There’s a widespread belief in the healing and creative world that sounds something like this:
"I’m just protecting my light."
If you’ve been in the vicinity of my work for a while, you know that I am not a fan.
I do understand however where that perception stems from. I don’t just understand, I lived there. That’s one of the ways we rationalize our deepest fears and keep buried the pain that created them.
We’ve been sold and keep selling to ourselves the myth of the fragility of our light.
But here is my perspective…
Most of the time, what we’re really protecting isn’t our light. It’s our pride. It’s our self image. It’s the wounded child within us who still carries the sting of being laughed at, ignored, shamed, or misunderstood.
I think to a certain degree we all deal with a version of it. So if this touches something within you, I want you to know that you are not alone.
But let’s not confuse the protection of our past pain with the preservation of our truth.
Because your light was never fragile. You were told it was. You were conditioned to believe that if your brightness was exposed, it would be hurt, misused, or taken away.
What do we often do in these situations? We wrap our light in silence. We try to coat it in perfectionism. We wait until it feels safe enough.
But here’s the truth no one wants to say:
It might never “feel safe” to express your brightness. Not if you’re measuring safety by the guarantee of praise, applause, or gentle feedback.
The freedom you seek won’t come from controlling how the world receives you.
It will come from building the somatic capacity to withstand it.
What You’re Really Protecting
When we say, “I need to protect my light,” what we often mean is:
“I don’t yet trust myself to stay open if someone misunderstands me.”
“I don’t yet have the capacity to feel the burn of being visible and stay rooted.”
“I’m afraid of being too much, or not enough, or both in the same breath.”
But your light does not need a fortress. I’d even go as far as saying that:
If I wanted to make sure that someone never expresses their light, I’d convince them they need to express it perfectly. That is one of the highest forms of deception we live under.
Your light doesn’t need bubble wrap or isolation or a perfect container to emerge in. Your light is not fragile. It doesn’t need your protection. It needs you to build the emotional and somatic capacity to withstand how the world will receive it. It needs to know you won’t shut it down no matter what the outcomes are. It needs your trust.
The Initiation Is in the Imperfect Expression
The first time you speak your truth, it will come out messy. The first time you share your gifts, they might be misunderstood. The first time you start claiming more space for your radiance, someone might not like it.
That’s the point. That’s the initiation.
The imperfect expression of your brightness is not a failure. It’s the threshold.
It’s how your nervous system learns: I can be seen and still belong to myself. I can feel the heat of exposure without abandoning my truth. I can show up without knowing how I’ll be received.
This is the muscle most of us were never taught to build.
Doing that sacred work is what we did a few days ago in my free workshop From Hidden to Heard.
If you haven’t been able to join the live experience, here is your last call to watch the replay before it gets taken down later today.
From Hidden to Heard.
(Available until April 13th at midnight ET. That’s today!)
In this free workshop, you’ll discover:
Why you’re not actually afraid of being seen, and what you’re truly protecting
The five primal fears that keep your light repressed
Why your creativity, truth, and expression feel so tender to share
A simple, somatic framework to shift from self-protection to self-honoring
How to create emotional safety to let your essence lead
Click the link below to watch the replay before it expires tonight.
In gratitude and reverence,
— Xavier
I just watched your replay, thank you for your holy embodied grace. You blessed me big time on this beautiful Sunday!!
Thank you, Xavier, for this beautiful gift. It was just what I needed to hear yesterday. I especially appreciated the reminder that we are held in Benevolence and that the challenges are at a cellular level. I am stepping into new territory as a singer/songwriter and the interior critic has been alive and well. But I do trust that it's my sacred gift and will continue to create and express my authentic expression. You're a blessing!!