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Venus as Gentle Witness
Venus Gong — Post 8 (Closing)
Julie Jewels Smoot
Jan 151 min read


Pleasure Without Obligation
I want to be careful with the word pleasure.
For many people, pleasure has not felt free.
It has come with expectation.
With performance.
With the sense that if something feels good, you are supposed to respond a certain way—or want more.
The Venus gong does not ask that of you.
It does not require enjoyment.
It does not chase comfort.
It does not assume ease is the goal.
Julie Jewels Smoot
Jan 152 min read


Rest Day FAQ: A gentle explanation of what Rest Day means — and what it doesn’t.
A serene rest day unfolds with a vibrant sunset painting the sky over the tranquil ocean waves.
Julie Jewels Smoot
Jan 112 min read


Are Tibetan Singing Bowls Good for PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not only a condition of memory or thought. It is a nervous system response shaped by overwhelm, threat, and loss of safety.
Julie Jewels Smoot
Jan 83 min read


You Don’t Need to Be Calm to Heal: Sound Healing for the Real Nervous System
We live in a culture obsessed with calm.
Calm your mind. Regulate your nervous system. Breathe until everything feels better.
For many people—especially those who have lived through trauma, grief, military service, chronic stress, or long-term overwhelm—this message quietly turns into another form of pressure.
If calm were the doorway to healing, you would already be healed.
Julie Jewels Smoot
Jan 63 min read


When Sound Healing Is Not Relaxing — And Why That’s Where the Healing Begins
Many people come to sound healing expecting peace.
Julie Jewels Smoot
Jan 63 min read


When Sound Work Is Not Relaxing — and Why That’s Not a Failure
In trauma-informed and somatic frameworks, it is understood that regulation often follows activation. The nervous system may need to recognize and move through held patterns before settling.
Sound can catalyze this process.
For someone accustomed to dissociation, relaxation can feel unsafe. Stillness may bring awareness that was previously avoided. In these cases, discomfort is not a sign of harm—it is a sign of contact.
Julie Jewels Smoot
Jan 42 min read


Sound Alchemy Is Not Escapism—It Is Presence
If you come to sound seeking escape, you may be surprised by what you find.
Sound will not carry you away.
It will sit with you.
It will listen with you.
It will invite you into the body you already inhabit and the moment you are already in.
Sound alchemy is not about leaving this life behind.
It is about meeting it fully—one vibration at a time.
Julie Jewels Smoot
Jan 43 min read
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