Her Saudade – The Raw Feelings We’ve Forgotten

Remember that feeling like you’ve lost something or misplaced it and you can’t remember what it is? 

Saudade, for me, is that. But it’s also almost losing things by letting them slip through your fingers. It’s things you cannot grasp and memories or feelings that are too elusive to capture. But on this blog, I’ll try to. I will do my best to take a snapshot of them and lay them bare because I feel a lot of us are going through this and we can’t even name it. So I am here to offer you the space to think things through. 

Her Saudade is a profoundly personal yet anonymous space of questions and strong emotions that are universally applicable to all human beings. Some are delicate like cool mists on your skin while others hit you like wildfire. 

It’s a concept that transcends the barriers of culture and language. It’s a deep exploration into the art of forgotten things, discarded feelings, things we are too busy to stop and analyze, and questions that propel us and bring us closer to our true selves. It’s questioning who we are and why it’s so difficult to find ourselves. 

Her Saudade was born from a need to be heard with no masks on.

Disclaimer: I am not a philosopher, and I don’t hold a degree in psychology or mental health. I am simply an empath, someone who feels deeply and profoundly, akin to the essence of saudade.

What is Saudade?

Saudade is more than just a feeling of missing something; it’s a profound, melancholic longing that is deeply rooted in Portuguese and Brazilian cultures.

Saudade captures a sense of nostalgia for something that may never return, a bittersweet emotion that is as beautiful as it is painful.

Saudade is a uniquely Portuguese and Brazilian concept that doesn’t translate perfectly into English. It’s a word that carries the weight of history, culture, and emotion. It’s not just about missing someone or something; it’s about the deep, almost poetic longing for a past moment, a lost love, or a time that has slipped away. Something too elusive to confine to any lines or borders. Saudade just is…

Manifestations in Other Cultures

While saudade is specific to Portuguese and Brazilian cultures, similar emotions can be found around the world, each with its own cultural nuances and expressions. 

1.Weltschmerz (German): Translates to “world pain” or “world-weariness.” It describes a deep sadness about the imperfection of the world and the human condition.

Context: Often used in literature and philosophy to express a feeling of melancholy and pessimism about life.

2. Hiraeth (Welsh): A homesickness for a home you cannot return to, or a home that may never have existed. It combines nostalgia, yearning, and grief.

Context: Commonly used in Welsh poetry and prose to express a deep emotional connection to a lost home or time.

3. Mono no Aware (Japanese): The “pathos of things,” a sensitivity to the ephemeral nature of beauty and life. It’s an awareness of the impermanence of things and a gentle sadness at their passing.

Context: Central to Japanese aesthetics and philosophy, often reflected in art, literature, and the appreciation of nature.

4. Nostalgia (Greek roots, widely used): A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

Context: Universally recognized and felt, though the depth and context of nostalgia can vary significantly.

Universal Equivalent or Unique Depth?

Saudade is unique in its cultural depth and the way it intertwines with Portuguese and Brazilian identity. However, the human experience of profound longing and nostalgia is universal. The specific word “saudade” may not exist in every language, but the emotion it describes can be felt by people everywhere. This suggests that while saudade is culturally unique, the underlying emotion is a shared human experience.

So what will we do here?

I’ll talk to you as if you were an old friend. Or even better, as if you’re part of this hidden journey we’re each undertaking, deeply personal but so universal. If you’re looking for a place of raw emotion, ramblings, perspectives on life, and a lot of questions without answers, congratulations—you’ve found it. If these things aren’t for you, I thank you for stopping by and bid you farewell.

This isn’t a space for answers; it’s a space for inquiry and pushing myself to think deeper. 

I hope you will contribute in the comments section with your own questions and perspectives. Nothing is wrong in this space; just exist. Reach your hand out and grab a thread. What does it say to you?

Her Saudade is my personal space to share questions and ideas that come to me as I live my life, grow, and learn. Hopefully, these will inspire some introspection and encourage others to look far beyond the surface of their daily lives.

It’s not a yoga site, it’s not a coaching site, and it’s not a mindfulness site. It’s a place where I lay bare the raw and fleeting emotions that are too hard to put into words, too hard to grasp between your fingers, and sometimes too painful or too ugly to dissect.

It’s like a dream we can’t remember the details of but that left an imprint on our waking hours. Some of my ramblings might make sense to you or strike a chord. Some might do nothing to you. Allow yourself to feel and drop those walls and really look inside.

This is a place where we lift those old rugs and look at what’s beneath. When’s the last time you cleaned up? 

Personal Reflection and Invitation

As we navigate the intricate landscape of our raw emotions, saudade serves as a powerful reminder of our shared human experience. It’s a feeling that connects us across cultures, languages, and time—a testament to the depth of our capacity to feel, remember, and long for what we’ve lost or never had.

Here at Her Saudade, we’ll continue to explore these complex emotions, peeling back the layers of our experiences to uncover the raw, often unspoken feelings that shape our lives. In our next post, we’ll delve into “Things we’ve lost along the way”—an exploration of the small and large losses that accumulate over time, often unnoticed, yet profoundly impacting who we are.

I invite you to join me on this journey of introspection and discovery. Share your thoughts, your own experiences with saudade, or the things you feel you’ve lost along the way. Let’s get out of our comfort zone create a space where we can acknowledge these deep-seated emotions and find connection in our shared humanity. You can reach me out through the comments section or send me a message from the Contact section. I read all of them even though I might not have the time to reply to everyone. 

Remember, in the world of Her Saudade, there are no wrong answers—only the courage to ask the questions and the willingness to feel deeply. 

Until next time, embrace your saudade, for it is a beautiful reminder of all that you have loved and all that has shaped you.

Laria.