Unconditional self-acceptance is at the core of a peaceful mind.

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^source

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One of the most powerful methods of self transformation is the willingness to love yourself.

For some of us (raises hand), self-love is a challenge and requires a good deal of practice in order to shift the patterns of deeply ingrained self-loathing.

Where does this self-hatred come from? Is it the old controlling mythology that we are sinners from the start? That we are unpure, unworthy? Does it stem from cruel peers or a lonely/traumatic childhood? Is it cultural conditioning that makes it more acceptable to put yourself down and make fun of yourself rather than to be proud of who you are?

Probably all of the above.

Free Love.

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Most of us are not taught to love ourselves, yet this is our birthright. Love is natural, as @trucklife-family so beautifully explained in her last post, Free to Love, Free to Be.

I love blogging on the Steem blockchain because while I’m participating in community initiatives and falling into rabbit holes I come across perspectives that inspire and transform my own ideas. I am reminded that I’m not alone, that it’s okay to think the ways I do, and that there is a collective of humans breaking free from limiting beliefs.

The themes of @eaglespirit’s #FreedomFridays have been powerful catalysts, and I find the topics carrying over into my other posts. This week’s theme was Freedom to Love, last week’s was Freedom of Sexuality. Some fantastic conversations have come from these.

Yesterday, caught in a whirlpool of questions directed at myself, I was shedding skin and facing fears, which @anomadsoul encouraged in this week’s #roadtosteemfest theme.

But by being willing to take my questioning mind into the scariest parts of myself, and looking to others for examples of empowered thinking and living (@zen-art, @metametheus, @soyrosa, @riverflows, and so many others), I kept moving through the discomfort and actively changing my mind and emotions.

Then I came across @ura-soul’s post on personal templates and human evolution. This was late last night, the last thing I read before I shut the laptop and walked away, ready to shift my mental and emotional state. That post gave me yet another perspective and reminder that my ongoing quest to reprogram my mind is a worthy one. A vital one.

“I love myself.”

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In the process of self-inquiry, I uncover places in my psyche that are scary, but the more I work to identify where the hurt and fear come from, the less power they have.

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^source

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Late last night, after a day of anxiety, I shifted gears. Maybe it was hanging out with friends in @thealliance pow-wow, practicing songs I’ll be singing on the Night of Steem at Steemfest3. I get to sing to my Alliance family each Friday evening. We share with each other, laugh together, and hearing friends’ voices is such a soothing thing.

But the biggest shift came when I finally went to bed.

As I waited for my mind to stop turning, I practiced self-love.

No, not that kind of self-love. ;) I’m not referring to masturbation here, though that is a healthy expression of self-fulfillment and one that deserves to be free of the stigma that surrounds it. I’m talking about a mental, emotional, spiritual approach to self-love, that extends into the physical realm.

I began repeating mantras in my mind. First I worked with this one:

I love myself. I accept myself.

These simple words cycled through my overactive brain, and I added visualizations, bringing healing energy through. I connected to source (in this case Divine Mother), and opened to receive love into every single cell of my body.

I choose my whole, healed state.
I trust my body. I trust myself.

I slowed down my breathing, bathing in the brilliant blue healing light I brought through my body and being, washing away the turmoil of the day.

I am pure, the purest of the pure.
I am pure, the purest of the pure.
I am pure, the purest of the pure.
I accept my power,
I claim my power
I embrace my power
For there is only light to wield.

^^ I’ve been working with this one for a long time.

I often fall under the illusion that my innocence was gone from an early age—that I am “damaged goods,” so to speak.

This mantra helps me remember that I am divine, that I am inherently pure and truly powerful. It helps me not fear my power, but allow it to flow and be fed by the cosmic forces I connect with: the gold flame for acceptance, the blue flame as I claim my power, the rose-white light as I embrace the power of love.

Cradled by the light of Divine Mother and other guides I called in to assist me, I fell asleep in a state of peaceful self-acceptance.

A new day.

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I awoke this morning free of the dread that filled me yesterday. It’s okay that I went into the shadows, but I’m glad I also chose to bathe in the light.

Practicing self-love helps me remember who I truly am, and take another step forward in my relentless, radical, wondrous self-evolution.

How about you? How do you practice self-love?

Thank you for reading.

Whatever happens, keep singing your song!

Peace. @katrina-ariel

Photos mine unless otherwise credited.

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Author bio: Katrina Ariel is an old-soul rebel, musician, tree-hugging yogini, and mama bear to twins. Author of Yoga for Dragon Riders (non-fiction) and Wild Horse Heart (romance), she's another free-spirit swimming in the ocean of Steem.

dragon art: Liiga Smilshkalne

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