Viewing Yourself through a Mother’s Eyes

The most unconditional form of love is the unconditional love of a wonderful mother.  Mothers have been known to do the impossible out of love for their children. Focus on the magnificent being you are by viewing yourself through the eyes of a mother’s unconditional love.

Unconditional love means exercising forgiveness, seeing the beauty in life, and practicing patience, understanding and acceptance, among other things.

Forgiveness:

We all have things in our past that we blame ourselves for or wish we had done differently. We may even feel as though our present circumstance are justified because of our past actions.View yourself through the eyes of a mother - a cat in front of a mirror - the reflection back is of a tiger  To love oneself unconditionally means to let go of the blame, shame, and anger with oneself.  What happened in the past is done and cannot be changed.  Regardless of why those past experiences occurred, we have power in the now.  We can live in that past pain or we can look at where we are and what we can do to move forward.  We grow every day from every interaction. Who we were yesterday is no longer the person we are today. We can shape our tomorrow to be whatever we want it to be, as long as we stop living in yesterday. Forgive yourself for one thing you are holding onto by reminding yourself that if someone you loved dearly had the same experience, you would not hold that moment against them for life.  Remind yourself that you are worthy of forgiveness – you are a divine being worthy of love.  Letting go of the past may feel scary, but it opens up wonderful new opportunities for the future.

Seeing the beauty:

Loving mothers look at their children and see their magnificence, potential and beauty. Look at yourself and your body through those eyes.  What one thing do you like about your body – perhaps it is simply that your heart beats without you having to think about it, or maybe you love your eyes or smile.  Focus on that feeling and magnify it to encompass your whole body and being.  Intentionally seek the magnificence within your being and you will find it.

Patience, understanding and acceptance:

Be patient with yourself.  We have all made mistakes or made choices that took us in a direction we did not like. Being human is about learning.  Learning starts with knowing what we don’t want, falling down and getting back up, and constantly moving forward.  We can choose the direction we move in.  Nothing in life is irreversible as long as we are alive.  It may take longer to correct the direction or recover from a choice, but we will always get to the other side.  We get to decide what that side will look like.  Will it look the same or will it be closer to what calls us?  Accept your humanness.  Know that everything is constantly changing, and because of this change, we can choose to change the path we are on at any time. Show yourself the same understanding and compassion you freely show others.  We forgive and accept others far more easily than we do for ourselves.  Think about one thing that frustrates you about yourself.  Imagine you are looking through the eyes of unconditional love or God/Goddess/Source/Universe – in their eyes you are worthy of acceptance and you can let go of that issue you are frustrated with yourself about. 

We all deserve to live and experience unconditional love.  Instead of waiting for someone to give this to you, consciously shower yourself with unconditional love.  What loving action will you take today?

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