“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of yourself or the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention and attention. So go. Go within. Love all of who you are intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. With this new communion of love transforming fear, what is broken is revealed as simply misunderstood. Your broken world inside waits in darkness for the light, the love, the truth — that is you.” – Astara, adapted from a quote by L.R. Knost
by Astara
You may have heard this line before, “You have to love yourself first.” For some, the concept is strange. They might think, “How do I love myself?” Loving oneself sounds sweet and good, but in reality the path to love all of ourselves is filled with difficult time-travel to the past or future. Also, just by living in our culture, we end up surfing expectations of what “love” looks like through the lens of consumerism. Our culture monetizes a wide range of emotions, especially one-dimensional notions of romantic love. The romantic comedy movie industry, cosmetics, wellness, and self-help is a big business when they promise us a quick fix to fill the void of love in our lives.
Underneath the consumerism and toxic cultural agreements, lies the good news (and here’s a clue — it’s embedded in our Company name Illuminating Hearts). Every day can be a day of celebrating love within and without. We love to teach how we all can learn to live from the heart. With practice and willingness, love heals every entrenched pattern, expectation, and challenge.
I am a romantic, and love romance. Yet, I define romance differently than most. For me, romance is bringing in more presence, awareness, and celebration — starting with self. I know that the most important romance starts with me meeting me in the mirror of life, in all the relationships I find myself in. Especially the most important one, my relationships with myself. Self-love is a creative act; it is the gift that keeps on giving.
Just like the infamous flight attendant advice, we’re best served by putting the oxygen mask on first. To have love reflected in the world, we must begin with loving ourselves. But the phrase “love yourself” can be confusing. Love and me — love and you, they’re not and never were separate. It’s only the mind that convinces us otherwise. Love is what everything is made of, so the act of self-love is simply you remembering who you are. Each morning, when you start again that crucial 18 inch journey from the mind to the heart, you have the opportunity to start fresh and love all of who you are.
Download my FREE 12 point* Road Map to Self-Love!
“We are here to practice embodying the love we ARE more extravagantly each day and watch our life improve. Extravagant self-love is a creative act; it’s the gift that keeps on giving. So go forth and be the love you are intentionally, extravagantly, and unconditionally. Our messy world waits in the shadows of the mind for the light of your heart to illuminate where love is and what is possible again.” — Astara Raven
Learn more and get a FREE session! I write more about alchemy in my book How the Stars Tell Time. If you do a review of the book and post it to amazon and social media, you get a free Heartifact Archaeology session worth $266! Contact Astara for more information.
