Love – Page 31 – Daily Muse

This is a guest post from Sandrine Baptiste and Rhonda Tremaine of Everything Noetic.

We have all heard it before: you have to love yourself before you can love anyone else. While we hear this, and we try to integrate the concept, not everyone completely understands it. Yet, it is something worth investigating. In fact, truly understanding self-love just might be the most important thing you ever do.

Self-love is not easily defined, but we can tell you what it is not. It is not conceit or entitlement. Placing yourself in high esteem at the expense of others stems from a lack of self-love, and not from too much. You can never love yourself too much. This is because the love you feel for yourself spills out into your life just like the ocean seeps into the crevices that are our bays and rivers. Love is everywhere and never selfishly contained.

You may think you understand self-love, but ask yourself this: do you care for yourself as you care for others, or do you put yourself last? When you do not live by your convictions and do not take care of your needs, it is a sign that you are not practicing self-love.When you do discover the love you have for yourself, you will know it. There is a sense of familiarity, and there is no turning back because everything immediately makes sense. Then, all the negative feelings you once had simply vanish.

Dorothy, the protagonist in The Wizard of Oz, realized she had the power to go home all along, and that “aha” moment ended her quest. But that moment also began a new journey of self-discovery. The first step was to trust herself and this allowed the release of the fear she carried with her from Kansas. Had she known that she had the power to change her life, and that she did not need the help of the wizard, her experience would have been different. Of course, the road to self-love is marked with ups and downs, and learning is part of the journey. Dorothy’s ultimate empowered sense of self was attached to the recognition of the existence of unconditional love.

So what is self-love exactly? Self-love is actually a simple concept. We all have a good idea of what love is. When you love your children or your pets, you feel a desire to nurture and care for them. Self-love always comes from strength, with a proper connection to source, and is infused with joy and goodwill. Self-love is aligned with self-acceptance, with gratitude, with the knowledge of your own vulnerability and the fact that your place in the world is as one of many. Above all, self-love is equated with trust. When you are experiencing who you are, and loving yourself, confidence develops. You begin to trust the decisions you make, and you trust the world not to betray you. When you love yourself, you realize that no one is more or less than you. This sense of equality becomes obvious and materializes instantly. Loving someone else is then possible. Happiness is possible. When you love yourself, you know who you are. You have finally come home.

About the Guest Authors: Sandrine Baptiste is an integrative holistic wellness coach and personal trainer. Rhonda Tremaine is a health and spirituality writer. Both authors are founding partners at ENoetic Press and blog at Everything Noetic http://www.everythingnoetic.com

Photo: ©Daniel B. Holeman: Awaken Visions

SpiritLightInsight.com
Daily Muse Home Page

When was the last time you received a spiritual HELLO? When was the last time you connected, and I mean REALLY connected, with another person? When was the last time you acknowledged the divinity in yourself and another?

Our lives our so busy and we’re around people every day. We pass them on the street, we have work colleagues, friends, family, clients and of course the grocery clerks, waiters and friendly Starbucks Baristas but are you connecting and acknowledging each other as spirit?

Now, there’s nothing I enjoy more than finding an answer and I found that answer in the form of a simple HELLO! I recently taught a meditation workshop in Chicago and what happened in that workshop reminded me of how powerful and healing a spirit to spirit HELLO is. Although this was a wonderful experience for the 16 beautiful souls who attended, you can practice it for yourself every day!

There is always a lot of energy around teaching any sort of workshop involving love and the heart center and this workshop definitely lived up to task. I had already guided the participants through their first meditation to shift them into present time but I noticed they were having difficulty connecting with their bodies. They seemed to be hovering just above their heads. Several were clearly isolated, hiding and swimming in painful memories. The energy in the workshop was so intense that I deviated from my notes and had the participants stand up, take the hands of someone else, look directly into their eyes, smile and simply say “hello, (insert name) it’s so nice to meet you, I’m (insert name)”.

What I saw and experienced next was truly amazing. In fact I would have to say the miracle of healing was clearly alive and well! Almost immediately after the exercise started the room got brighter! I stood back and watched as the energy that once loomed like a dark cloud over the room lifted and was replaced by a beautiful golden light. By the end of the exercise not only did everyone have their space but they were shining from a place of validation! Everyone’s eyes were sparkling and every single person had a smile on their face!

The eyes are the window of the soul…

What happened in the workshop is very simple. When you look directly into the eyes of another and say hello you are acknowledging their spirit. The human touch and simple hello told that person ‘Hey, I see you! I know your name! You are not just some anonymous person in the room.’ You simply cannot look deep into someone’s eyes and say hello without validating them. A simple in the moment “hello” also brings you right into present time not only with the person you’ve said hello to but with your surroundings as well.

So often we go about our days with our head in the clouds. Our thoughts are somewhere else. We could be in a room full of people and feel totally isolated and alone. We are so busy doing and thinking about the next thing that needs to be done or worrying about this or that, that we sometimes brush off (not necessarily intentionally) those who are right in front of us and some of those are the ones we love the most. We are not “present and accounted for” and grounded in the moment.

Of course it is not always be proper to take both someone’s hands in yours but a handshake works and you can always look into someone’s eyes as you say hello even when casually passing on the street. There is so much you can see when you look into a persons eyes and a simple hello with a smile has the power to heal a hurting, isolated person including yourself. As an added bonus to saying hello while looking into someone’s eyes while saying their name; You remember their name. This is my favorite party trick! Go ahead and try it! Even if you have difficulty remembering people’s names you will remember because you are not only saying hello to a body in front of you, you are connecting spirit to spirit.

Practice looking into someone’s eyes, smiling and saying hello. You are not merely using the words when you look deeply into someone’s eyes. You are acknowledging and validating the divinity, spirit and soul essence of another and yourself. You bring yourself and that person into the present moment and in the process shift your energy. So HELLO! I SEE YOU! And of course, practice makes perfect! HELLO!~Shine Your Light Debbie

SpiritLightInsight.com
Daily Muse Home Page