What is true self-love? How do we cultivate it? How do we hold our own heart with love moment to moment till it gradually awakens into the fullness of its joyful nature?

We can only begin to cultivate self-love, when we begin to know our heart more intimately. The more connected we are with our true feelings, the more we can honor our being and our heart.

A daily practice of bringing our awareness to our inner heart space is a wonderful first step. By simply letting our awareness rest in our heart in deep listening, we allow our heart to be known by us. Whatever arises that is lingering in our field, may it be a painful feeling, a repeating thought, a belief, a discomfort in the body, is welcomed and offered to us to be embraced, felt and forgiven. By being forgiven I mean we invite it into the heart of our heart, into the place of our innocence and allowing it be transformed there. All of our painful feelings, thoughts and habitual contractions in our bodies are only the expression of our conditioned patterns that are waiting to be recognized and released, so we can remember our true essence that is always linked and connected to the Source.

As we dedicate our time to listen inward into the silent space in our heart, our thoughts and feelings will make themselves known to us naturally.  The practice is to meet them with love, simply noticing what are they communicating to us. Notice: Do they make you feel open and expanded or closed and contracted? Do they elicit feelings of trust, openness and love or feelings of doubt, separation and fear? Whatever it is, you meet it with love and compassionate presence.

Our open, pure, loving, non-judgemental presence heals. By simply letting your loving awareness wash over whatever is arising you are beginning to heal your heart. And when you meet a place in your heart that for some reason you cannot meet with love yet, you ask for support. You turn to the heart of Creation and ask it to hold it with you, to help you find the love deep and wide enough, so you can embrace even that particular feeling or experience.

Once you can fully embrace what is in your heart you can receive the gift that each experience inherently carries. While feeling your heart ask the following question: What is the deeper invitation here? What is this feeling inviting me to reconnect with? What wants to be reclaimed in my being?

Everything in you strives for greater wholeness, aliveness and freedom. Our feelings are our gateway to the heart of freedom. Each feeling, that is painful, contracting, separating in its nature, is showing us what belief and thought patterns want to be released and healed within our psyche. They are here to guide us back home to our heart of innocence and love. Every time you forgive a self-sabotaging thought or feeling and reconnect with the deeper truth of your heart, you are freeing your life-force from your cells and beginning to walk a bit lighter on this earth; you are reclaiming more of your true energy.

The more you allow yourself to feel all of your feelings and embrace them with love and forgiveness, the more your awareness will know the truth of who you are – the pure love of creation.

The energy of pure love heals your cellular structure and transforms your experience of self into its inherent wholeness. Your conditioned beliefs, energy patterns and feeling states, become unwound by your deepened awareness and connection to your inherent innocence. Your life force that has been held by your unresolved experiences becomes available to you for your deep healing and thriving.

Returning to your inner heart space and listening with open, pure, loving awareness is the practice of true self-love. It opens us to the wholeness of ourselves, where everything has a place and is welcomed, where our wounding becomes our medicine.

It is an ever-deepening journey of healing, surprise and surrender as we arrive in ever-greater joyfulness, connection and love in our hearts.