I adopted two cats during the pandemic, the first one came to me as animal medicine in a meditation one day and the second one as company for the first. Gemini, or Gemi, as he’s often referred to, tends to run on the colder side – unlike Hecate, my first rescue, who is long haired – and he can often be found snuggled up with the warm salt rocks by the cold front of the house wall (when he’s not comatose in his bed in front of the heat vent in the bathroom).
Both kitties have been instrumental in my traversing the pandemic and with increasing my love for my self. If you have or have had cats you probably understand this. If not, perhaps you have other animals in your life that help you express the love you might not give your self but find is easier to give to others.
In the West, loving the self seems to be loaded with contradictions. We’re admonished by the media or authority figures, our enemies or even partners if we spend too much time engaging in acts of self love or are declared to be narcissists (of one kind or another) or brown-noser’s; but are also encouraged by these same entities or others to increase the amount of love and care we give our selves so that we can be the epitome of the whole and healthy best version of our selves.
Only you know what serves you and how you feel when you feel loved – either by others or by your self and this is what I will suggest you come back to as regularly as needed to maintain your sanity and overall wellness. What ways can you love on your self right now? Got some hot rocks you can curl up on or a warm cozy spot in your place you can sidle up to for a bit? Perhaps it’s writing or reading something you enjoy.
Can you take some time right now to love on you however feels best?
TimeSpaceOne 