Self-Love & The Body

[Phil]

What is it?

 

How’s it work?

 

What’s the relevance & significance?

 

How does self-love relate to everything else in terms of abundance & manifesting / consciously creating?

 

How to remove obstacles / un-obscure?

 

How’s journaling fit in?

 

What role does meditation play?

 

What are the signs self-love isn’t being allowed?

 

How to go about it?

 

[Someone here]

@Phil if you're talking about lower-case (s) self ..then simply befriending your body and taking good care of it like how a mother take care of a newborn. Feeding it the right food..giving it exactly what it needs .that means if it needs to cry ..let it cry..if it needs to jerkoff..let it jerkoff etc

If you're talking about uppercase (S) Self then doing the same thing to all of existence..

If you pet some trees.. You can notice the connection between everything. You can see how these trees are literally yourself. Try to say hi to the trees as you walk past them. People will call you nutcase but say hi to them too

. Try to notice everything as yourself. It's easier to try this exercise in nature. Plants. Trees. Animals. Sea ..etc. imagine If you can train this capacity to include the whole universe. Such that you cough love into everything. literally every piece of existence is yourself. You're enlightened by now so you should know how this works. 

Meditation is great(although I slack off of it ). And I don't do journaling because I never was a good writer. 

[Reena]

When you feel suicidal self love isn't being allowed. That's when you know that self love is lacking. 

[Someone here]

@Reena I saw your "just in case " suicide post ..what was the intention behind it? Never hesitate or be ashamed of feeling suicidal..I garuntee you that 100% of people have felt suicidal (or some form of psychological suffering) at some point in their life. Tears are inevitable part of existence's drama . Even Phil's journey to enlightenment began with him feeling anxious and depressed. 

[Phil]

@Someone here

Thanks, appreciated. Loving the nature references, really resonates.

Questions though…  does the two selves framing with one of the selves not being good resonate, as in is indicative of allowing self-love?

 

@Reena

Great point. How does self feel suicidal? It seems like these would be thoughts, about another self, as opposed to self-love & how these thoughts feel to self(love). An insight in that regard? Does this have anything to do with the lack mentioned?

 

 

[Someone here]

8 minutes ago, Phil said:

Thanks, appreciated. Loving the nature references, really resonates.

Questions though…  does the two selves framing with one of the selves not being good resonate, as in is indicative of allowing self-love?

There are no two selves.  It is only in service of making my point easier to understand. 

I don't want to get involved and entangled in a complex Web of concepts and splitting hairs ..since it is a great a topic and I thank you for raising these questions..I will share what is authentic to me ..

I made a distinction between the ego and the Self. The ego is the sense of separation. It comes from thoughts as you say often . So to it makes feel finite .confined to a body .so you should love the body (you used the word "body " in your title ). But if we are talking about the infinite Self then that means loving Everyone and Everything. A radical thing.

[Phil]

@Someone here

Thanks for clarifying. I get the not two selves, with ‘ego’ as thoughts implying separation whereas there is not actual separation, and “higher” self being infinite / the only actual self.

 

What I don’t get, in terms of realizing self-love, is if there is infinite self, how can there be finite such as everyone and everything which infinite self would know and could or would love. I guess I struggle to see how that is “radical” in that it seems inherently conflicting(?) I wonder if this is related in any way to self-love and the body, however the term ‘body’ is held or framed. I guess it seems like that notion would have to be on behalf of the ‘ego’ as an actual loving separate self(?)

[Someone here]

4 minutes ago, Phil said:

Thanks for clarifying. I get the not two selves, with ‘ego’ as thoughts implying separation whereas there is not actual separation, and “higher” self being infinite / the only actual self.

 

Awesome. 

4 minutes ago, Phil said:

What I don’t get, in terms of realizing self-love, is if there is infinite self, how can there be finite such everyone and everything which infinite self could or would love

 it's incorrect to say there is no finite .. there is no inherency to finite things .. no independent nature. The true nature of a finite thing is infinite  .but the appearance is finite . Why (you might ask )? I have no idea .

7 minutes ago, Phil said:

. I guess I struggle to see how that is “radical” in that it seems inherently conflicting(?)

it is radical to love someone if he kidnapped your kid .if you want self love ..you should love him. 

"love your enemies.  Pray for those who curse you " -Jesus 

9 minutes ago, Phil said:

I wonder if this is related in any way to self-love and the body, however the term ‘body’ is held or framed

Yeah of course. 

[Phil]

Just now, Someone here said:

 it's incorrect to say there is no finite .. there is no inherency to finite things .. no independent nature. The true nature of a finite thing is infinite  .but the appearance is finite . Why (you might ask )? I have no idea .

I don’t get that. If there is infinite self, why would it be incorrect to say there is no finite?

 

Isn’t “there is no inherently to finite things”, saying there are finite things, without inherency? 

Same for “the true nature of a finite thing”, and “the appearance is finite”. 

Just being honest, this seems confusing. 

 

Just now, Someone here said:

it is radical to love someone if he kidnapped your kid .if you want self love ..you should love him. 

"love your enemies.  Pray for those who curse you " -Jesus 

Yeah of course. 

Again though, isn’t this saying there are finite selves and things, while at the same time saying there is infinite self?

It’s “radical” for infinite self to love (someone) a finite self..? 

Is it infinite self which says a finite self or selves should love, finite selves or self?

Again, sincerely, this seems very confusing. 😅 

 

[Someone here]

10 minutes ago, Phil said:

I don’t get that. If there is infinite self, why would it be incorrect to say there is no finite?

 

Isn’t “there is no inherently to finite things”, saying there are finite things, without inherency? 

Same for “the true nature of a finite thing”, and “the appearance is finite”. 

Just being honest, this seems confusing. 

 

Gotcha .it's tricky. 

honestly I  find the epistemological side of interplay  between the finite/infinite duality the roughest in all spirtual teachings that I've listened to 

But I would say its incorrect to say there is no finite because its a duality . You cant understand the word "infinite " without having an understanding of what "finitude" means .

Take a pencil..is it finite or infinite?  Well apparently it has a starting point and an ending point ..what is that called ? Yup..finitude 

Yet..we can divide it into endless pieces..that's infinity . So it's both.

12 minutes ago, Phil said:

Again though, isn’t this saying there are finite selves and things, while at the same time saying there is infinite self?

It’s “radical” for infinite self to love (someone) a finite self..? 

Is it infinite self which says a finite self or selves should love, finite selves or self?

Again, sincerely, this seems very confusing. 😅 

Same answer above. 

[Someone here]

@Phil and I'd like to not dabble more about this point . It's for the sake of self love 🤣

[Phil]

1 hour ago, Someone here said:

Gotcha .it's tricky. 

honestly I  find the epistemological side of interplay  between the finite/infinite duality the roughest in all spirtual teachings that I've listened to 

But I would say it’s incorrect to say there is no finite because it’s a duality . You cant understand the word "infinite " without having an understanding of what "finitude" means .

Thanks again for clarifying.

 

I’m wondering how “epistemological side” & “finite / infinite duality” came into the picture. In terms of self-love & the body, it seems like an unnecessary added layer of confusion, but maybe I’m missing the relevance (?)

 

What is *it* - which is a duality? 

 

Probably most relevant of these ‘layers of confusion’ is what am I (“you can’t understand…”) such that I could or couldn’t understand, without having an understanding?

 

No offense but this just seems confusing, circular and totally uneccesary, but maybe I’m missing something. 

 

1 hour ago, Someone here said:

Take a pencil..is it finite or infinite?  Well apparently it has a starting point and an ending point ..what is that called ? Yup..finitude 

Yet..we can divide it into endless pieces..that's infinity . So it's both.

Same answer above. 

Stills seems very confusing but that goes back to the “epistemological side” & “finite / infinite duality” (?)

 

Is this ‘stuff’ like, required with respect to self-love, like once I have an understanding like you do, then I’ll understand, and then there will be self-love? Or no?

[Someone here]

@Phil you asked about it and I answered.

i have explictly sayed to you twice that we should not dive into defining words .go back and read the entire dialogue again carefully.

[Phil]

@Someone here

Thanks.

I read it slowly & carefully the first time, and googled the definition of inherency just to double check. I just read everything you shared 3 more times, and still have the exact same questions. 

 

I’m wondering what your answers to the specific questions are. I’m not asking about definitions for words. 

 

Overall I’m wondering why a lot of it seems confusing, as to how it relates to self-love. 

[Someone here]

5 minutes ago, Phil said:

Overall I’m wondering why a lot of it seems confusing, as to how it relates to self-love

The bottom line is this ..you can't love yourself because you are yourself. You are already 100% self-loving and self-accepting .There isn't a two of you ..one that loves the other (you're happy now aren't you ?🙂).

However..what I have shared is a perspective. A more relative and practical one which includes acknowledging certain distinctions at face value which aren't actually factual after inspection but nonetheless useful . Just like  categorization of people in Spiral Dynamics or measuring how big is your spirtual dick via a relative model like 10 Ox-herding stages .

 

[Phil]

19 minutes ago, Someone here said:

The bottom line is this ..you can't love yourself because you are yourself. You are already 100% self-loving and self-accepting .There isn't a two of you ..one that loves the other (you're happy now aren't you ?🙂).

That makes a lot of sense, really resonates, and I am, thanks! ♥️

 

19 minutes ago, Someone here said:

However..what I have shared is a perspective. A more relative and practical one which includes acknowledging certain distinctions at face value which aren't actually factual after inspection but nonetheless useful . Just like  categorization of people in Spiral Dynamics or measuring how big is your spirtual dick via a relative model like 10 Ox-herding stages .

 

Honestly this just seems like more of the previous confusing aspects and doesn’t resonate. It seems like the way to go is being in favor of self-love and just disregarding it altogether. That really resonates. Thanks again. 

[Phil]

If identity is of / as the body, and self-love for the body is skipped - self-love is being skipped. 

[Phil]

Ten simple activities which relieve & dispel body judgements, unfettering the truth of feeling that is the body:

 

Mindful Breathing / Presence:

Take five deep breaths, focusing solely on the sensation of air filling your lungs and leaving your body.

 

Appreciation List:

Write down three things / aspects you appreciate about the body. 

 

Mirror Affirmations:

Stand in front of a mirror, look yourself in the eyes, and say three kind affirmations about your body.

Write them on the mirror. Repeat each day or several times each day. Add more freely, fill the entire mirror. 

 

Body Scan Meditation:

Spend a few minutes scanning your body from head to toe, simply observing and appreciating each part without judgment.

Notice an contractions / tension, and allowing the area to relax and receive. 

 

Gentle Stretching:

Do a series of gentle stretches, paying attention to each movement and thanking your body for its flexibility and strength.

Breathe into each stretch, filling the body with it’s source. 

 

Hydrate:

Drink a glass of water, consciously appreciating hydration, feeling the sensation of the water throughout the body.

 

Mindful Eating:

Have a snack or a meal, eating slowly and savoring each bite, acknowledging the intrinsic nourishment.

 

Compassionate Touch / Reiki:

Place your hands over your heart or on a part of the body often criticized, and allow love and compassion directly.

 

Nature Connection:

Step outside for a few minutes, breathe, feel the air. Allow the mind to clear by honing in gently to the subtle background sounds of nature. 

[Enlightened Cat]

I find that many diets are intellectual, and aren't based on how the body actually feels.

For example, meeting RDAs, "I need x amount of protein", "this study proved that this food increases telomere length by 18%", etc. These types can't see what their body is craving in the moment; or what they actually feel like eating. You don't feel/crave "100g of protein", that is a logical unit which cannot be felt/tasted/craved.

Thus, for most people their diet is logical rather than physical.

Sometimes I ask people if they feel like eating anything, or what their appetite is like in general, and they'll give me what they think they should eat, they don't check how they actually feel. Like I literally can't get the answer out of them. They'll be like "oh yeah man I gotta meet x amount of this do you have any of x I can just chow down", and in my head I'm like "that's obviously knowledge you got from some dietician or something, I'm asking what you honestly crave and feel like eating right now."

Your body will quite literally crave exactly what you nutritionally need, but this intellectualization of that craving/feeling prevents you from getting it. For example, if you pay attention, when your appetite comes back after being sick you will immediately crave hydrating and sugary foods, like fruits and fruit juice, because it is the quickest and simplest and most hydrating source of energy for your body. 

The intellectualization of what the body craves psychosomatically leads to "feeling bad" in the body in whatever way that manifests, because what is being felt in the body isn't being given attention to.

Edited July 11 by Enlightened Cat

[WhiteOwl]

I've had a bit of bad skin on my back for a while (pimples ish), not understanding why as i eat healthy non-fatty etc and almost never eat sugar. Showering everyday etc.

 

I just had a mushroom trip where i stood in front of the mirror looking at my body, and i could see how i was seeing it through an ugly lense usually. Not giving the body love. I was then able to see my body with new eyes and pour a lot of love and confidence onto it, and it felt so fucking incredible. Just loving it exactly as it was. Being sexy and beautiful exactly as it was.

 

The next morning my skin was so much smoother and my back was almost completely healed or going towards it. So incredible. 

 

Love is the cure 💚