Mindful Moment #27 - Radical Love

The Universe Says: Love

The source for inspirational words can come from the most unexpected places. Sometimes the Universe just dishes up a whole theme, and I can catch on to it if I’m paying attention or actively looking for it. Signs, you know? This week, it comes from a paranormal podcast, my mom, and a Lizzo tiktok of all places. Who am I to question the Universe?

The story from the podcast was about a lovely grandfather who was the kind of “salt of the earth” person that animals and small children would flock to unbidden, who could make any curmudgeon belly laugh, and who could feel the way his grandchildren felt without needing any words to explain. The granddaughter who retold his story shared some of his “knowing” abilities. She cherished having him as someone who could understand how she felt. They both could sense some lingering negativity in one particular house where she lived, and it concerned them both greatly. Since she was a child, he didn’t want her to be frightened, and gave her this advice, “Let love be your shield, for it can clear away darkness like the dawn.” How lovely is that? She uses this like a mantra in adulthood to stay centered and by her own words, “safe in love.”

Some of you may remember that my mom passed away a while ago, and I’ve been drifting around in a grief fog for longer than I care to admit. The second anniversary of her death is approaching, and that podcast reminded me of her innate ability to just know things about my emotions. I am starting to wade out of my fogginess, but I am carrying a load of negativity with me. Since her passing, I’ve been letting myself have a conversation with her spirit. In the quiet hours of my busy house, I cozy up with a cup of tea and just talk to her. One of the things I have heard back is, “I wish I had taught you to love yourself better.” And zing! that hit me in the feels. I am guilty of turning my grief inward to hide it from my kids, but that means I just see sadness when I look in the mirror. This is no way to honor my mom who was one of those “makes everyone feel safe and befriended” people. She emitted loveliness and kindness, and I want to follow her lead and do the same. I’m not really sure how to “love myself better,” but I am trying by first just intentionally being kind to myself.

And that’s where a random Lizzo tiktok popped up one afternoon. Yes, I’m one of those GenXers on tiktok, but I just leave comments (in true writer fashion)—no videos of this mug on there. Love her or hate her, Lizzo’s got a message for everyone and that is radical self-love. In this particular video, she said, “We have to fight for it. This is revolutionary self-love…It is a radical act of revolution” to love yourself. And that sent me down a Lizzo rabbit-hole to hear, “When was the last time you said something nice about yourself?” Good question. It’s been a while.

But, Universe, I hear you. Let’s make it more about love. Radical love. Self-love. Everyone can use more of that, right?

And so, let me offer you a minute to slow down and procure some of that “radical love.”

Sit down, close your eyes, relax your shoulders, and soften your jaw. Take a deep breath, and exhale.
Continue to breathe deeply while you focus on your heart chakra. Feel it glowing like an ember. With each inhale, it glows brighter. Allow this light to spread throughout your chest and into your whole body, down each limb, and up into your head.

You are a body of light. Your light is love. Every ounce of your being is a creation of wonder. While you are fully contained within the unique boundaries of your physical body, you are able to shine your light beyond yourself. You light up a room. You light up a whole dwelling. You can light up a city block or a small-town main street.

As you shine this light with your inner furnace of love, imagine the pattern of light creating a circular pathway away from your heart and back again, weaving through the wind back into your fingertips and toes, back into your veins, and into your heart again. You receive this light as love. It feels like kindness, hope, peace, and the warmth of well-being. This is the fuel that allows you to create more light to shine.

Continue to breathe this light in and around and out and back again.

Say to yourself, “I love you,” until you mean it. Until you can feel it. Until you can carry it with you like stardust in your bloodstream.

Give yourself as much time as you need to breathe into this love engine. When you are ready to end your meditation, slow your breath and quiet your energy. Bring it back to center.

Be gentle with yourself and perhaps indulge in a moment of grounding before returning to your regularly scheduled activities.

I am sending out my love to you, friends! Take it and shine!

As always, namaste.
Amy

INSPIRATIONS THIS WEEK

We’re feeling inspired by these incredible and thought provoking pieces:

NASA’s Webb Takes Star-Filled Portrait of Pillars of Creation NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured a lush, highly detailed landscape – the iconic Pillars of Creation – where new stars are forming within dense clouds of gas and dust.
Full Moon: Harness The Energy & Make It Work For You. Five tips to utilize its powerful vibes.
UK’s remote Shetland mysteriously lose phone, internet after cable cut Local police said there was a “complete outage” on the Shetland Islands, with a communications company pointing to undersea cable damage.

️⭐ New Issues Now Weekly ⭐

We are so grateful for the feedback offered by so many of you. We have listened and are so excited to bring you a new Mindful Moment every week moving forward.

We’re actively working to continue to improve the content and format to best help you live a more intentional and happy life. Please take a moment if you haven’t already and tell us how we’re doing:

30-Second Survey

That’s all for today, y’all – remember, taking time to focus on you is an act of love.

We hope you found this helpful – don’t hesitate to reply with any feedback on how we can improve future Mindful Moments! We can’t wait to hear from you.