do our everyday feelings affect the expression of our beliefs and higher ideals? Maybe there’s times where we let the idea of being righteous create unnecessary conflict in our lives without realizing the long term effects it can have on the our overall progress of both our personal and collective progress. In another sense, with the conjunction of the North Node, Saturn and Venus all in Pisces at about 25 degrees, we are being asked to tap into our most compassionate selves and while honoring our boundaries and limitations.

With Mars now applying to an opposition with Pluto in Aquarius, there’s actions taking place right now that will inevitably lead to a transformation of our personal and collective beliefs. This process will take courage, honesty, devotion and commitment to best overcome any conflicts that come up and there is a strength in being honest with who we are in our hearts and how we choose to express that version of ourselves.

Now is a great time to reflect on recent shifts and changes in our lives while asking ourselves, have we continued to confidently take action in alignment with who we really are, or, have we instead reverted to old habits that are keeping us in a state of fear and conflict?

What actions and changes can be made that would better support your greater cause?

Author: Mariah Dandylion

Mariah Dandylion is a dedicated astrologer whose work blends Hellenistic techniques with intuitive insight to help others navigate life with clarity and purpose. Since beginning her spiritual journey in 2017, she has been passionate about guiding individuals toward self-discovery and authentic living through the wisdom of the stars. Her practice is rooted in the belief that astrology is not only a map of the soul, but a powerful tool for cultivating inner harmony and cosmic connection.

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