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A post shared by Elephant Journal (@elephantjournal) on Jul 8, 2019 at 5:00am PDT

Recently I’ve been contemplating what it means to live fully in my own power.

I’ve been on a personal growth journey for 15 years and the spiritual aspect of that growth has expanded as I age. Yet, with as far as I’ve come, in many ways I’ve been somewhat perplexed by the incredible power and self-love I have access to while alone and deep in my spiritual practice. But, when I’m out in the world and in relation to others, I lose a decent portion of this miraculous divine state.

What I’ve realized lately is that my capacity for self-love has grown exponentially over the years and that is only a piece of the puzzle. If I love myself, but still turn to others (including a higher power) for answers and guidance, I am giving my power away and losing my self-connection.

If I want to stay connected to and honor my own divinity, I need to not only love myself, but turn to myself in my darkest hours—praying and connecting to myself instead of an external force.

While physical self-care, such as eating healthy, sleeping, and exercising, as well as self-love, such as speaking positively to ourselves, fully accepting our flaws and our greatness, and nurturing our inner child, is essential to a happy and peaceful life, these practices do not fully acknowledge the divine within us. Honoring our divinity allows us to stay empowered, self-connected, and prioritizing ourselves on all levels.

So I began to experiment with what self-worship means. Recently, at a women’s circle, a friend suggested that I pray to myself and worship myself instead of looking to the universe for answers. And, I thought, hmmmm how interesting, I can totally try that. And, the results were incredible!

The definition of love is loosely an intense feeling of deep affection. And, to worship means to honor and express devotion to a deity. I wanted to truly show that I am devoted to honoring myself and holding myself sacred above all else, unwaveringly, and fully committed forever and always. So began my self-worship practice and a new level of accountability, commitment, love, honor, and empowerment that I’ve never felt before.

Now, even though I still pray and greatly respect some greater universal energy and ask for guidance and support, I equally make that prayer to my own soul.

For the first time in my life and in my spiritual practice, I am truly embracing and acknowledging the divinity in me. And since then, my ability to stay grounded and in my power has held firmer. My commitment to my self-love has been more stable, and my self-prioritization has become non-negotiable.

So, in practice, what does this look like?

In the past when I would practice self-love, but still fall into the trap of criticizing my body, I now catch myself in that judgment and pause to worship every cell in my body—thanking it and bowing down to her for all the amazing things she does to keep me alive and healthy.

I worship my mind for its cleverness, sharpness, intellect, and wit.

I worship my soul for its evolution, for its capacity to help other beings, and for its vitality, sparkle, and radiance.

I practice self-worship in meditation while sitting in front of my altar, while sitting in nature, and right before I meet with a client.

I kiss my own arms gently and tenderly.

I wrap myself in a hug.

I self-pleasure, breathe deeply, sing and chant, and sigh and moan out anything I need to let go of.

I let my mind relax in softness and stillness.

I give my senses a break so my mind can slow down.

I explore my soul and tune into my inner wisdom.

I give my spirit room to expand through imagination and soar to other realms.

It is my bliss and I’m grateful for this discovery.

I know to some this is just semantics. But for me, this was a powerful shift and a massive forward leap in my personal journey. To worship the self, instead of turning that divinity over to someone or something else, is profound.

May this serve you, may you be your own source of divinity, and may you be free.

To close, I leave you with this poem—a daily check-in of sorts to contemplate as part of your own practice.

Self-Worship
A Prayer Poem

Are you capable of self-worship?
The deep bow down, make you cry, on your knees
kind of worship
Where you are not looking above for your source of faith
but within
Are you capable of seeing your greatness?
and maintaining your power—
centered, in love, in grace
without giving it away
Are you capable of seeing the Goddess within?
of honoring her and living in awe of her beauty,
her strength, her magic
How can we turn that self-worship energy to move with more love,
more freedom, more groundedness?
To channel that power to experience unwavering self-love, compassion,
and faith in ourselves and our process
To become and fully embody the Goddess, the truest version of ourselves
with unshakable trust, kind conviction, and unconditional and unlimited love
sourced from within.