05/11/2026
I spent 10 days letting go of the fear of being judged.
I just came back from a 6th 10-day Vipassana meditation course yesterday morning.
What a beautiful, necessary journey it’s been.
During this course, a lot of profound healing happened. I also worked deeply on my fear of being seen and being judged by others, allowing myself to be all that I am, without caring about what others could think.
I allowed myself to do “weird” things; I allowed myself to do what my soul truly wanted and needed, something I had held myself back from doing freely in my past courses. That included eating dhal with my hands, something I’ve learned to truly enjoy during my multiple travels to India.
I spent all my free time in the forest, lying barefoot on the forest floor and hugging trees three times a day, in plain sight. I walked the forest path 70 times in 10 days.
Yesterday morning, a woman came to me, telling me, “You were the one hugging the trees! It was the most touching moment of my day. I thought it was so beautiful that you took the time to connect with and honour nature in that way.”
That moment really stayed with me.
This is your sign to stop holding yourself back and allow yourself to be your weird, authentic self. Who knows, you might even inspire others by being who you really are.
🐛🦋
“Imagine a caterpillar. He spends much of his life on the ground, looking up at the birds, filled with indignation at both his fate and his appearance. “I am the most despicable of creatures,” he thinks. “Ugly, repulsive, condemned to crawl about on the earth.”
One day, though, Nature asks him to make a cocoon. The caterpillar is most alarmed; he has never made a cocoon before. He assumes he is building his own tomb and prepares to die. Still indignant at the life he has led so far, he again complains to God:
“Just when I’d finally gotten used to being me, You take away the little I have.”
In despair, he shuts himself up in the cocoon and awaits his end.
A few days later, though, he finds he has been transformed into a beautiful butterfly. He can fly about in the air and be admired by humans. He is surprised by the direction in which life has taken him and by God’s designs.”
- Paulo Coelho, Maktub
After this course, I feel like I am back to my most true & authentic self, shining brighter than ever.
What’s one part of yourself you’re learning to stop hiding?
Marie-Jade
📸: Bianca Des Jardins
