By Catherine Viel, November 26, 2023
(Golden Age of Gaia)
November 25, 2023
Thus her beautiful face, the crippled girl’s…
The richness of that face!—most generous
In what it keeps, giving in its having.
…Her beauty saying…
That what it is is kept as it is given.
~David Ferry, The Crippled Girl, The Rose
I’ve usually found it easy, even automatic, to be kind toward others. Kindness toward self takes conscious effort.
Despite many years of knowing better, until recently I’ve persisted in sensing an element of so-called selfishness when prioritizing my own needs, particularly when someone under my purview is “needier.”
In the Simple Spiritual System, doing the basic daily program takes just five to ten minutes. The hardest thing for me is remembering to do the pillars of creativity, connection with nature, dance, and meditation every day, for at least one minute apiece. The core—checking in with the inner child morning and night—is helped along by a note on my nightstand, and also takes only a minute.
I started with the newly launched Simple Spiritual System at the beginning of October. After nearly two months, I’m finally becoming acclimatized to consistently putting myself first for at least a few minutes per day. The resulting openness and expansiveness are far greater than the tiny effort I put forth.
*****
I’ve taken it one further step with normalizing everyday self-care by accomplishing my pillars in the morning, so it’s becoming a routine as automatic as brushing my teeth or feeding the cats.
Far from feeling selfish, it’s fun, and lightens up the slight sense of melancholy that has undergirded my personality my whole life.
One of the best things about this shift in attitude is there’s zero regret for the “wasted years” where I struggled to tell my resistant self that it’s okay to be kind and generous with myself. I don’t love anyone else less, or practice kindness toward others any less. If anything, assisting others and expressing kindness has become easier. It’s also become natural to intuitively check in first to ascertain if an action to aid another is at the expense of my own well-being.
*****
This shifting couldn’t have come at a better time: the holiday season where cynicism comes all too easily for me, and generosity is sometimes tainted by a fake smile and resentful heart.
I’m sure at least some of the credit for the shifting goes to the rising planetary vibrations and accompanying positive energies. But I also credit myself and my readiness to accept this guidance from the soul. It feels like Soul has been nudging me in the direction of self-love for my entire life.
How fortuitous that I’m open to treating myself with self-love and self-care, just in time to embody generosity straight from the heart during a season (or perhaps a lifetime) of what can feel like mandatory giving.
