Divine Love for Self and Others

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What is the concept of Divine Love, anyway? Divine Love is looking at oneself and seeing the perfection that is there. "Perfect? What? Me?" you say as you laugh. Yes, you, with your perceived flaws and all. You know what I'm talking about. You look at yourself and say, "My nose is too big," "I'm not the best communicator," "I am unable to do this or that," or "My life is not how I want it to be." The list can go on and on if you let it. But do you really want to? No, you say with a sigh, almost halfheartedly. I know. I heard you, and I've been there myself.

When we focus on the things we believe are wrong about ourselves, we tend to block out the aspects of ourselves that we need to focus on, those things that make us stand out. And no, I'm not talking about a big nose here. I'm referring to things in us that others will often point out just when we need to see ourselves differently. You know that time when someone a loved one or a stranger commented on something positive about you. Perhaps you blew it off, not wanting to come off as prideful or simply not believing it yourself.

Okay, I see the wheels turning here. As you read this, you can come up with a time or two, perhaps more, when this happened to you. Then, as you smile, to yourself you see the purpose behind that conversation, no matter how short. It was to get you to see yourself differently. To see yourself as you are meant to. You are a Divine Spark of Source Energy, a soul that is very beautiful in every way.

We are so much more than these bodies that we inhabit on earth. We just have forgotten. We have allowed ourselves to believe that we are nothing more than what we do, have, or what we learned from parents, school, society, and others who have influenced us with their own ways of seeing the world.

Although we have learned many positive things from the above- mentioned sources in our lives, we have also learned other things, behaviors, and beliefs that are not always in alignment with who we truly are.

As we identify these beliefs, such as "You can't do that" or "We only do things this way in this family," we see that we can move past these to ones that are a better fit for us.

"Now where does all this fit in regarding Divine Love?" you ask. As we embrace the fact that we are not chained to the past belief systems that we were taught, we can begin to see ourselves and others differently.

That is Divine Love: seeing yourself as you truly are — perfect in every way. Does it happen overnight? No, it takes time and patience. Think about it this way: the belief systems and thoughts you have about yourself took time to form. They did not appear overnight, and they came with a little help from others, right? The most important thing to remember is to be patient with yourself every day, whether you are working at changing how you see yourself or just going about your daily routine.

As you continue on your journey, step by step you will see a new you, one you will be more comfortable with, perhaps one who surpasses all your expectations.

I wish you well on your journey.

Divine Love for Self and Others: Affirmations

* I love myself unconditionally.

* I radiate universal love.

* Everything that comes to me is transmuted to unconditional love and healing.

* I infuse myself with unconditional/universal love with acceptance of myself and others where we are on our life path, and I extend forgiveness to all.

* Divine Love radiates through me directly from Source toward all others, and I receive back Divine, unconditional love.

* I maintain a high vibration full of unconditional love and blessings to all, including to Mother Earth and myself.

* Fill my heart with pure love, dear Source. Fill me with forgiveness toward myself and all others. Thank you for allowing me to heal.

* Divine Love operating through me blesses myself and others, allowing complete Divine Healing and adjustment to our Divine Life Path.

* As I give freely out of love, my abundance flows to me naturally.

* Every form of energy that comes to me is transmuted to universal love for myself and toward all others.

* Others in my energy field can only enhance and improve my vibrational state.

* There is no weakness in love, only strength.

* Pure unconditional love surrounds me in every moment, and I open myself up to its transforming abilities.

* Divine Love expresses itself through me in all ways for Divine Healing and it is so.

* I make my words the vibration of love, release that which is not my true self, and accept who I truly am.

* I surrender into what I truly am: pure light. I let go of all negative mental filters and forever feeling the light of love in my heart.

* I emanate and express unconditional love in all that I do.

* I am a willing receptive, pure vessel of Source for the highest good of all, including myself.

* Divine Love prospers us in all ways.

* Divine Order and harmony are established in all areas of my life, and I am grateful.

* I allow only love in and give out only love.

* May all my words and actions be healing to all.

Forgiveness

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Reaching a state of forgiveness comes from our ability to first identify what we choose to forgive. This is not limited to others and their actions; this could also be situations that happened to us in the past, and our own behaviors toward others.

We are very much an active part in the forgiving process because we make the choice whether to open our hearts and minds to forgive or not. And as with so many other things in our lives, forgiveness is just not merely saying words but actually feeling them and allowing a release of the past. Holding on to anger or pain does not hurt the other person or affect the situation the way we may think it does. Holding on to any form of negativity ultimately affects one's own being. This can cause not just emotional issues but health concerns as well.

Studies have shown that some individuals with cancer often have difficulty releasing emotions and hold on to anger and resentment. I found several of these studies from the National Institutes of Health and the Oxford Journals located on their websites. However, there are many more studies from around the world in both scientific journals and alternative health journals that are also easily accessible. I encourage you to explore this on your own.

One could possibly make a correlation that allowing oneself to let strong emotions to fester over time can cause debilitating effects on one's mind and body. Being aware of these effects can enable us to be active...