21 Comments
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Nina Medić's avatar

I'm grateful for whatever portal brought me to this post, and to Substack in general. Sometimes I feel like Alice in Wonderland here, you find someone's newsletter, and it takes you to the world you never knew existed! How cool is that?!

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Emma Vivian's avatar

That is so cool, Nina!! What a lovely comment. I’m so glad we found each other, too 🙂

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Nina Medić's avatar

Thank you!!! 🧡🧡

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Sheila Callahan's avatar

What a release this evokes. I am ready to step through the portal and have things on my to do list get ticked off, too.

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Emma Vivian's avatar

Thanks, Sheila! I’m glad this resonated with you. I wish you luck with your to-do list!

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Jen the Historian's avatar

Anne Helen Petersen has a piece from a few years back about The Portal--in this case, she talks about how so many women who are nearing middle age or in it (I have no idea how old you are, to be clear) embark on spiritual change, often of this kind. Welcome aboard :) https://open.substack.com/pub/annehelen/p/are-you-in-the-portal?r=1u7lyj&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

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Emma Vivian's avatar

Jen... circling back to this as I finally had the chance to read it! Wow. Thank you for sharing this with me. It was SO validating!!

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Jen the Historian's avatar

Yay!! I'm glad it resonated.

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Emma Vivian's avatar

Oh that is so interesting!! Thank you so much for sharing. I love Anne Helen Peterson. I’m 36, so I think I’m right on track with this 🤣

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Lúcia Costa's avatar

I love the idea of entering some sort of astrological portal! And if it’s for a positive reason, why not? 🙃

I’ve been carrying around this big mental to-do list for ages—things I always meant to do but never actually did. Part of it was me struggling to finish things, almost like I was afraid of what “finishing” meant. But since my diagnosis, fear feels different… like the worst already happened, and life still goes on.

So, I decided to finally tackle that list. I donated clothes I don’t wear, tossed broken stuff I’d been keeping forever, replaced my dead vacuum cleaner, bought an external hard drive to finally organize years of photos, and even sold my car to ease my guilt about the environment. Now I take public transport everywhere, headphones in, book in hand.

And honestly? It feels so freeing. Like I’ve shaken off a ton of emotional baggage I didn’t realize I was carrying.

Can’t wait to see where this portal takes you 🧡

Life is beautiful, and so are we 🙂

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Emma Vivian's avatar

Beautiful, Lúcia. Thank you so much for sharing. I really relate to everything you’ve written here! It sounds like we’re both on a very similar journey of clearing out old anchors and ushering in our next phase of life! I’m excited for us both 🧡

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Lisa St. Lou's avatar

Beautiful. I can’t wait for the life that is waiting for you Emma! Will be reading on. For me, it’s a for-the-rest-of-my-life house that seemed to come out of nowhere and disrupt all of our lives for the promise of a better future. A healing future. A future of nature and love. Will keep ya posted. Xx

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Emma Vivian's avatar

Thanks, friend! And your for-the-rest-of-your-life house portal sounds absolutely amazing! Can’t wait to hear more 🙂

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Old Codger Steve's avatar

For me after a topsy-turvy year ( which continues) I've decided I'm now in my Now and What's Next Era. Full steam ahead, no hesitations

Even though I'm like a rusty old motorbike struggling to kick start my engine, needing an oil change as testosterone slowly brings adrenaline back to my veins

Wish you well

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Emma Vivian's avatar

I love that, Steve! Here’s to ‘now and what’s next!’ What a great mantra 🙂

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Vimal Patel's avatar

Well. Portals exist for a reason. Perhaps, this decluterring was a first sign. Emma.

You've got this.

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Emma Vivian's avatar

Thanks, Vimal!

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Waving From A Distance's avatar

Emma: "Maybe this, then, is what stepping through a portal really is—claiming the life you’ve been brave enough to imagine."

So pleased you wrote this. Keep leaping through your windows of opportunity, your portals, to the lives you imagine. Plural.

From a woman who has been doing it for a lifetime--reinventing herself over and over again no matter who disapproved -- I can witness the truth. The "portal" works!

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Emma Vivian's avatar

Thanks so much! What a lovely comment! I am going to keep dreaming and reinventing 🙂

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Lola Berry's avatar

Loving this portal energy for you!

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Emma Vivian's avatar

You are my inspiration, friend! 🧡

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