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by Zsuzsana ================== ABOUT THE AUTHOR ================== © 2001 Arcana New Age Centre. All rights reserved. Zsuzsana is a popular syndicated columnist and new age networker. Visit Zsuzsana at Arcana New Age Centre for Angels, Oracles and Inspiration - loving spiritual guidance, free Ask the Experts forum, chanelled readings and your best resource for New Age Spirituality on the web. ==========================================================================================
And although it is one of the most important skills to maintain, it is often relegated to the bottom of our to-do lists. Oh, no, you may say. I love myself and I SHOW it. I express my true thoughts, I recognize and honour my boundaries. I treat myself to something special as often as I can (I just had a manicure, I just bought that book I wanted, I just had a night-out with my friends....) and I care for my body, my appearance, my career, my personal goals, etc, etc. Well - that's WONDERFUL! Congratulations. But - which SELF are you loving? Are you truly integrating love into all of your being??? Can there be MORE? Consider this: You are a well of all that is good and beautiful in the world. The very essence of life and love is held between your physical walls and all those who walk by are invited to drink from the flow of life-giving water that you offer. You sustain yourself with this same water. This is you, and your contribution to life and you are honoured for it. Now - what if, one day, your below-ground walls start to crack from the sheer pressure of holding all that refreshing water within? What if one crack leads to another? And you ignore it? Where will the water go? What if your pretty outer brickwork some day begins to crumble from lack of attention and eventually ends up falling into a heap? Some of the bricks and stones and blowing debris will fall in and pollute your life-giving waters, and passers-by will only see a sad heap of rubble when they approach and not even know that there is sustenance and life force within. And if one of those bricks or stone finds its way to the source of the water - and somehow manages to block it off - where will the life-sustaining energy come from then? We are blessed in that, unlike the poor well, we are able to shape and reshapeour being - and by taking stock regularly of our condition and our desires, we can keep that well in peak condition to draw the most beautiful and nurturingpowers from the source, to maintain it within, and to offer it to others. I am often asked, 'how does one learn to nurture and to love oneself?' I believe this is one of the most important lessons many of us to learn in this lifetime. Nurturing yourself can be as simple as realizing that you DESERVE - peace, love, happiness, abundance - everything that the universe could possibly offer. You are a child of the universe - JUST LIKE each and everyone on this planet. The spark of the Divine is within each cell of your being. Remind yourself of this often. Take a few minutes each day to just BE - and, don't feel guilty about it. You must replenish your own spirit if you want to give of yourself! AND - who IS your SELF? Here is a simple exercise I do sometimes. I picture myself in three distinct parts - my body, my mind and my soul. I BECOME each of these parts in turn, and as each part, I tell the other parts of me how much I love them. As my Mind, I will say: Body, I LOVE YOU. Soul, I LOVE YOU. As I say this, I try to feel the warmth of that love travelling to those parts. It may sound a little silly - but this exercise has really helped me. As Body, say Mind, I LOVE YOU. Soul, I LOVE YOU. And as Soul, say: Mind, I LOVE YOU. Body, I LOVE YOU. You can finish the exercise by wrapping yourself in an imaginary cloud or warm blanket. Find your centre, and hold the word LOVE in your mind. And say, I AM. Your well will always be full. Blessings Zsuzsana |