I think I shared with you last week that I was supposed to do the heart chakra blog post and I just couldn’t. I was going through some things personally required me to write a different topic. Looking back at it I was doing exactly what I needed to do. I was making a decision to take care of myself and put aside the things that I had to do and focusing on what I should be doing. And that self-love.
Last year A friend of mine created a watercolor sticker that says love potion. For other reasons today I printed that out and attached it to the wall in front of my computer. I don’t even think I put two and two together when I did that. Meaning that I would be writing about self-love today and staring at a self Love Potion right in front of me. I think a lot of times when people would think of the heart chakra they would think about love an expression of love for other people. But today I want to focus on why it’s important to have self-love first.
And I don’t really know if that’s an easy answer. I think I could say a lot of cliches right now oh, you got to put your mask on before you put on someone else. You have to fill your cup first before you try to fill someone’s else. But I’m reminded of a personal philosophy but I identified when I was younger. And this is going to sound pretty fucked up. But at the end of the day, the only person you are ever guaranteed to have in your life is you.
We can have other people come and go. We can have some people stick around for our entire lives. But ultimately at the end of the day, it is only ourselves that are guaranteed to be here for us. So logically speaking that should be our number one. We should always be prioritizing our time with us at the top of our list. Are we taking care of our Mental Health? are physical health? Or spiritual health? Whatever that may be. Maybe that includes seeing a therapist. Maybe that includes daily gratitude exercises. maybe that means tossing The To-Do List out the window so that you can take a really nice bath. Maybe that includes buying that sexy little outfit you saw that made you feel so incredibly beautiful.
So this is why we have to prioritize our self-love. But the question we really face, the one that can be more difficult. Is how do we do this. Interestingly enough I always look at the other Chakras to see how THEY can help me recognize how to love myself.
First, we start with the root chakra – with this chakra I always make sure that I am taking time to ground myself. If my emotions feel chaotic or things just don’t feel right, I remember the different ways that I have to ground myself. Sometimes this is petting a kittie, sometimes it’s doing some yoga and other times it’s just being mindful of my breath.
The second way I love myself through the sacral chakra by remembering is to have strong boundaries. Those boundaries, the way that we interact with the people that are important in our lives is key to ensuring that we are able to love ourselves. There is a sentiment that is shared somewhere that says boundaries are the space where I can love myself and you at the same time. And that is so unbelievably true.
The third way is within my solar plexus. This is the place that all of those stories that others have created for us OR that we create for ourselves sit. So I have to be very conscious of those stories and whether or not they are expressing love for myself or not. If they are not, I will find ways to rewrite the story or break up with them.
The fourth way is through my throat chakra. I have to ask myself if I’ve been speaking up for myself and being honest with my thoughts and my feelings. If I haven’t, then I need to stop and understand why. Maybe it is because someone is triggering a story…maybe it is because I need to set a boundary or maybe it is because I’m overwhelmed with emotions and haven’t grounded myself.
The second to last chakra that I look at, the third eye, reminds me to look towards my spirit guides and to trust my intuition. I aim to trust what my guides share with me. I do not want to second guess them or myself. Making sure that I do this is a form of self-love.
The final chakra is my crown. My crown chakra is how I connect to the rest of the universe. My primary way of doing this is through ritual. So I always have to ask myself if I’ve been doing my morning ritual regularly. Have I turned to my magickal practice and ritual to make things happen? Are there other things that I could be doing to strengthen my connection to the universe (like letting go of material possessions!)?
What are some of the ways you check in and see if you are giving yourself all the love that you need? Share with us below and let’s see what other fabulous ways we can learn.