What Happens When We Stay with What Feels Uncomfortable?
Exploring the Sun’s Transit into the Gateway of Friction from Sept 15 – 20, 2026.
Peace may not come from removing the discomfort, but from learning how to stay with ourselves within it.
There is a natural longing within us to feel connected—to feel loved, understood, accepted, respected, and known. And yet, the closer we allow someone to come, the more of ourselves we may be asked to reveal.
There can be vulnerability in being truly seen.
It may require us to acknowledge what we need, say what we actually feel, express a boundary, or reveal something about ourselves that we are not certain another person will understand.
It is here that we may begin to notice friction within ourselves.
We can desire greater closeness while simultaneously feeling the need to protect ourselves. Something may not feel quite right yet acknowledging it could mean facing a truth we aren't ready to face or having a conversation we aren't ready to have.
Sometimes it can feel easier to tell ourselves that everything is fine, even when something within us knows that it isn't.
What Discomfort Might Be Communicating
Feeling emotionally uncomfortable can bring an almost immediate desire to make the feeling go away.
We might avoid the conversation, push the feeling aside, convince ourselves that it doesn't really matter, withdraw from the other person, or look to them to make the discomfort disappear.
Sometimes we simply keep moving, hoping that if we don't give the feeling too much attention, it will eventually pass.
Yet discomfort can also be a form of communication, signalling that something within us needs our attention.
Staying Long Enough with Yourself to Hear What Is True
Throughout Virgo Season, we have been exploring the importance of discernment—learning to pay closer attention to what we are experiencing before deciding what it means or how we should respond.
When we slow down and remain present with ourselves, we create space to recognize the difference between what we are feeling and what we assume that feeling means.
Something may have hurt, but the hurt may also be touching an older fear. Resistance may be drawing our attention to a boundary we haven't acknowledged, while the desire to pull away may simply be showing us that we need more time.
As we give ourselves the space to experience what we are feeling, emotional honesty can begin to emerge.
The Courage to Be Emotionally Honest
Emotional honesty isn't about saying everything we feel the moment we feel it. It begins with being willing to tell the truth to ourselves about what is actually happening within us.
Instead of judging the feeling, suppressing it, or immediately turning it into a story about someone else, we can listen for what it may be revealing about our needs, fears, boundaries, desires, or expectations.
The more willing we become to stay with ourselves through emotional vulnerability, the more clearly we can discern what is ours, what is true in this moment, and what may be connected to an old fear, expectation, or experience.
We don't need to know immediately what should be said or done. Sometimes the deeper work is staying with ourselves long enough to hear what is true.
Using Your Human Design Bodygraph as a tool for greater self discovery
New to Human Design? You can create your complimentary Human Design BodyGraph here.
Getting to Know Your Emotional Nature
In the teachings of Human Design by Ra Uru Hu, the Sun's current transit activates Gate 6: Friction, which is found in the Solar Plexus—our center for Emotional Awareness.
How we experience the energy of the Solar Plexus can differ considerably from one person to another.
Roughly half of the population has this center defined (colored in) and experiences a consistent emotional wave that takes time to move through, while the other half has an undefined or open Solar Plexus (appearing white on the BodyGraph). This group can be particularly sensitive to, and even amplify, the emotional energy of the people around them.
Knowing how your own Solar Plexus operates can help you become more familiar with your emotional experience.
You may begin to recognize when you need time to move through an emotional wave before clarity emerges, or notice when emotions seem to become stronger in the presence of someone else.
This awareness doesn't necessarily tell us what a feeling means, but it can help us slow down, stay curious, and begin to discern what is ours, what may not be ours, and what simply needs more time.
Getting to know ourselves in this way gives us another opportunity to observe rather than immediately react—to notice our emotional patterns, become curious about what we are experiencing, and allow clarity to unfold in its own time.
From Conflict to Diplomacy to Peace
From another lens, we can move deeper into the Sun's transit through Gate 6: Friction by exploring its potential for Inner Alchemy and self-transformation through the Gene Keys teachings of Richard Rudd.
Gene Key 6 invites us to contemplate this emotional experience through a spectrum that moves from the Shadow of Conflict, through the Gift of Diplomacy, and ultimately toward the Siddhi of Peace.
What Happens when I Stay with What Feels Uncomfortable?
Conflict does not always begin between two people. Sometimes it begins quietly within ourselves.
We may want closeness while another part of us wants distance.
We may know that something doesn't feel right while simultaneously wishing we didn't have to acknowledge it.
We may want to speak honestly while fearing what could happen if we do.
The conflict is already present before a word has been spoken.
Perhaps this is where the Gift of Diplomacy can first be practised within ourselves.
Inner diplomacy creates space for more than one feeling or truth to be present without immediately forcing ourselves to choose between them.
We can acknowledge that we love someone and that something has hurt us.
We can desire connection and still need space.
We can recognize a boundary without immediately knowing what to do about it.
We can be afraid of what honesty might change while also knowing that continuing to ignore what we feel isn't bringing us closer to ourselves.
Diplomacy doesn't necessarily remove the friction. It changes how we meet it.
Instead of fighting against what we feel, rushing toward an answer, or making someone else responsible for resolving our discomfort, we can remain present long enough to listen. Discernment gives us time to refine what is ours, what is true now, what may belong to an older fear or experience, and what genuinely needs our attention.
Perhaps this is where we begin to understand Peace differently. Peace does not have to mean the absence of difficult feelings, disagreement, or uncertainty.
It may begin in those moments when we stop fighting ourselves for what we feel.
When we can remain present with ourselves through vulnerability, we create the possibility of responding from greater awareness rather than reacting simply to make the discomfort disappear.
The relationship we have with ourselves becomes part of every relationship we enter.
As we learn to meet our own emotional experience with greater honesty, discernment, and diplomacy, we may also discover a different way of meeting one another
An Invitation to Greater Self-Awareness
As the Sun moves through Gate 6, perhaps the invitation is simply to become more aware of what happens within you when emotional friction arises.
Notice the moments when you desire closeness and the moments when something within you pulls away.
Notice what happens when something hurts, when a boundary feels uncertain, or when you feel the urge to make an uncomfortable feeling disappear.
You don't necessarily have to fix it, explain it, or act on it. Begin by noticing.
Greater self-awareness isn't about having all the answers. It is about becoming more familiar with yourself—learning to recognize what opens and what closes within you, what asks for your attention, and what may simply need more time.
During this Sun's transit, let the friction become an opportunity to know yourself more deeply.
Stay curious. Give yourself time. And before deciding what needs to happen next, come home to yourself first.
Much love,
Lisa Richard, Lightworker Coach and Inner Alchemy Guide
Love Begins by Getting to Know Yourself First
At Loving Energy Recharge, Lightworker Coaching is at the heart of the work we do. It is a journey of greater self-awareness, emotional clarity, intuition, and authentic self-expression—supporting you as you get to know yourself more deeply and discover what it means to walk your own path.
your journey begins with a complimentary Discovery Call—a chance for us to connect, explore what is bringing you here, and consider whether this feels like the right place for your journey to begin.
Lisa Richard is a certified Lightworker Coach, Reiki Master/Teacher, Emotion Code® Practitioner, Ancestral Healer, Human Design Guide, Intuitive Channel, and Oracle Card Reader, with a deep interest in Astrology and the Gene Keys.
At the heart of Lisa’s work is a desire to help people know themselves more deeply—to recognize their unique gifts, strengthen trust in their own inner guidance, and bring awareness to the fears, beliefs, and habitual patterns that may be standing in the way of moving forward.
As an empath and highly attuned channel, Lisa brings sensitivity and intuition to her work while honoring each person’s individual experience. Rather than telling you who you are or what path you should take, she walks beside you as you explore what is true for you and discover what may be asking to change.
Lisa believes deeply in the power of self-empowerment and self-actualization. Her intention is to help you become more confident in your ability to know yourself, trust yourself, and make choices that are true for you.
Because the most powerful journey will always be the one that leads you home to yourself.
