Why Self-Love is Essential for Your Spiritual Well-Being
by Starcat
For many years, as I learned about my personal spiritual path and practiced integrating it into my daily life, it felt like something was missing. I wasn’t sure what it was, though I could see patterns emerge now and again from the mist. Like many spiritual seekers, I was ambitious, wanting to figure out how to live a joyful life while helping others along their path.
When I quit my longtime job, committing myself to living my callings full-time, my old patterns emerged, seemingly stronger than ever. I doubted my ability to be successful. My doubts and fears, the ones I’d held since childhood, were holding me back. No matter what I did, it was not enough. For who? For me.
What was missing, I discovered, was a foundation of self-love, of belief in myself and my own worthiness. I embarked on a new quest, to truly love myself. It took lots of introspection, inner work, and practice.
I see this in many of us who are creative, spiritual types. We often don’t fit in well with mainstream society, and we internalize the messages we’ve received that there is something wrong with us, that we don’t belong. We aren’t “normal.”
The thing is, when you’re exploring the frontiers of your creativity, finding new ways to connect with your divine inner self, by definition you’re coloring outside the lines. Being your authentic self is not the norm in modern society. Of course you’re going to seem out of place, and not everyone will understand your choices. And that’s okay.
What’s missing from your quest might be the acceptance and love that provide a foundation for exploration. You can’t expect to find those things from other people. Acceptance begins within. When you learn to truly love and accept yourself, new opportunities will open up before you. Your creativity will blossom, and you’ll be free to pursue your dreams.
It’s not usually something that happens all at once, in one whoosh of enlightenment. Self-love is a practice. It is something you will remind yourself to return to, again and again. With practice, it will start to become your default mode. And then, watch out, world, for your powers of expression, connection, compassion, and service will expand way beyond your wildest dreams.