Self-Love Leads to Joy

It runs counter to what most of us have known as our way of being with others for most of our lives, but it is time now for us to put ourselves first.

I know how hard it is to read that. It was hard for me to write it. Yet, it is time now for this.

We know that each one of us is completely responsible for his or her own happiness, fulfillment, joy and comfort. We know that sovereignty asks of us that we always be true to ourselves. We know that honouring the free will and path choices of the Other asks of us that we always allow them their experience. It is so challenging, for me and I suspect for you as well, to allow others whom we care for to have their own experiences even when those experiences are uncomfortable, challenging, difficult and even life threatening.

Our resonance with the frequencies of joy, gladness, love and peace may not be compatible with the frequencies that other people are choosing for themselves. It breaks my heart to say this, because there people whom I have cared for very much who seem mired in misery. Do I join them there? Do you join others in their unhappiness?

There is no true service to anyone in trying to bring them to unconditional love, acceptance, joy and radiance if they are not choosing these for themselves. And if you are wondering what someone is choosing, look at what they are experiencing. It is that simple. 

If you sacrifice your own happiness and joy to try to bring happiness and joy to another, you fall out of grace with your own soul-self being, unless of course, it is the path of martyrdom and self-sacrifice which your soul-self has chosen for you in this lifetime. (If you wonder about this, you can converse with your soul-self; you can ask for guidance.) Self-sacrifice is not loving to your own self and as you move into sovereignty and honouring of other's choices and of your own truth, your energy will no longer tolerate self-sacrifice and co-dependency, which demean your very soul. We are being asked more and more insistently to act in accordance with our deepest truths and in complete love and honouring of ourselves.

Fall in love with yourself and act accordingly. Do what brings you joy and gladness. Seek and focus on those things that you love and are radiantly enthusiastic about.

Self-love is the only true pathway to love of others. For when you provide for yourself all that you need and choose to experience, you approach others with no need and you can then truly love them and appreciate them for who and what they are, not for what they can give to you. When we love and honour ourselves, only then can we truly love and honour others and that attitude of love and honouring others grows within us as our love for ourselves grows. It comes about naturally, with no effort or struggle on our part.

Self-love leads to joy. In fact, it is the only pathway to joy. Others can bring you great gifts, but if you feel dependent on them, you will not feel safe and secure within yourself. You will feel insecure and uncertain since you can never wholly control the behaviour of another person. Feeling insecure and uncertain, you will not be able to release yourself fully into joy.

Put yourself first. Self-love leads to joy. Be a guide for others, that they might find their own joy, their own love of self. We cannot make each other happy, joyful, fulfilled, or even contented. As difficult as it is, we much now honour fully the choices that those around us make, the experiences that they give to themselves and the paths that they choose to travel.

My road lies in sunlight and violet shadows, singing with joy and clothed in the love and the light of the ALL-That-Is. It is time now for us all to choose our road and to travel it in integrity. It is self-love that will take us there.