The Most Powerful Love of All

The most powerful love in this world is the love of self.  It starts within and radiates out, attracting others to this field of love around us, and impacting everyone we come into contact with. When we can truly love ourselves, life is easier and more joyful, and we tend to gather people around us who love in that same way.

Self-love is a term we hear so often that it may have lost its meaning for you. Many of us are taught that to love and give to oneself first is selfish.  However, we cannot give to another what we don’t have.  We cannot receive love from others if we don’t love ourselves first.  When we see ourselves as Source/God/Goddess/Universe sees us, we realize that loving ourselves is easy.  We are all beautiful Souls filled with Divine Light, and while our experiences shape us, they do not determine who we can be or the life we can have, unless we give them permission to do this.

For most people it is easier to love another than to love self.  We love the people around us every day in so many ways – perhaps in speaking a kind word, lending an ear to their troubles, supporting people in their good times and bad, or showing kindness to those we work with and serve in our work environments.  We constantly share love and kindness with others, but so rarely give it to ourselves.  

We perceive our worthiness according to our perceptions of our past life experiences and what we think we deserve.  The truth is that there is nothing you need to do, be or have to be worthy of love.  You don’t need to behave in any particular way either.

Loving self can be hard when you have experienced trauma, so a good way to start is to imagine how you would love someoneThe most powerful love -love yourself, you matter, you are amazing,, let your light shine, you are loved else in your position:

  • Be in a quiet, comfortable place.  Close your eyes and imagine yourself taking a walk.  As you do this, step outside yourself. 
  • Now turn around and look back – you see a person sitting where your physical body is; a person who is the mirror image of yourself.  This person has had the same life, the same experiences and pain, and shares the same dreams and desires. 
  • Though they wear your face, in this moment, they are not you.   As you observe their face, what features do you see? Can you see the beauty in this face?  Notice the color of the eyes, or is it the soft smile that you see?  
  • Can you see Divine Light surrounding this person and radiating softly around their body?   Look closely at the rest of this body – do you notice the strength, courage and power residing within?  Each beat of the heart, each breath, and the constant flow of life within, speaks to the unlimited resilience of this person.  
  • Look deeper at this beautiful being.  What do you want them to know about themselves? 
    • Will you tell them how brave they are? 
    • Will you tell them they are worthy of whatever they desire, that they have nothing to prove and nothing they need to accomplish to be worthy of love? 
    • Will you tell them that in every moment they are surrounded by the love of Source/God/Goddess/Universe and it is time to let that love in? 
  • This moment is a new beginning.  Everything that happened before can be shed, allowing you to fully step into the now and claim the love waiting for you.   Step back into your body and allow your words to nourish your being.  Step into loving yourself – say to Source/God/Goddess/Universe, “I am ready to receive.  Show me the love surrounding me.”   
Living a life filled with love begins with loving self.  Love yourself first and external love will pour into world.  The world is waiting for you to choose YOU first.

Many Blessings
Santa

RUNNING THROUGH DARKNESS
MEMOIR OF A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

BY SANTA MOLINA-MARSHALL ‧ RELEASE DATE: MAY 3, 2022

This debut memoir chronicles a woman’s spiritual exploration and growth as she overcame a disturbing childhood and helped others heal.

Brought to America from the Dominican Republic as a youngster, Molina-Marshall should have led a happy life. Her father was a diligent worker, and his large family wanted for nothing. But the author recounts that her dad had a drinking problem and was a serial philanderer. Molina-Marshall’s long-suffering mother left him for a woman. Then it was all downhill for the bright, 12-year-old girl, who was shuttled between foster care and relatives. According to the author, she was sexually abused by the husband of one of her siblings. This resulted in Molina-Marshall becoming alienated and moody. By 15, she simply tried to survive. In her favor were grit and a restless intelligence. She quit school, rented a room, and found a factory job. Time went by, and for a while she was happily married. Yet when her husband left her, her life truly began. She turned to religion for answers but decided that blaming God for her woes was a cop-out. 

In this absorbing and moving memoir, Molina-Marshall’s vivid storytelling is fearless. She frankly discusses the truths she discovered and the indignities she suffered. These admissions are disclosed with a touch of resignation and plenty of bite. However painful, everything she experienced was a lesson, and she bravely realized that she was part of the problem: “The fear of being hurt, rejected, or abused often led to me feeling lonely and misunderstood. No one knew the agonizing pain I felt being trapped in my thoughts and anger. I was becoming my biggest threat.” 

The author skillfully recounts her intricate spiritual journey. To deal with her psychic wounds, she searched for an inspirational system. Her open-mindedness led her to the interfaith concept—cherry-picking from various religions and spiritual movements, yoga, and Indigenous beliefs as a way of finding peace. Along with her female partner, she built a therapy practice, making use of every spiritual element that aided her and others. The road was bumpy, and she found that women of color in same-sex relationships were not welcomed everywhere. To do good works—and finally live on her own terms—she effectively overcame bigotry.

An engrossing, cathartic account of empathy and success through determination and confidence.

Pub Date: May 3, 2022   |    ISBN: 978-0-578-38315-6  |   Page Count: 264    | Publisher: From Trauma to Triumph  |   Review Posted Online: June 13, 2022