by Stephanie Bucklin
We are born into a world that teaches us to look outward for love. Fairy tales and romantic comedies whisper the same refrain: find your other half, and you will be whole. From a young age, we’re told that completion lives in someone else’s eyes — that our hearts will finally be full when we meet “the one.”
But as many of us eventually discover, this search can feel like chasing shadows. We pour ourselves into others, only to feel empty when the reflection fades. The truth is not that love is missing — but that we have forgotten its source.
“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” — Buddha
The Journey Inward
Self-love begins where self-awareness awakens. At some point, the soul grows tired of surface stories. It turns inward. We begin to ask deeper questions:
Who am I beneath my roles? What parts of me have I abandoned? Why do I seek what I already am?
Through contemplation, journaling, meditation, and healing work, we start peeling back layers of conditioning. We face our shadows — the hurt child, the inner critic, the pieces of ourselves we hid for love or safety. Each moment of honesty becomes a light that guides us closer to our essence.
This inner journey is not selfish; it is sacred. It’s the path of remembering. As self-awareness expands, so does compassion. We stop seeking approval from the world and start listening to the quiet truth within us. That truth whispers: You are divine. You are whole. You are love itself.
“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.” — Brené Brown
The Ascension of Self
In spiritual terms, self-love is the foundation of ascension. Ascension isn’t about leaving this world behind; it’s about embodying our divine nature within it. It is the moment when the soul says, “I remember who I am.”
When we love ourselves unconditionally, the ego softens. We stop identifying with fear, lack, and judgment. Instead, we live from the heart — in alignment with Source. This shift in vibration is what many call the rise in consciousness.
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” — Carl Jung
As we rise in love with ourselves, we also rise into unity with others. We begin to see that all beings are mirrors of the same divine light. Love becomes not a transaction, but a state of being. It flows freely, without conditions or expectations.
This is the true meaning of ascension: returning to the frequency of unconditional love, where separation dissolves and only wholeness remains.
Beyond Self-Care: The Sacred Discipline of Self-Love
Modern culture often equates self-love with self-care — massages, candles, spa days. These are beautiful acts of nourishment, but they are just the surface ripples of a much deeper ocean.
Real self-love asks for courage. It’s choosing therapy when you’d rather avoid the pain. It’s setting boundaries when people expect you to people-please. It’s learning to rest without guilt, forgive without resentment, and speak truth even when your voice shakes.
It’s holding yourself accountable while also offering yourself grace.
True self-love is a spiritual practice — a daily alignment of your human and divine selves. It is the soul’s way of saying: I am worthy of peace. I am worthy of healing. I am worthy of love — simply because I exist.
“The moment you accept yourself, you become beautiful.” — Osho
Becoming Love Itself
At the highest octave of awareness, self-love becomes divine love. We no longer say “I love myself” — we simply are love.
That love radiates through everything we do: our work, our words, our presence.
This is ascension embodied — heaven not as a place we go, but a consciousness we live.
“I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.” — A Course in Miracles
So ask yourself today:
- What if I stopped searching for love outside myself and began remembering that I am love itself?
- What if the path to ascension is not a staircase to heaven, but a spiral inward — into the heart?
Because when you love yourself, you return to the Source. And when you live from that love, you lift the world.
Namaste,
~S
Becoming Love
A Poem by Stephanie Bucklin
I searched the stars for what I thought I lacked,
traced constellations of longing across the sky of my heart.
Each face I loved was a mirror,
showing me fragments of the divine I could not yet see.
They whispered, You are whole,
but I was too busy reaching outward
to hear the echo within.
I thought love was something to earn,
something to find,
something to hold.
But Love…
was always holding me.
Through the quiet ache of solitude,
I began to listen.
In the temple of my breath,
I met myself for the first time.
There I found the wounded child,
the wise one,
the weary seeker,
the light beneath it all.
And Love said,
Be still, beloved.
You are not broken — you are becoming.
Self-love bloomed not from indulgence,
but from the sacred act of remembrance.
Not from perfection,
but from permission —
to be, to feel, to heal, to rise.
In every tear that cleansed an old wound,
in every truth I dared to speak,
in every quiet moment of forgiveness,
I was ascending.
Not upward, but inward —
toward the Source that breathes through all things.
And now,
when I say “I am Love,”
I do not speak of possession,
but of Presence.
I am not waiting for my other half.
I am whole.
I am holy.
I am home.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
Your journey toward self-love is the path of ascension itself — the sacred remembering of who you truly are. If you’re ready to deepen your connection to your divine essence, to heal the wounds that keep you from unconditional love, and to awaken your soul’s full expression, I invite you to join me in The Soul Journey Membership.
This sacred space is designed to support your inner transformation through guided healing practices, spiritual mentorship, and soulful community. Together, we rise — one heart at a time.
✨ Begin your journey today: Join the Soul Journey Membership
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