Pandora's Box

When you are the box...

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We all know the story. Pandora, the first woman, handed a jar she’s told not to open. She peeks inside, unleashes chaos into the world—sickness, grief, toil, rage. And for thousands of years, the moral’s been the same: blame the woman.

But what if we’ve got it backwards?

What if you’re not Pandora at all?

What if you’re the box?

Photo by Vita Demydiukova on Unsplash

Think about it: every time you swallow your truth, every time you mute your anger, every time you tuck away the thing you really want to say—you’re packing it into the jar. Lid on. Sealed tight. Smile for the camera.

And the longer it stays shut, the heavier it gets. The grief swells. The shame festers. The rage rattles the walls. You can hear it clattering inside you, but you tell yourself it’s safer that way. That opening it would be worse.

But here’s the twist: the release isn’t the disaster—it’s the medicine.

When the jar finally opens, yes, it’s messy. The first things to fly out are often ugly: the unprocessed anger, the grief you never let yourself feel, the jealousy, the envy, the heartbreak. It’s not pretty. It’s not polite.

But once it’s all out—what remains?

Hope.

Photo by Arun Clarke on Unsplash

That’s what the myth forgets to mention. At the bottom of the jar, glowing quietly all along, was hope. It doesn’t come before the chaos. It’s only revealed after the chaos has been released.

So here’s the question: where are you still sealed?

What truth is rattling inside you, pressing against the lid, begging to be freed?

And what hope might you finally see, if you dared to let it out?

This is the work I do in my program, Sovereign Descent—helping people open the jar, release what’s been trapped, and find the hope that remains. But even if you never step into that work, know this: you are not doomed for opening. You are doomed for staying shut.

Open. Release. Let it fly. Hope is waiting.

I’m diving deeper into this myth in a guided creative journaling salon in my Unmuted Lounge. These Free events will only be held this year next year they will be become members only so take advantage of this offer while you can. Although, I think you’ll love it and want to stay for more.