can you feel the breeze?
If you can discover your essential beauty, in spite of all your problems & imperfections, you are on the way toward well-being. A preliminary step is simply to accept yourself with all your failures & imperfections. You must get the ego out of the way- the thought that you are so exalted that in your refined state you would be perfect. Acceptance is the beginning of genuine & honest self-love, a requirement for perceiving your own beauty. Seeing your beauty, without extravagant self-absorption, is the first step in discovering your soul & eventually giving it the attention & care it needs. The discovery of your own beauty- & I don’t mean this sentimentally- is the foundation of well-being…..Thomas Moore
beauty of the soul isn’t all pretty…..the soul’s shadows have to be equally accepted with tender care….we are complex & full of contradiction….but when we are whole, we are able to embrace the uglies & life becomes complete…..
this is the beginning of connecting with others’ sorrows….these are our gifts to share….ground yourself & begin again with head rising to the heaven….eyes shining with light….beauty’s reflection….
Being reminded of our dignity & value is the ground for wisdom & compassion to arise. With this presence we will have the courage to touch our pain, our losses, our fears, our wounds & illnesses. It is necessary to learn that you are worthy of being loved….Jack Kornfield
we are initiated into life when we meet beauty & shame….
‘You can search the whole tenfold universe & not find a single being more worthy of love & compassion than the one seated here- yourself.’…Buddha
Make Believe Boutique 
I have know people claiming to be full of love and compassion yet did not love themselves… I don’t condemn them, what I know is it’s the most difficult form of love, easier to project than to hold, or to reflect. This has been my greatest struggle, something not taught, or even encouraged in the west…
I so agree about how vague this concept is here in our culture…that’s why I stress it so often….it’s so intuitive to me….we are taught to be self-effacing, to be ‘humble’ (really self-loathing) & to give from a place that really only makes us feel better…..it’s so deceiving & your are so right in that it’s not a fault…it’s a matter of ignorance…when we learn to shine our light, it shines outward….a soft, sublte, beautiful experience that I think we all work on….thanks g.f.s….shine on….
Until we learn to love and accept ourselves, genuine compassion is out of our reach.
Acceptance without judgment…such a mountain to climb at times…..rewards are great though…..the wide view is so much better up there:)…..thanks for sharing….
I love this post! As gfs said, “much easier to project than to hold” … This is an area of me that I’ve been really working on this past couple of years – and I do believe it’s finally getting a little easier – thank you so much for the reminder of how important it is for us to see our own beauty, our own value, and the need for self-love and acceptance. ~ Julie xox
life batters us doesn’t it? our faith serves us well here…we don’t have to have over think our inherent goodness….may you shine your heart….