Self-Love Ritual

There’s an issue in the world that has been going on since the beginning of time.  There aren’t enough people loving themselves.  I truly believe that when we love ourselves individually the love for others flows easily and effortlessly.  When we do not love ourselves as we should the love for others suffers as a result.  Unconditional love becomes conditional love.

Conditional love is love with demands, with commands, and with judgment.  Demands, commands, and judgment can not co-exist with love.  Therefore, I believe conditional love isn’t true love.  Conditional love is just that – it comes with conditions that often sound like, “I will love as long as you do…” or “If you would just do this, then everything will be all right.”  That’s not unconditional love.

Unconditional love has no limitations, no demands, no commands, no judgments, no conditions of any kind.   Often times, we find ourselves in life trying to find someone who will love us unconditionally even when we do not love ourselves unconditionally.  These two things do not go together at all.  

Love starts with you.  Love starts within you.  People can love you.  But it will never take the place of the love you should feel for yourself.   And maybe something happened in your life that shattered those memories of how to love yourself.  Maybe something happened to make you feel down about yourself.  The love inside of you never fades away.  It never walks away from us.  We walk away from the love within us.  

There are so many ways to show love to yourself – exercise, eating mindfully, laughing more, smiling more, taking up hobbies, and enjoying fun activities with friends.  Yet, there’s one way I’ve found that helps to bring out the unconditional love within to the surface when it’s been buried for so long.  It’s called a self-love ritual.  Below is everything you need to get started with your self-love ritual.  You can do this solo or with a group of close friends.  You can tweak any way you wish to suit your individual needs at the time.  Enjoy!

Self-Love Ritual

• 1 white or pink mini or taper candle
• Meditation music & CD player
• 2 sheets of paper & ink pen
• 1 fire-proof bowl

Set the candle in the middle of your altar or table.  Sit in front of it.  Light the candle saying a simple, heartfelt prayer.  I am not going to offer a prayer here because your prayer of intention for this ritual should be authentic and truly from your heart, imbued with all of your energy.   Gaze into the flame of the candle while you say your prayer of intention.  Start to play your meditation music.  Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and meditate upon your intention.  This will strengthen your purpose for the self-love ritual.  Take one sheet of paper and write down the things within you that you have allowed to hold you back such as fear, doubt, worry, inability to trust, etc.