Honor YourSelf

When we become attuned to the voice of our true self, we become deeply aware of the Essence of our loved ones- who they truly are.  It is a self-ish rule of creation; by honoring yourself you are given the courage and strength to contribute to other human beings.  And it is a cycle of perfection we find ourselves entwined in, not at all our limited understanding of the word "selfish".  Then, the mandate from our Universal Presence, by whatever name we choose to call It, is to begin experiencing the core of other human beings by entering our own hearts.

Let me clarify this point by letting you in on a quick story; Last year, my husband and I were raising two additional children who came to us through foster care. It was an enormous challenge to our family life which already consisted of three biological children and several animal companions. As I humorously shared the tale of my expanding family at a wedding ceremony several months ago, a friend of the bride remarked, "Wow, I guess you're really going for sainthood!" I was really surprised by his perception of me as the selfless minister, as one who is striving for saintliness. On the contrary, I am devoted to serving God in every human being but certainly far from selfless.  Although my ego would love to take credit for being noble, the truth is that this work feeds my soul and fulfills my purpose- self-ish. It may appear saintly to some but the only other choice is to live in the pain and anguish of denying who I am and why I have come here. See? Not so noble after all  I just have the audacity to trust the still small voice, the true self within, and make choices that align with that voice. This is what I mean by honoring yourSelf.

When I am called to help others in grief healing sessions, I notice that we are all faced with mistakes or regrets unspoken when someone we love leaves the physical body.  We are faced with the ways we knew them on earth, the way they behaved, the things they said and how we felt in their presence.  Yet, I sometimes meet individuals who have honored their own voice and truth such that they feel little blame for their loved one's human errors.  They find little to regret and much to appreciate.  This does not mean that the person they mourn was kind or pleasant.  In fact, it is usually the opposite.  They tell me that the anger and hurt they felt taught them to be kind to themselves.

I have also experienced this.  I have been opened by pain and shame such that I was turned to Spirit in desperation.  The desperation I felt from grief was a powerful medicine for transformation.  And the souls I once believed to be my violators and humiliators taught me to turn to a source within that remained untouched.  The actions and behaviors of those individuals was a manifestation of their own deep, festering pain.  Ultimately, when I thought I'd been hurt, I was forced to learn who I really am- an emanation of Love that cannot be and was not disturbed by anyone.  From this realization, I've been urged to launch the BKTY- Be Kind to Yourself movement of self compassion.  You can learn more about the power of this practice and join the movement at www.bkty.info.

So, let's engage the conversation;  How can you honor your loved ones by nurturing and honoring the Self that you truly are?