Self Love
Image by Mike Marrah on Unsplash
To start the new year, this month I’ll be writing about 5 elements of the spiritual journey: Trust, Self Love, Presence, Awareness and Frequency. Please know this is hardly a complete list, the journey is multifaceted and always unfolding; these are just some of my thoughts to accompany you.
Many of us grew up learning there was a right way to be in this world and we were somehow not right.
The messaging came from multiple perspectives—our families, our schools, our friends, our churches, mass media, social media—it was everywhere. Before we’d even reached double digits in birthdays, we understood we were not as we should be. Not just flawed, but somehow inherently wrong.
A therapist once said something that forever changed me. I was telling him about interactions with my then husband and two friends who seemed to constantly tell me how much was wrong with me. He listened until I finished and then quietly said, “Perhaps there are those who have a stake in you not being well.”
I was stunned. They were doing this to feel better about themselves???
I’d love to tell you that I immediately rectified the dynamics within the relationships and all was well. That wasn’t the case. I ultimately had to end the relationships plus go through layers and layers and layers of false beliefs around Self; it took years. (There’s a reason this work is called Your Mythic Self.).
Self love is the ultimate act of rebellion. It is also fundamental to spiritual growth.
You are a fractal of Source; you are love at your core.
Most of the spiritual path is remembering this; it’s releasing the false overlays one by one. Think of it like pulling away the tough outer leaves of an artichoke to get to the core.
There are plenty of people (and systems) out there who will tell you you’re wrong to be you. You must take the initiative to believe in, appreciate, and love yourself in spite of what others say or how they treat you.
Your primary task in this lifetime is to express your individual attributes and gifts on behalf of, and for the benefit of, others. You are meant to be the highest possible expression of who you know yourself to intrinsically be, and to love yourself for doing so.
Live, and love, your truth.