“Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant ‘To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart’.”

~ Brené Brown

Do you ever get the feeling that a message was sent to you by divine forces? This week, during a yoga class, I noticed that the student practicing next to me, had a Hebrew word tattooed on her ankle. It was the Hebrew equivalence of the word courage.

It is not every day that I see a Hebrew word jumping at me here in Asheville, NC. Certainly not in a yoga class. And not only that Hebrew is one of the most ancient languages in the world, but it is also my mother tongue, so it resonated very powerfully.

As the Sun enters Aries this week, we are shifting from Pisces dreamland into Aries, the sign of courage. Let’s admit it. It takes courage to be alive today. On one hand, we experience a level of comfort, abundance and richness of teachings and knowledge that we’ve never had before. On the other hand, drug addiction death rates are climbing exponentially every year. Humanity in general is more stressed, more lonely, more depressed, and more medicated than ever before.

We might find ourselves asking, why is it all happening? Why do we have to go through such hardships? What is the meaning and the purpose of it all? These are all Piscean questions. And as there is still a substantial number of planets in Pisces, and Neptune, the ruler of Pisces, conjunct the sun, we still feel a lot of Piscean energy.

When we despair, we want to go back to the land of the souls, where there are no molecules and we have no names, like my Pisces son ones told me. But then the Sun enters Aries, and we have to connect with our courage and face our human existence with vigilance.

It is interesting that the origin of the word courage is in the Latin word, cor, which means, heart. As Brené Brown wrote so beautifully, courage originally meant speaking one’s heart.

Courage means being honest and authentic, no matter what. No matter if others like us, no matter if what we say sounds spiritual enough. No matter if it is aligned with what most people around us think. No matter if by speaking our heart we risk our marriage, our job, or our social status. The only thing that matters is that what we say is true and that it comes from our heart.

We sometimes think of courage as something heroic. We think that courage means doing something dangerous and bold. But I found that it is hardest for me to be courageous with the people who are most dear to me. In the first few years after I met my husband, for example, I felt so grateful for him, that I was afraid to complain whenever I felt that he didn’t allow me to express myself freely. For instance, he was condescending about some of the musicians I loved listening to. Instead of telling him that he was allowed to like his own music and I was allowed to like mine, I slowly drifted away from listening to things he didn’t appreciate.

Another example was a friend that edited something I wrote. I felt unappreciated by her editing, but I never dared telling her that, because I was afraid that she would not like me or stop being my friend.

Courage is something we find in our daily lives, in our relationships, in what we say and how we say it.I know so many who are afraid to tell their romantic partners how they feel about the other person’s miscommunication. So many are afraid to say what they want and what they need and when their red lines are crossed.

I find the journalist Bari Weiss to be an inspiration for what courage means. She recently said that “to be free is to tell the truth even in a world awash with lies.” And that’s exactly what she does.

This Aries season, it is time to embody our courageous selves. Being courageous does not require that you go bungee jumping. Ask yourself, is there something that I want to say, but I am afraid to say? Is there something I need to share with someone, but I am afraid that they won’t like it, or they won’t like me if I say it? Find one courageous thing you can do, one brave thing you can say, and do it or say it.

Please share with me how it went and what were the results of your courageous act. I’d love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful week,

Much love,

Yael