Claiming Our YES, Honoring Our No: Embodied Boundaries, Sacred Choices.

YES and NO - Walking our path with discernment and the clarity of decision.

Welcome to this edition of Walking the Liminal!

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YES and NO are more than two simple words… they have power to change our lives and our world.

The Power of Yes and No

YES and NO, they just go together…

You’ve probably already heard the saying: when you say YES to something, you’re also saying NO to something else - and vice versa. Each choice we make contains an implicit “AND.” For example:

When I say NO to an extra plate of food, I’m saying YES to feeling light and comfortable in my body.

When I say YES to going on a walk with my husband, I’m saying NO to whatever else I had planned for that time.

YES and NO might seem like two simple words, but in truth, they are so much more! They’re primal forces, sacred spells, quiet resolutions and powerful acts of devotion.

Importantly, this pair isn’t about opposition. YES and NO aren’t positive and negative or good and bad positions. They dance together as directional tools, catalysts, that help guide where and how we engage with life. Shaping both our inner and outer lives, by shifting where we direct our energy and place our attention.

YES says: I’m feeling inspired and drawn to something that I want to interact with and give my time too. I’m also saying NO to collapsing into self-defeating thoughts that attempt to stop me, like conditioned beliefs of unworthiness.

NO says: I’m not feeling drawn to follow this current trajectory. I’m listening within, sensing this as a time of discernment. I’m also saying YES to further consideration and self-care.

Let’s take a moment to look at each side separately…

Yes, as an Invocation

When YES stands in sacred relationship with NO it becomes an act of presence, a deep trust in the unfolding moment. There is an openness to being moved by something more than the deep grooves of the ego. Guided by a force that is wiser than the logical mind.

Here we find the quiet listening to one’s intuition and the whispers of the soul. Where YES arrives from coherence and resonance, even when fear or uncertainty are present. This is a YES that heals and transforms, because we become willing participants in something intimate and vast. We enter the mystery of our own becoming.

When we are rooted in a YES that comes from the heart - the body and Spirit move in unison from a place that says, “This is mine to do.” YES, is a seed planted in fertile soil.

The Misuse of YES: Spiritual Bypassing and People-Pleasing:

When YES rejects NO, it can become a bypass, a mask of positivity used to circumvent pain and uncomfortable truths.

Focusing only on the positive, YES becomes the tendency to use spiritual ideas or practices to sidestep real, often difficult, emotional or psychological work. It cloaks avoidance in the language of transcendence. Here are some statements people have said to me:

“It’s all good!”

“Be optimistic and grateful!”

"Everything happens for a reason!”

“You create your own reality!”

“Suffering is an illusion.”

Likewise, YES can become another form of self-abandonment when one acts from the cultural conditioning that associates YES with generosity and worth. Women particularly have been affected by this. Taught to equate love with compliance and care with being agreeable, accommodating and pleasing.

But a YES that arises without the consent of our inner knowing becomes a quiet betrayal. It fragments our power. It pulls us out of alignment with ourselves.

When we believe love is earned through sacrifice, we abandon our own truth. We’re not honoring our NO. NO is not rejection, it’s a way of saying, “I will not abandon myself.”

No as a Sacred Boundary.

When NO stands in sacred relationship with YES, it honors our energy, nervous system and truth. It keeps the fire and purpose of our soul ablaze and creates space for what is meant to flourish.

In a culture that glorifies compliance and constant doing, NO is a pause. It’s the exhale before the next inhale where in this silence wisdom can speak. It’s the compost where deeper truth takes root.

From this a sacred NO can arise, especially when something feels out of integrity, laden with hypocrisy and bigotry. It clears the way for an authentic YES to emerge. Inviting us to dismantle outdated structures, in the world and within the architecture of our own conditioning. It empowers us to recalibrate with what feels true to our heart, and what resonates deeply in our soul.

To deliver a sacred NO is to also protect. Drawing a boundary in reverence to what matters. It honors connection, opening the door to a more honest and sustainable way of being in relationship. A sacred NO is the foundation from which a wholehearted, unshakeable sacred YES can rise. Where love is the foundation and boundaries can become bridges.

The Shadow Side of NO:

When NO rejects the YES, it can become a shield of fear or avoidance. A retreat into isolation, cynicism, or paralysis. A NO that disconnects us from possibility, hope and inspiration can spiral into depression, disillusionment, or detachment from life itself.

This is not a sacred boundary, or even a permeable wall, it’s a solid rigid barricade. Not of discernment, but of despair.

A dysfunctional NO can also be stuck in an anger that’s aggressive, even intimidating. And can eventually escalate into abuse or violence. By contrast, a supportive, sacred NO is intentional and proportionate to the situation. A response rather than a reaction, one rooted in self-awareness and integrity.

Choice is Magic.

In every decision there is a threshold to cross. Sometimes it’s subtle, only a momentary inner shift, barely noticeable. Other times, it marks a radical turning point, a reorientation that reshapes our lives.

We’ve seen that YES and NO are more than polite replies. When sincerely spoken, they are declarations of truth, invocations of alignment. and daily acts of discernment. In this liminal space where the mystical and the mundane intertwine, our words affirm our connectivity with life.

In the mystical traditions, Mantra is known as the power of the word and is deeply revered. I spent many years in a Hindu tradition, chanting sacred mantras and repeating them in silence. When practiced with awareness and devotion they carry incredible power.

YES and NO, also carry vibrations of creative force. When uttered from the soul, they become our prayers, spells and acts of sacred authorship. We step out of autopilot and into presence, reclaiming our agency for ourselves and our world. For what we choose to give our time, energy, and attention to, are the bricks of our becoming. And our footsteps can bring the change we want to see in our world.

So, the next time you are asked, invited, pulled, or pressured…
pause…
breathe….
feel…

Ask yourself:
Does this YES feel alive in my body?
Does this NO feel like peace in my bones?

In that space of stillness, you will hear the whisper of truth.
Trust it.
Let it guide you.

Because in the liminal, the power of YES and NO is not about control.
It’s about coherence.
It’s about connection.
It’s about choosing, again and again, to live from the sacred center of your life.

I offer both tarot readings and personalized one-on-one sessions. Both designed to support and nurture your inner explorations, helping you gain deeper insight into the movements of your life. If you're interested, feel free to reach out to me via direct message or email. Love and Blessings to you!

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Please go to: https://www.liminalwalker.com/

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