By Lucia Amsden
REFLECTING SELF-LOVE
In this message, the moon is presented as a beautiful symbol of reflection. As I write this, our closest celestial neighbor, the moon, is gracing the night sky with all its bright fullness. We sometimes forget, though, that its light is the sun’s, reflecting off the moon’s surface.
The question I ask myself is what kind of light am I sending and reflecting out to the world? Am I a source of life and light and reflecting the goodness of others, or am I often entangled in dark negative thoughts? How do I shift my thoughts more positively about myself and in so doing, send and reflect more light out to the world?
The affirmations throughout this series are full of positive ways to be kinder to myself and a source of self-love for others. The statement, “As above, so below, as within, so without” really speaks to that process of sending and reflecting self-love.
An earlier discussion mentioned the fact that the mind and brain are separate. The brain is an organ, while the mind’s fluid thoughts flow throughout our system. When positive affirmations are charged with feeling and held in the mind for several seconds, we are, over time, rewiring our brains toward positivity, and sending vitality throughout ourselves.
The simple exercise in this meditation focuses on letting go of the barriers that keep us from loving more. I begin by getting grounded and centered and expanding my energy field. Then I visualize my negativity as dark blobs swirling around me, blocking my light, and affirm my commitment to opening my heart and releasing them.
I don’t need to dissect all the specific issues that burden me, only decide to release them and turn in a direction that serves my life in a more loving way. I am making a choice to clear away those energy blocks, to no longer hold on to old grievances and self-recriminations, and create more room in my heart for receiving and spreading the light of love.
There is a Cherokee story that reminds me that we do have this choice. A little boy received the gift of a beautiful drum. When his best friend saw the drum and wanted to play with it, the boy felt torn; it was his and he didn’t want to share it. What if his friend hurt it in some way? He told him no, and his friend ran away crying.
As the boy sat on a rock, he thought about his dilemma. He hated the fact that he had hurt his friend’s feelings, but he thought the drum was too special to share. He went to his wise grandfather for advice.
After telling his grandfather his dilemma, his grandfather said, “I often feel as if I have two wolves inside of me. One wolf is greedy and mean and the other is kind and peaceful. You, my boy, have the same two wolves.” “Which one will win?” asked the boy. The elder smiled and said, “The one you feed.”
That little story is good heart medicine for us all.
Ahealingplace.org – Meditations