Unconditional Self-Love

Bird of Paradise in Bloom, Glen Ivy Center

Greetings, Dear Ones,
I recently was blessed to spend nearly a week at Glen Ivy Center in Corona, California--located about two hours or so east of Los Angeles. As you can see from the photos here, I was clearly NOT in Maryland anymore. And to me, that was especially exciting and wondrous!

I was part of a group of 20 people who had signed on to participate in an intensive retreat. We were focused on studying and learning all about "Healing Through the Akashic Records." Our wonderful teacher was Linda Howe, author of the book by the same name, and founder/director of the Linda Howe Center for Akashic Studies.

During the course of my time at Glen Ivy, I "got" Linda's amazingly simple, but effective, way to gently dismantle self-limiting beliefs and attitudes. It entailed simply saying to myself, "Of course you feel that way, Libby dear. Of course you're scared and worried about this, honey. And it's okay. We'll get through it. I'm here (I being my Higher Self or Soul) and together we'll figure it out. I'll help you find the way."

View from the ridge above Glen Ivy Center, Corona, California

Cactus Garden, Glen Ivy Center, Corona, CA

Linda taught us that nothing can change until you can accept who you are and where you are at the moment. A lot of methods such as the Law of Attraction have one overriding one's fears and self-doubts and affirming, affirming, affirming. But Linda teaches that we don't need to reject ourselves or abandon ourselves. In fact, only by acknowledging our woundedness fully and embracing it, can we allow ourselves to heal. For accepting "what is" dismantles the whole framework of self-rejection that many of us have spent a lifetime carefully constructing, often unconsciously. It's a framework that becomes a prison, keeping us entrapped in self-limiting judgments and patterns.

So, instead of pushing through our limiting emotions and fears, if we can hang in there with ourselves when we are feeling at our worst, when we're most upset, most frightened, most guilt-ridden, or anguished, we can turn to this technique, "Of course . . . ." And in that, we can find self-love and an inner calm.

From that more peaceful space, the Light can better shine on us. From that space, we can, if we follow this practice enough, find a new vision and a new hope for ourselves--while radiating out our Light to the rest of the world.

Be well. Be blessed. Be at peace.