two of the great lessons humanity

will learn in the 21st century will be: to harm another is to harm oneself

when you heal yourself, you heal the world

reclaim your power,

heal yourself,

love yourself,

know yourself—

these phrases are becoming

more and more common. why?

because they are the pathways to

our own freedom and happiness

contents

distance

union

interlude

self-love

understanding

distance

before i could release

the weight of my sadness

and pain, i first had

to honor its existence

i was never addicted

to one thing;

i was addicted to filling

a void

within myself

with things other

than my own love

to solely

attempt

to love others

without first loving yourself

is to build a home

without a strong foundation

three things make life harder:

not loving yourself

refusing to grow

not letting go

i lived so long

with a closed heart,

not because

i was afraid to get hurt

but because i was afraid

of the pain

i had hidden away

before we can

heal and let go,

what ails us

deeply

must first

come to the

surface

i spent so much time

creating versions of myself

that were far from the truth,

characters i would perform

depending on who was around

layers that could hide

the inner dance of turmoil,

between my lack of confidence, the pain i did not understand,

and the uneasiness that comes

with reaching out to others for the

love that i was not giving myself

(before the healing)

i kept running away

from my darkness

until i understood

that in it i would

find my freedom

many of us walk the earth as strangers to ourselves, not knowing what is true, why we feel what we feel, actively working to repress experiences or ideas that are too jarring for us to observe and release. it is a paradox occurring in the human mind: we run away from what we do not want to face, from what brings feelings of pain, and from problems we don’t have answers to, but in our running away from ourselves we are also running away from our own freedom.

it is through the observation of all that we are and accepting what we observe with honesty and without judgment that we can release the tension that creates delusions in the mind and walls around the heart. this is why the keys to our freedom lie in our darkness: because when we observe our darkness by bringing our light of awareness inward, the ego begins to dissipate into nothingness and the subconscious slowly becomes understood.

the mind is full of shadows, but shadows cannot withstand the patience and perseverance of light — our minds can become like stars, powerful united fields of pure light. but unlike a star, the healed mind will dwell in awareness and wisdom.

when we disconnect

from our pain

we stop growing

when we are dominated

by our pain

we stop growing

freedom is observing our pain

letting it go

and moving forward

(middle path)

it is not love

if all they want

from you

is to fulfill

their expectations

one of my greatest

mistakes

was believing

that another person

could hold together

all the pieces of me

make sure

the walls

you build

to protect yourself

do not become a prison

changes in the external world can cause great misery when we do not know how to engage and heal ourselves. moments of pain and discomfort, or encounters with ideas that may break the mental images we have created of the world, are normally things we not only run away from but also things we build walls to defend ourselves from. these walls we build in our minds and hearts make sense when we don’t know any better. we all have the right to protect ourselves from pain, but be aware that these walls can turn from protection into prison — the more walls we build around ourselves, the less space we have to grow and be free. we have a harder time releasing the habits that cause misery when we are surrounded by the psychological walls we have constructed, causing us to stagnate and fall into a rhythm where we are always running within a space that is slowly growing smaller.

the opposite of this mode of being is to have a practice that helps us go deep within ourselves to dissolve the walls, to heal the patterns that cause us pain, to release burdens and traumas, and to discover the universe that dwells inside each of us. when we journey inward and release the blocks that we first built as walls, we naturally begin to create a new and wider space of awareness. now when things happen in the external world, we have

more space and time to examine how we would like to respond as opposed to reacting blindly and reinforcing old patterns.

the body contains

our past emotions

healing work

creates space

for the release

of what we felt

long ago

don’t run away

from heavy emotions

honor the anger;

give pain the space

it needs to breathe

this is how we let go

reminder:

when the body is tired

the mind will often create

worries to focus on

ask yourself often:

am i observing the situation

accurately or am i projecting how i feel onto what is happening?

sometimes

we feel like exploding —

not because of anything

or to hurt anyone

but simply

because we are growing,

releasing,

letting the old parts die,

so that new habits,

new ways of being,

have space to live

(shedding)

sometimes deeper mental clarity

is preceded by great internal storms

healing yourself can be messy

seeing yourself through honesty

can be jarring and tough; it can even

temporarily cause imbalance in your life

it is hard work to open yourself up to release your burdens

like removing thorns from your body,

it may hurt at first, but it is

ultimately for your highest good

the dark clouds of rainfall are

necessary for new growth

an apology to past lovers:

i wasn’t ready

to treat you well

i didn’t know love

was meant to be selfless

i didn’t know my pain

had control over my actions

i didn’t know how far away

i was from myself

and how that distance

always kept us miles apart

(blind heart)

when passion

and attachment

come together,

they are often

confused for love

i spent most

of my life

trying to prove

to myself and others

that i had no pain

and felt no sorrow

some people hit rock bottom before

they change themselves drastically

because at that distance they can

best see who they really want to be

questions:

am i being honest with myself?

am i allowing myself the space to heal?

am i being compassionate and patient toward myself when i am not meeting my goals as quickly as i had intended?

am i doing what i need to do to thrive?

ego is

self-doubt

self-hatred

anxiety

narcissism

fear of others

harshness

impatience

a lack of compassion

and illusions

ego sees problems

consciousness sees solutions

ego is not just the idea that we are better and more important than others; it most often arises in the form of fear-driven emotions that grip our mind when we no longer believe ourselves capable of great things, when we look down on ourselves and treat ourselves harshly.

ego makes us see the world through fearful illusions; it makes us give the same punishing treatment we give ourselves to other people.

ego is a cloud that surrounds consciousness and disturbs its clarity. when we grow our self-love, our ego diminishes; when we purify ourselves and let go of mental burdens, the ego loses its power. as we learn to heal ourselves, we do not hate our ego, nor do we become complacent with the limitations it imposes on our lives. the highest happiness, the deepest sense of freedom, an unshakeable peace is possible when the ego no longer reigns, when the love of consciousness can flow without interruption.

the world itself is currently shifting from being ruled by the fear of ego to being liberated by the love of consciousness; what we face internally is a microcosm of what humanity faces globally — this is why growing our self-love is a medicine for our earth.

if you measure

the length

of your ego,

it will equal

the distance

between you

and your freedom

if you

are far away

from yourself,

how could

you ever be

close to another?

what is happening within us

will reveal itself in the energy

of our actions and words

honesty creates intimate connections

and decreases the turbulence of life dishonesty creates distance and problems

that have to be dealt with in the future

if we are

not growing,

then we are

probably hurting

there is not a single moment when change is not present. the constant of the universe, the motion of impermanence, is observably evident in the world around us and the world within us.

if we examine nature, it is clear that everything is in a constant state of dynamic change. trees are a great example: in cycles they alternate from experiences of growth to experiences of releasing, all the while alive, all the while growing. if we are refusing to grow, then we are moving against the flow of nature; the flow of change is so powerful that resisting it can only cause difficulty.

sometimes growth hurts, but it is the type of pain that is easier to endure because it is helping us come forward as a better version of ourselves.

the greatest gift

sadness gave me

was the motivation

to transform

do not let a cloudy mind trick you

into doing things you are done with

reminder:

you can love people and

simultaneously not allow

them to harm you

the most widespread affliction

that people suffer from is a lack

of belief in their own power

to be so broken

to have

f a l l e n

so deeply

that the only thing

you can do is

r i s e

into a new you

(phoenix)

union

the healer

you have been

looking for

is your own courage

to know and love

yourself completely

it did not

happen overnight

and it was not

given to me by another

i am the maker

of the happiness and love

growing within me

make your growth

sustainable

by moving at a pace

that is challenging

but not overwhelming

there is a tendency to doubt

your growth in the midst of a

big leap forward; hold steady

and allow yourself to bloom

i do not wish

to change the past

it made me

who i am today

i only want

to learn from it

and live in a new way

letting go

doesn’t mean forgetting;

it means we stop carrying

the energy of the past

into the present

healing begins with acceptance and culminates in letting go.

when a great misery occurs, it remains with us for as long as we hold on to it. attachments form because of the energy we use to keep what happened, or the image of what we want to happen, locked away within our mind and body — this is the cause of tension in our being. when we hold on to these attachments, they travel with us as a burden, from our past, to our present, and into our future. they can even be passed on to our descendants long after we are gone.

the miracle of healing ourselves is so powerful, because in the movement of accepting and letting go, we relinquish the energy of burden not only in our present but in our past and future as well. imagine the time line of your life.

now imagine the burdens that you carry as an extra line layered on top. as we let go of our miseries, this extra layer becomes thinner and thinner. it will not change what happened, but the extra energy we carried because of these occurrences will no longer weigh down the time line of our life. what

happened, happened, but now these moments are no longer attachments of pain and sorrow; now they are experiences we learn from, lessons that bring us into a present of greater freedom, happiness, and wisdom.

when you grow rapidly

and experience

such deep insights

that you can no longer

look at yourself

or the world

in the same way

be kind

allow yourself

the time and space

to settle into the new you

(integrate)

let’s make

s p a c e

for deep healing

in our world

a real sign

of progress

is when we no longer

punish ourselves

for our imperfections

you have

walked through fire

survived floods

and triumphed

over demons

remember this

the next time you doubt

your own power

she believed that the damage

to her mind and heart was permanent,

until she met wisdom, who taught her

that no pain or wound is eternal, that all

can be healed, and that love can grow

even in the toughest parts of her being

ask yourself:

is this worry real or is my mind just

looking for something to grab onto?

the mind is a series of patterns if we wish to change ourselves

we should create new habits

when we build new habits

we are creating a new life

we carry

our attachments

and pain

in our bodies;

as we let them go

our bodies change

a body is a field of moving energy and a system of information. as life continues its fluctuations, we tend to gather attachments, burdens, and sorrows. we hold them so tightly that they become embedded in the body, causing blockages and disruptions in the flow of our system, which can limit access to the best possible version of ourselves — this sometimes manifests as ailments or disease as well as a lack of belief in our own power and a lack of understanding of the universe.

when we use purifying healing techniques, the body begins releasing these knots of attachment, allowing our field of energy to return to balance and move more freely and powerfully. this causes changes in our body: not just physical changes, such as the healing of disease or ailments, but immaterial and internal changes as well, such as believing in oneself more, the growth of love, and the aspiration to grow into wisdom. really, there is no separation between the mind and the body; they move together as one under the leadership of our mental contents.

if you spend too long not

letting yourself be creative

you can literally start feeling sick

you were born to create

let it flow, do not overthink it

i am not fully healed

i am not fully wise

i am still on my way

what matters is that

i am moving forward

i knew i was on the right path when

i started feeling peace in situations

where i would normally feel tension

find the tools you need to heal

every time i meet more of myself

i can know and love more of you

a person

grows in beauty

whenever they

move away from

what harms them and

into their own power

never forget

the ones who

saw greatness

in you even in your

darkest moments

where do good decisions come from?

a calm mind

how can you measure your peace?

by how calm you stay during a storm

how do you know if you are attached to something?

because it creates tension in your mind

where are the greatest revolutions fought and won?

in the heart

do you know why you are powerful?

because you can change the future

feed your fire

cleanse your air

tend your earth

treat your water

(self-care)

progress

is when we

forgive ourselves

for taking so long

to treat our bodies

like a home

in one lifetime we can

be reborn many times

and so she moves forward,

with a little more wisdom,

a heart that is more open

to love, and a mind

that welcomes deep healing

(release)

i feel victorious

and free every moment

i do not measure my

personal value by

the things i do or own

a partner

who supports your dreams

and your healing

is a priceless gem,

a heaven in human form

(selfless love)

a hero

is one who heals

their own wounds

and then shows others

how to do the same

i started speaking

my truth

when being free

became more

important than guarding

the fear of my ego

her rebirth was stunning—

she lifted herself up from

the depths of despair,

grasped her dreams,

embedded them in her heart,

and walked forward into

a future that only her will

and vision could control

(revival)

i closed my eyes

to look inward

and found a universe

waiting to be explored

much of my confusion and sadness came from being disconnected from myself. the greatest journey i have taken so far is the one where i ended the alienation between me and all that i am, the one where i connected my light and my darkness, where i united what i wanted to know with what i did not want to face. only through this union and truthfulness did i begin to feel at home within my own being.

(coming home)

forcing ourselves

to be happy is not

genuine or useful

being honest

about what we feel,

while remaining calm

and aware,

is the real work

reminder:

a sign of growth is being

okay with not being okay

there is an important difference between dwelling in misery and understanding that on the path of healing things will come up that sometimes cause us to feel the old emotions and patterns that we are working on letting go.

there is great power in honoring the reality of our current emotions—not feeding them or making them worse but simply recognizing that this is what has arisen in this present moment and that this will also change. when we create this space within ourselves—a space of calmness that is undisturbed by the storm—the storm tends to pass more quickly.

practicing such profound honesty within ourselves helps in all facets of internal and external life—there is no real freedom without honesty, and without honesty, there can be no peace of mind.

healing ourselves isn’t about constantly feeling bliss; being attached to bliss is a bondage of its own. trying to force ourselves to be happy is counterproductive, because it suppresses the sometimes tough reality of the moment, pushing it back within the depths of our being, instead of allowing it to arise and release.

healing ourselves is the personal movement we embark on to let go of all the conditioning that limits our freedom; in this journey there will undoubtedly be moments of bliss and difficulty. real happiness and wisdom

grow from the reality we experience, not from the fleeting moments of bliss that we feel.

the more love

in my body,

the less harm

my body can do

who i am is always changing,

not because i am being fake

but because i am always open

to growth and transformation

it may have taken a long time,

but in the end it did not matter.

after much healing through

self-observation she now had

strength, she now had courage,

and the wisdom to wield her new

magic with virtue. no longer did

she run from her pain or her

troubles, no longer did she allow

delusions to capture her mind, no

longer did she doubt that the greatest

healer she has ever met is her own unconditional love.

(you are a healer)

dear moon,

thank you for shedding light in the darkness, for helping me know myself better than before, for giving time and magic to the earth and order to our nightly stars. you are a mother who sees all, knows all, and asks for nothing in return.

i trust the ones

who are always

seeking to grow

the undeniable radiance of

someone who is not afraid

to grow, be free, and thrive

find someone you can heal with

i want a love that doesn’t break

one that gives me water

when i am consumed by fire

one that offers me shelter

when i am lost

one that helps me see

that the hero

i am looking for

is me

(partners)

real love began when we

both stopped expecting and

instead focused on giving

many forms of modern-day love contain conditions, meaning that we have an idea that we want those we feel deeply for to fulfill. sometimes we don’t see our hopes and expectations for the ones closest to us as conditional forms of love, because we perceive what we want for them as “good.”

unknowingly, in our wanting of what is “best” for them we limit our ability to give them the finest and most powerful form of love, a selfless love that empowers them to decide for themselves what is best for their lives.

so much of what we think is love is actually attachment and expectation.

focusing on giving in our relationships isn’t easy; it is a habit that requires strengthening, repetition, healing our minds, and allowing our selfless nature to come forward for it to become our new normal. there is a special harmony that arises when two people focus on giving more to each other, a subtle communication and growing awareness between them that allows for better support of each other’s happiness.

we may worry, “how will i ensure that what i desire is met?” a better question may be, “has solely focusing on meeting my desires truly brought me happiness?” the happiest people, the ones who have successfully purified their minds of all conditioning and craving, tend to have such a strong compassion and understanding of love that their lives naturally focus on giving to others. in this giving and clarity of mind they find happiness.

though most of us are far from having fully liberated minds, it is always worth understanding that giving is one of the most powerful forces we can set in motion, that through giving we not only support those around us but also wisely follow the law of nature — everything we do will ultimately come back to us in some form or another. if everyone focuses on giving, we will each receive more.

they were wrong.

this pain, this heartache,

these harmful habits,

they don’t last forever

why? because the heart

is made of water and

the mind is made of fire—

the essence of both is change

the will to heal can remove

the deepest stains on our spirit

progress is being aware when there

is a storm happening inside of you

and remaining calm as it passes by

what does it mean to “live in love”?

it means to rise above judgment so that we may see the world and ourselves with eyes of compassion. it means allowing the wisdom of love to orchestrate our actions, to always seek to produce thoughtful movements that support the good of all beings, and to emit peace into the ocean of

humanity with our every step. living in love is allowing ourselves to move through life with an open heart so that all may share in the gift of our goodwill and kindness. it is to ask ourselves, “how would love heal this situation?” before we make our move.

i want to live in a world where harm

is not systemic, where love organizes

society, where the earth is respected,

and where life is valued above all else

anyone who is willing

to know themselves,

to face themselves with

honesty and work toward

loving themselves and

all beings without condition,

is a hero who is adding to the

collective peace of humanity

two things are true:

people who truly know and love themselves cannot be hateful toward other people

the same way we are anchored and grounded by the earth, the earth is healed and nurtured by our unconditional love a human is as deep as an ocean,

yet most of us spend our lives knowing only the surface

when we decide to dive deep

within ourselves, we set in motion

the miracle of personal evolution

(deeper healing)

though the pain

once felt unbearable

and everlasting,

the peace i feel today

is a testament to the

heart’s ability to heal

all along i have searched for

knowledge when what i was

really looking for was wisdom

not the information that fills

my mind with details and facts

but the experiences that fill

my being with freedom,

healing, and the light of insight

(liberation)

then came the day

when i looked into a mirror

and saw ten thousand faces;

in that moment i understood

that my body not only holds

a multitude of stories

but that i also exist

in many places

and many times

at once

(timeless)

rebirth:

the moment people

wake up to their power

and start moving

toward their freedom

my mission

is to heal

my mind

with wisdom

and to infuse

my body

with love

allow yourself to transform

as many times as you need

to be fully happy and free

the inward movement can be summarized as follows: we observe ourselves, we accept what we find without judgment, we let it go, and the actual release causes our transformation.

we are already always changing, but when we focus on healing, we can change in the direction of our choosing; these are moments when we intentionally reclaim our power. every moment we take to know ourselves, we return as someone new.

whatever calms and concentrates the mind causes the purifying release of old burdens that weigh us down. one can be successful with simple inward observation, but when we observe ourselves through proven healing techniques, including different forms of meditation and practices of yoga asanas, among many other things, we accelerate the process of change.

different techniques reach different levels of the mind. ultimately, any practice that you feel is challenging but not overwhelming and is giving you real results is the right one for you at the moment. as we progress, we may take on sharper tools for deeper healing. anything that can heal the subconscious of our mind and create space for love is powerful enough to completely change our lives.

when things get tough, remember that we are not building something small, we are building a palace of peace within our own hearts. it takes

determination and effort to complete something of such beauty and magnitude.

when you want to change yourself, do not change everything at once. pick a few things to focus on first. setting yourself up for success is key.

trying to change too many things at once is sometimes overwhelming. being consistent with a few changes, applying them in your life until they become integrated as new positive habits, helps you build a strong foundation for future transformations. setting yourself up for victory helps you build momentum; it makes the consistency required to achieve greater goals in the future much more attainable.

goal:

find the balance

between being

productive and

being patient

letting go is medicine

that heals the heart

letting go is a habit

that requires practice

letting go is best done

through feeling, not thinking

heaviness comes from hanging on tightly to emotions that were always meant to be ephemeral. it is not easy to let go, especially when all we know is attachment. we want things to last forever and we turn difficult moments into long-lasting pain simply because we have not learned to let go. we

have not learned that the beauty of living comes from the movement of change. letting go does not mean that we forget, and it does not mean that we give up. it just means that we are not letting our present happiness be determined by things that happened in the past or by things we wish to happen in the future.

there is no mystery to

the miracle of self-healing;

it is courage, commitment,

and consistency that move us

from misery to inner peace

i gathered my habits

and started releasing

the ones that can

never lead me to

lasting freedom and joy

i am making more time for the

people who make me want to

be the best version of myself

as her love grew, her ability to feel the

unseen and listen to the wisdom of the

eternal strengthened. the walk on the path

to freedom had changed her; though she

still experienced times of difficult release, the feeling of unity remained ever present

in her body. now that she lived her life in the grassy field between mortality and the

infinite, she could feel that the space in

her heart was the same as the heart of

the earth and the heart of the universe.

(awareness)

thank you for making me happy

thank you for supporting my happiness

i am

at my

strongest

when

i am calm

it is the things

you say no to

that really show

your commitment

to your growth

when chaos is all around you the wisest choice is to create

peace within you

your peace shines outward

and supports the creation

of a new harmony

(meditation)

we live in a unique time, when fear-driven and hateful emotions are coming to the surface so that they can be completely released, so that we can create a new world where institutionalized forms of harm are no longer factors in our lives. as it works for the individual, it also works for the collective of humanity — we can’t heal what is ignored, nor can we live happily and freely if we continue running away from our own darkness.

personally, my faith is in people. our courage to turn inward in the hope of uncovering and releasing all that stands in our way of becoming beings of unconditional love is what will bring harmony and peace to our world. unity with those around us is most possible when we become internally whole and loving. wisdom more easily flows through us when our minds and hearts are no longer reacting to the suffering of everyday life. this does not mean that we will become cold or distant; it means that we will learn to respond calmly to the inevitable changes of life without causing ourselves misery. we will learn to respond to life as opposed to blindly reacting to it.

humans affect one another deeply, in ways that the world at large is just beginning to understand. when we begin healing ourselves, it sets off waves that connect us to those who have healed in the past and those who will heal in the future. when we heal ourselves, it gives strength to those who need more support to take on their own personal healing journey. what we do reverberates throughout time and space — like a rock thrown into a lake, the circles it creates move in all directions.

as she looked into her past, she noticed that the road

she had traveled was

no simple straight line.

her journey toward fully

loving herself and the world

was full of forward and

backward movement,

twists, turns, detours,

and even some pauses.

at times, she doubted her progress,

her potential, and even

her power to change.

but today, with the

wisdom of experience at hand,

she knows she could not have gotten

to where she is without every

movement she has ever made.

(experience)

serious transformations begin

with two commitments:

the courage to try new

things and act in new ways

the honesty needed to no longer

hide from or lie to ourselves

the people

with the power

to move and act through

unconditional love

will be the healers and heroes

of our planet

(a new balance)

interlude

there was a woman who lived in a small town near a tall mountain. she had lived in her beloved town all her life. everyone in the community thought highly of her and appreciated her kindness and calm manner. she lived a quiet life and worked as any other normal person.

those close to her knew that she was a dedicated meditator, that she sat silently for a few hours a day in deep self-observation. when they would ask her why she took meditation so seriously, she would simply respond by saying, “i like to learn and peace is important to me.”

as time went by, her calmness continued to grow and a saintly radiance became apparent in her eyes — but only a few were aware that a great change had happened within her. a day came when she told those closest to

her that she would soon be leaving the town to live by herself near the top of the mountain. when asked why she was leaving, she merely stated, “it is time for me to fully unlock my freedom.” some tried to dissuade her, but most trusted her and felt comfort knowing that the mountain was close by.

a decade quickly and quietly passed. the people began thinking of her as their guardian angel because ever since she had moved up the mountain, the town had become calmer and more prosperous; they imagined that it might be from the good energy that she regularly emitted.

there was a group of young people in the town who had vague memories of this woman who was slowly becoming a living legend. they were curious and hungry for wisdom from someone who had become a being of complete freedom. it had somehow become common knowledge that she had accomplished this goal. none of them had seen her since they were children, but they heard stories from people who would occasionally venture up the mountain to visit her. those who saw her would return to the town inspired and rejuvenated.

one day the young people gathered their courage and decided that it was time to pay her a visit. they organized their questions, packed light bags for a short trip, and made their way to the mountain in hopes of sharing in the woman’s clarity.

the following are a few of the questions and answers between the young people and the one who is free.

they asked her,

“how did you free yourself?”

she answered,

“by embracing my own power.”

they asked her,

“what does it mean to love yourself?”

she answered,

“it means to uncover and release whatever keeps you from true happiness; to love, honor, and accept every single part of you, especially those that are kept in the dark. it means to observe yourself continually with the utmost honesty and without judgment. loving yourself means striving to reach new heights of self-understanding so as to cultivate the wisdom that inner peace requires.”

they asked her,

“what is the key to saving the world?”

she answered,

“you. you are the key. heal yourself, know yourself, make yourself whole and free. release all limits so that your love can flow unconditionally for yourself and the world. this will open the heaven of your heart and it will guide you without fail.”

they asked her,

“why are we here at a time when

there is so much misery and despair?”

she responded,

“because you answered the call. the earth signaled for heroes, and the heavens sent forth the ones who were most ready to grow and unleash their unconditional love. you’re here to shine the light of your own healing, to offer the world the gift of your balance and peace.”

they asked her,

“are you wealthy?”

she responded,

“yes. it took years to build, but now there is a palace in my heart that i have constructed out of awareness, calmness, and wisdom.”

they asked her,

“what is true power?”

she answered,

“true power is living the realization that you are your own healer, hero, and leader. it is when you share your truth with compassion and peace. your power grows when you make progress in your own freedom and wisdom.

those who are truly powerful do not harm themselves or others; instead, they use their energy to enrich all they know with love.”

self-love

self-love

is the beginning:

an essential centerpiece

that opens the door

to unconditional love

for yourself and all beings

self-love is a sincere

acceptance of the past

an agreement to make

the most of the present

and a willingness to allow

the best to occur in the future (wholehearted)

self-love

is the nourishment

that gives us

the clarity and strength

to love others well

self-love is personal evolution in action

being honest

with yourself

is an act of

self-love

self-love

is creating space

in your life to heal

your body and mind

do not confuse self-love

with thinking that you’re

better than everyone else

true self-love is accepting

yourself for all that you are, especially the darkest parts

the more we love ourselves, the more easily prosperity and miracles can flow into our lives self-love has the power to release all blocks through self-love we can travel the universe self-love is doing the work

we need to do to be free

self-love begins with the acceptance of where we are now and the history we carry, but it does not stop there. self-love is an energy we use for our own personal evolution; it is a meeting and balance of two critically important ideas: loving who we currently are and simultaneously transforming into the ideal version of ourselves. though these ideas may seem contradictory, they are both required for our ultimate success. without acceptance, our transformation into a happier and freer self would be highly difficult. why? because it is much harder to change and let go of what we hate.

self-love helps us delve deeply into ourselves and release the patterns in our subconscious that impact our behavior and emotions. true self-love is when one understands that the inward journey is the path to freedom, that observing and releasing our inner burdens is what will make us feel lighter and more aware. self-love does not grow the ego; it does the opposite. it is our ego that carries the craving that causes our suffering—the incessant craving that rests at the center of the ego is the ultimate block that stops us from achieving freedom.

since true self-love

is the gateway

to unconditional love

for all beings,

this must mean

that many people

in our world are suffering

from a lack of self-love

(the missing peace)

your

self-love

is a

medicine

for the earth

as your self-love

grows stronger,

so do the waves

of change that

you can create

the beauty

of self-love

is that it can

grow into the

unconditional love

that can end all harm

with self-love, we have the determination and courage to move deeply inward using honesty as our guide. this inward movement transforms our being, dramatically enhancing our awareness of who we are, our understanding of the universe, and our capabilities as individuals. a beautiful result of this process is that our new sense of compassion toward ourselves does not end with us; it blossoms and flows outward into the lives of others and has the capacity, if consistently cultivated, to encompass all beings.

this growing compassion becomes the centerpiece and active component of a love that knows no limits. unconditional love for ourselves and others completely respects our sovereignty as individuals and honors our power by no longer allowing ourselves to be harmed by anyone. this limitless love also gives us new grace and clarity that help us see ourselves in all other beings and better understand where they are coming from. it gives us the strength to treat all with kindness and support all in living lives in which they are no longer harmed.

unconditional love can bring balance to our world. the clarity it produces can help us better understand the roots of harm and work to eliminate them so that all can have the external freedom needed to work on their own internal liberation. the greed and reactiveness that cause harm can be replaced with love as the primary motivator and responses of kindness as our principal form of action. to create this shift in our world, many will have to heal themselves deeply by doing their inner work, releasing burdens within themselves, and creating enough space so that their own self-love can breathe deeply and expand into unconditional love.

as more expand into this field of greater egolessness, the world will shift with us and be significantly relieved of the greed that sits at the center of the imbalance that we currently experience. our love as a humanity does not

need to be perfectly unconditional to change the world—every time our collective love grows, it creates a better future.

understanding

healing yourself will ask more of you

more rest

more self-love

more letting go

more time for learning

more space for transformation

more honesty about how you feel

more time developing good habits

more courage to try new practices

more faith in yourself and the process

more time cultivating your inner peace

things to practice and integrate:

unconditional self-acceptance

not harming yourself or others

patience without complacency

giving without wanting

i cannot

make you happy,

but i can

commit to support you

in the creation

of your own happiness

to expect another to resolve all of our issues and give us the happiness we desire is to expect to see the sunrise without opening our own eyes. it is to ask a river to give us nourishment without dipping our own hands into the water. another cannot answer a riddle that was only ever meant for our own minds to solve. the universe seeks to enlighten and empower us, thus it is only rational that we are our own greatest healers.

happiness may seem elusive. try as we might, no matter our external setup, happiness will come and go. the sea of life flows between calmness and storms. either something outside of us will cause us some sort of struggle or something from within us will arise that is asking to be acknowledged and released. a human being is an accumulation of aversions and cravings, which periodically rise from the depths of our mind so that we can have the opportunity to let them go. why? because our nature is not to be full of burdens; we are meant to be light, free, open to the harmony of love and the wisdom of the universe.

though happiness will come and go, we do have the power to deepen our experience of it and extend our time partaking in its heavenly nature. to do so requires effort on our part to enhance our relationship with ourselves so that we may discover all that impedes our contentment and release it from our being.

while in the midst

of serious internal growth

respect your need to rest

love is not:

i will give this to you

if you do this for me

love is:

i will give this to you

so that you may shine

true love does not hurt; attachments do

love cannot cause pain; attachments cause pain. we create attachments in our mind when we want to hold on to something or someone, or when we expect things to be a certain way. when the attachments that we create in our minds break, we feel their rupture deeply. how deeply depends on how much we identify with the image that we have created. when things happen contrary to these images that we hold dear in our minds, we feel pain from these attachments being stretched and broken.

attachments are not a form of true love. unconditional love, selfless love, a love without expectations is a higher form of existence that creates no attachments or images. it is a state of profound egolessness. expectations and judgments are attachments that the untrained mind repeatedly creates, causing more knots and burdens that impede our happiness. the typical human mind is eclipsed by the delusion of ego; the ego separates, categorizes, and labels everything that it comes across, causing our discontent and misunderstanding.

all mental tension comes from not letting go stre ss and anxiety are the children of attachment; they are both forms of craving that take us away from the present and into areas of imagination that steal away our peace.

wanting always interrupts being

peace makes you strong

hate reveals your emptiness kindness feeds your happiness

anger reveals your fear

love makes you free

how to lead yourself:

1. develop a relationship with your intuition 2. have the courage to follow its guidance

i can only

give to you

what i have already

given to myself

i can only

understand

the world as much as

i understand myself

as she was swimming in the ocean of wisdom

that dwells in her heart, she understood deeply that all was a part of her, that no one was separate from her. she whispered lightly with newfound peace, “i am everything.” that was

when she realized that her greatest power is, and always was, her ability to love herself.

wholeness

is when lies

no longer stand

between you

and yourself

how to improve your life:

1. make self-love a top priority

2. learn a self-healing technique

3. create space for daily healing

4. know that everything changes

5. be kind, loving, and honest to all

i am not

here to

compete

i am here

to grow

and be free

every time we compete with others, we are already losing, because we are forgetting that life is not a race to be won but a journey we embark on to

build our inner peace and wisdom. we create nonexistent competitions in our minds when we get carried away by the delusions of ego. the hierarchical conditioning of society combined with our attachment to “i,”

“me,” and “my” creates a scenario in which only a few can succeed.

having a world built on competition has created a situation in which humanity is overflowing with misery — we thought we had to win, to harm each other to survive, but the moment we submitted ourselves to this scenario, we took a step away from our individual and collective freedom.

releasing these conditioned habits is difficult but essential, because happiness and internal security grow as we release the “i” of ego and the delusion of competition. the wisdom of love shows us that individual and collective life need to be reborn and reorganized in a way that supports the well-being of all, not the few. love teaches us that we are here not to compete but to support each other’s growth and happiness.

unconditional love sees no one as an enemy

my faith

for a better future

is in the people

who are turning the idea

of unconditional love

into a way of life

if you want to know

how free you are,

ask yourself,

“how far does

my love extend?”

there is a path

we can walk

where we no longer

allow anyone to harm us

while also loving

all beings unconditionally

fear seeks control

revenge prolongs pain

animosity disrupts peace

compassion ignites healing

honesty releases burdens

happiness is letting go

loneliness

will not

go away

if we remain

far away

from ourselves

repeat daily:

notice the stories you hold in your mind let go of the ones that cause tension

sometimes people are simply meant to

teach you how not to act in the future

everyone is a teacher, but that does not mean everyone is correct.

there have been times in our lives when we have been a good example for those around us, while at other times we have not been a good example. if we recognize our own imperfections, it helps us have compassion for all people and look upon all as equals.

just because someone was wrong once, it doesn’t mean they are going to be wrong forever. similarly, just because we may perceive someone as wrong, it does not necessarily mean that we are right. in most cases we lack the perfect information required to form an objective and universal perspective.

it is important to remember that we are all imperfect and that we all live through the limited perspective of ego.

striving to learn as much as we can from one another without making harsh and permanent judgments is a sign of wisdom.

part of

being human

is having

opportunities

to give and

receive forgiveness

i am not sure when i will

be completely free and healed, but i do know i will feel it

more clearly than anything else

i have ever felt in my life

she’s an explorer,

unafraid to travel

within her heart and mind,

ready to discover new spaces

to heal—releasing burdens

and planting wisdom wherever

her awareness takes her

the strongest

people

i have met

are the ones

who do not

harm themselves

the idea that

when you let go

of what you want,

it comes to you

working toward our goal and simultaneously letting it go may seem paradoxical, but it is the fastest way to achieve what we want. letting go is not giving up; it is the graceful walk between continuing to put effort into making our preferred reality come true and not allowing our happiness to be controlled by something we do not have. if we remain attached, we tend to feel agitation or even misery. this creates tension in our being that blocks us from fulfilling our desires.

sometimes we may still get what we want, even if we do not know how to let go; but in these cases, we may be less capable of keeping what we want, and it may even cause us more misery because we never addressed the root of our tension, which is our inability to appreciate what we already had to begin with.

what do we get when we let go of the past and the future? inner peace.

realizing peace within ourselves no matter our external circumstance is a high form of freedom that allows blessings, miracles, and success to flow into our lives. happiness and gratitude are attractive forces; their lack of wanting is what clears the road so that new things may come with greater ease.

water teaches flexibility and power

earth expresses firmness and balance

air sings of intelligence and bravery

fire speaks of action and growth

the mind

is a garden;

what we decide

to grow there will

determine our prosperity

bad vibes

can’t hurt you

when your balance

and love are strong

sometimes

we go back and repeat

an old mistake

just so we can remember

why we moved forward

giving yourself

the space and time

to respond

instead of reacting blindly

is an important way

to reclaim your power

the body knows what it requires;

listen to it—not the cravings of

the mind but the needs of the body—

let it guide you into well-being

(intuitive healing)

your friends

who have the courage

to expand their

wisdom and self-awareness—

they are special;

keep them close

the forces

of the universe

support those

who work at

healing themselves

peaceful minds

have the power

to create

a peaceful world

when the mind feels wild and cloudy,

it may be that something from deep within

has come to the surface, an old burden

seeking release. breathe, relax, and let it go.

(storms)

sanity is the unwillingness to do harm

i held my fear by the hand,

honored its existence, and

thanked it for teaching me

that happiness exists beyond

the boundaries it creates

free

people

have no

masters

but themselves

movements change the world, but just as it is important to be a part of and build movements to create a world where human rights are a reality for all

— a world where systemic forms of social and economic oppression no longer exist — so it is equally important to build our own intimate internal movement that focuses on healing the greed, hatred, and fear within ourselves that cause so much chaos in our lives and are the actual underlying roots of the societal chaos we experience.

every society is simply a composition of its individuals believing, consenting to, and perpetuating particular stories that come together to create the world we know. if the stories we choose to believe in change, if we begin to understand that when we harm another we are actually harming ourselves—not in a fictional sense but in a literal sense, similar to the way that water is good for the body and poison is bad—then we will quickly shift into a new world.

pleasure cannot fill the heart hate cannot keep you safe

anger cannot set you free

only love can fill voids

only love can create peace

only love can liberate

love

is the most

potent and versatile

form of magic

love

is the strongest

building material

in the universe

not just

the love

between people

but the love

that gives you

the power

to heal yourself

and change the world

they both know that they are not together to complete each other, that their happiness is their own to create. nevertheless, their ethereal bond serves a great purpose; it gives them the time and space to love each other well enough to release the tension of their unloved hearts. their love for one another is not the end but rather a means to an end. it is a humble tool of healing and nourishment that can strengthen their minds and make their spirits mighty, so that they may both travel as far within themselves as possible, so that they may both release all that limits the flow of their happiness, so that they may both swim freely in the waters of wisdom and universal understanding.

(love is a key)

“‘strength’? what do you mean by ‘strength’?”

“what i mean is how firm is your inner peace, how honestly can you observe yourself without judgment, how limitless is your love for yourself and all beings, and how willing are you to change yourself for the better?”

courage

+

letting go

+

self-love

=

a growing awareness

as our ability to

know and heal ourselves

deepens, we will be better

equipped to examine the

world more carefully

and heal it more

effectively

healing yourself with love

is a long-term process

healing the world with love

is a long-term process

i rebel by loving more

whenever we are asked to limit our love, to be selective with our love, to reserve our love for some parts of ourselves and not others or to reserve our love for some people and not others, we do a disservice to ourselves by following along, because any love withheld becomes tension in our being.

the normality of perpetual war, the rising tide of poverty, the varying forms of violence our economy requires to stay afloat, and the indifference that we are expected to feel toward it all are stifling and ever present. when we think of happiness, it is important to remember that, generally speaking, we fall together and we rise together. those of us alive today have never lived in a world where a large portion of humanity was not struggling to meet its material needs or fighting for the right to be treated as human beings—we humans have the uncanny ability, whether we are aware of it or not, to feel and be affected by the plight and struggle of others. energy sees no barriers.

whenever we are asked to keep our eyes and hearts closed, and we do just that, because it is easier than accepting the responsibility of a world and

humanity that need healing, because it is easier than understanding that to heal the world will require a heroic effort on our part to heal our own inner world, we are dimming the light of our own future. it is in the challenge of allowing our love to flow actively and limitlessly that we come to find greater degrees of our own personal liberation and global liberation for all beings.

the dalai lama once stated, “compassion is the radicalism of our time.” this is true. today we rebel by loving more. when we can see and treat each other as family, we will know a global peace.

do not forget

to send your love

into the earth

into the water

into the sky

how will you help heal the world?

by healing myself and supporting

the healing of those around me.

by allowing love to fill my very

being and guide my every action.

by understanding that if it causes

harm, it must not be the right way.

observe.

accept.

release.

transform.

because being calm in the midst

of chaos is a sign of true power

measure

your success

by the growth

of your freedom

the mind is a lot more vast than conscious thought can comprehend. the conscious part of the mind—the part where we feel and hear the movements of our emotions, memories, and thoughts—may seem large, but it is quite small in comparison to the subconscious. an iceberg’s small peak floats above water while the great majority of its mass sits silently and unseen underneath—the top is visible and prominent, but what is unseen is much bigger and has a massive effect on the part that is seen, largely dictating its movements. the mind works in a similar manner; the subconscious and the reactive patterns that have accumulated there over time, though they remain mostly unknown or forgotten, have a strong effect on our daily behavior.

this is why there is a lot more to freedom than simply having unrestricted mobility or having our material needs met or the removal of all forms of external oppression. freedom is deeper than believing that we are free on the conscious level of the mind — the conscious may think this to be so, but if the subconscious is still burdened with patterns that cause us misery, delusion, and the pain that comes with unceasing reactions, then we are not yet wholly free. the greatest oppressor is the untrained mind.

freedom grows when we begin the mental healing and training that teaches us how to let go and interact with the ocean of life in a way that no longer causes us misery; our freedom grows as we observe deep within ourselves

and begin letting go of our attachments and burdens that clog up the subconscious mind. freedom is happening every moment when we are not craving something more.

the mind is purified as we release the weight of the past and the yearnings for specific things in the future—especially if our happiness is dependent on obtaining these things. the mind is clear, powerful, and effectively decisive when we can truly observe the present moment without projecting our ego onto it. freedom is something we build within. freedom is a habit.

find yourself

free yourself

goals:

develop my calmness

cultivate my wisdom

expand my freedom

help heal the world

releasing,

learning,

expanding—

i am happily a

work in progress

sending love to all beings

may all beings continue reclaiming their power may all beings heal themselves and the world

may all beings be happy and free about the author

diego perez is the writer behind the pen name yung pueblo. the name yung pueblo means “young people.” it serves to remind him of his ecuadorian roots, his experiences in activism, and that the collective of humanity is in the midst of important growth. his favorite word, “liberation,” took on a deeper meaning once he started meditating vipassana, as taught by s.n.

goenka. through writing and speaking, he aims to support the healing of the individual, realizing that when we release our personal burdens, we contribute to a global peace.

Inward copyright © 2018 by Diego Perez Lacera. Cover by Anders Villomann. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing

a division of Andrews McMeel Universal

1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

www.andrewsmcmeel.com

ISBN: 978-1-4494-9880-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018942082

Editor: Melissa Rhodes

Art Director/Designer: Jenny Mohrfeld

Production Editors: Elizabeth A. Garcia and Margaret Utz Production Manager: Cliff Koehler

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