How do I love myself?

QUESTION: Masters, it seems that your answer to most inquiries is for us to love ourselves. What does this mean? How do I love myself? What criteria do I use? How do I begin this journey and how do I know when I’ve arrived at true self-love? It just seems so elusive! ~Sue, USA

ANSWER: Spiritual love is easily acknowledged in your life when you totally accept yourself exactly as you are at the moment. Sound a bit strange? To accept that you should love a body grossly overweight such that it is creating medical problems? What about accepting an addiction numbing you to your surroundings and separating you from the rest of the populace? Yes, we mean to accept all that is you! That is self-love. Self-love is unconditional love mirroring the Source energy of the universe. To not love the problem is to deny either that it exists or that you can learn enough to get rid of it from your life.

Self-love is relishing the reasons you have chosen to come into human form. That, simply, is to acknowledge, bring to your awareness, your life lessons. It is only when you can step away from fighting what you are here to confront that you can begin the journey that gives you the knowledge and wisdom required by your soul.

Self-love is to accept—but definitely not to “like”—the result or outward appearance of the lessons. This dislike becomes your motivation. You love that you have the strength to learn all about your lesson so you may reverse its deleterious effects upon your body. The love allows you to withdraw from the drama of the disliked task so you may dispassionately learn about it and find a solution to balance out the energy.

When you love yourself your lessons pop into awareness as difficulties in life—things you don’t like, but for which, by jumping in and rummaging around, you may find the cause and, with that, a solution. It may seem elusive, but it is really right there in your face! As your “dislikes” lessen, your self-love thrives.