Dear world,
 
It is February 12^th, 2013 – two days before Valentine’s day. I want to declare to the world, that my life, my message, as of today, is about the importance of self-love.

I feel it as it ripples throughout different parts of my body, the truth gushing through my veins, bringing tears to my eyes, making my heart pound, and my stomach pulsate. Every time I think about it, it causes me to be in a state of awe, about the simplicity, yet depth behind this truth. All problems I perceive of, the roots of every joy or grief, all boil down to a presence, or lack of, self-love.

Just as a new daffodil is born, germinating from the seed, which was planted for it in love, the new shoot begins to push outside its seed shell, getting a sense of sunlight. It’s curiosity and excitement to be in the world is motivated by self-love. As it seeks to gain its footing in the ground, by spreading its roots deeper and wider in the nurturing soil, it begins to build its foundation through the experience of love itself - that there is a need for this flower to be here, to experience life, to give all beings surrounding it its color, fragrance, its vibrations of pure joy. She begins to smile as she faces the sun, and begins to grow into the sky, in a sense of freedom and self-will. Out of self-love, she experiences the world, and expands her leaves, petals in different directions, to feel different sensations, learn new things, to expand in awareness. She does her daily work of nourishing and feeding her cells, and when needed, being patient with herself as she heals. She does it with joy, and a sense of lightness of being, that everything is perfect.

As tough times hit – maybe there is a late spring frost, or nosy birds pecking at it, she uses her self-love to brace herself, to amuse herself at the inter-connectedness of life, and she continues to thrive. When she was newly born and begins to grow her shoots, or she enters into a new phase in her life, she finds herself wading through mud with uncertainty and fear, and may encounter different and new aspects of herself that she did not know as a seedling. She may find that certain petals are misshapen, or an ant has eaten through some of her stems. Other flowers may accidentally try to overshadow her to get more sunlight, or tell her that she's pointing in the wrong direction. This may cause disappointment and confusion. Perhaps even anger and grief caused by these universal truths or pain from others. And yet, this is part of the awakening process for her. When she passes through these difficult phases with self-love, she is able to accept and appreciate the different aspects of her growth, and perhaps the sides she thought weren’t parts of her, but were, indeed.

Each of us are daffodils, or perhaps flowers of different shades, fragrances, lengths, breadths, patterns – and yet, we each have the ability to flow in the direction of self-love; to experience life for everything she offers us in her nurturing gaze. We build our own foundations, with the help of loved ones, of course, and we can grow in any direction we choose, in order to gain different levels of awareness. Perhaps you can label each new experience as good or bad, but the knowledge that you chose this life, the set of experiences, and that you continue to manifest your current and future reality, can provide the reassurance that your life is a reflection of your love for yourself.

We are each here as artists, as creators and manifestors of our own realities, to deliver our personal message to the world. How would we be able to do that, if we didn’t love ourselves? How do we escape from the rut of humanity and the societal shackles, experience true love and new states of expansion, if we don’t find ways to overcome our inner conflicts and limiting beliefs and perceptions of who we really are - and to experience true oneness with all that we are?

We were born on this planet to be one with ourselves, to overcome the duality within. When we do that, through Accepting, Appreciating everything about us, and providing Attention and Affection to ourselves, we begin to learn about the complexity of our inner and outer worlds - how fragile each connection, emotion or relationship is, about the inter-connectedness within our own make-up, and to everything around us. We learn that “I am, because you are”. That each and every one of us carry every seed of emotion and experience of the world – violence, anger, hatred, fear - or even happiness, joy, loving-kindness, compassion, equanimity; and are capable of expressing these feelings in a myriad of ways – just as all other beings are.

What is beautiful is that once we truly love ourselves - we automatically begin to love all other beings; and the magic of selflessness becomes alive.

We are all perfect, and yet, through the process and journey of self-love, we are capable of achieving even greater heights of healing, inner transformation - and new states of expansion and consciousness.