When I started loving myself” – A poem by Charlie Chaplin
When I started loving myself
I understood that I’m always and at any given opportunity
in the right place at the right time.
And I understood that all that happens is right –
from then on I could be calm.
Today I know: It’s called TRUST.
When I started to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody
When I tried to force my desires on this person,
even though I knew the time is not right and the person was not ready for it,
and even though this person was me.
Today I know: It’s called LETTING GO
When I started loving myself
I could recognize that emotional pain and grief
are just warnings for me to not live against my own truth.
Today I know: It’s called AUTHENTICALLY BEING.
When I started loving myself
I stopped longing for another life
and could see that everything around me was a request to grow.
Today I know: It’s called MATURITY.
When I started loving myself
I stopped depriving myself of my free time
and stopped sketching further magnificent projects for the future.
Today I only do what’s fun and joy for me,
what I love and what makes my heart laugh,
in my own way and in my tempo.
Today I know: it’s called HONESTY.
When I started loving myself
I escaped from all what wasn’t healthy for me,
from dishes, people, things, situations
and from everyhting pulling me down and away from myself.
In the beginning I called it the “healthy egoism”,
but today I know: it’s called SELF-LOVE.
When I started loving myself
I stopped wanting to be always right
thus I’ve been less wrong.
Today I’ve recognized: it’s called HUMBLENESS.
When I started loving myself
I refused to live further in the past
and worry about my future.
Now I live only at this moment where EVERYTHING takes place,
like this I live every day and I call it CONSCIOUSNESS.
When I started loving myself
I recognized, that my thinking
can make me miserable and sick.
When I requested for my heart forces,
my mind got an important partner.
Today I call this connection HEART WISDOM.
We do not need to fear further discussions,
conflicts and problems with ourselves and others
since even stars sometimes bang on each other
and create new worlds.
Today I know: THIS IS LIFE!
Charlie Chaplin
Poetry and spirituality, wisdom and self esteem
Love in a shamanic meaning
Hello everyone,
Today universe brought my way for the second time (thanks to “mujer chaman”) this profound and enchanting poem from Charlie Chaplin and i have decided to publish it. Far beyond his mere comic genius, Charlie Chaplin has really been a beautiful soul with a big heart who has managed to convey through his work, his art and his writings a simple and authentic wisdom.
On top of the fact it is beautiful, this text is giving me the opportunity to talk about a few things of importance regarding self esteem, love and of course love in a spiritual and shamanic meaning. Indeed, referring to the title of this poetry and regard “self-love”, it is important not to confuse acceptance and adulation. It is unfortunatly an error anyone can fall in pretty easily as many time egos and it’s favorite tool, the mind, are taking back some words or sentences that were not originally directed to them to gargle in and finally stay hooked to their own illusion. This process makes sometimes difficult to stay on the right side of the line between self-esteem and narcissism; the worst form of illusion remaining somehow the one happening when narcissism takes the face of spirituality to offer a nice posing face to the world and seduice it. That gets pretty sad when it turns into a claim to be an example to be followed and even worse when the one that claims it is trapped himself in his own illusion without even realizing it.
I have quite a few examples in mind about some people fairly sure they are fully awake who keep posting every three days on Facebook new pictures of themselves “posing” , (often “selfies” which makes it somehow worse) and then waiting for the “likes” and cute comments to come. Though facebook is certainly not the best place on earth to set apart from narcissism but most surely the one to fall into it even more deeply, it always makes me laugh and sometimes feel sad at the same time when the same people keep using spirituality and pretend to show the right direction to people when they don’t turn into lessons givers. I mean it is ok not to feel ready to leave the Ego things but in this case it would be better to leave on the side any spiritual ambition to lead anyone to nowhere. Again there is nothing worse than narcissism taking the face of spirituality to nutrish itself and to vampire people’s energy : “Oh, Mirror mirror tell me, who is the most beautiful, wise and humble, in the world?”
Honestly, noone would imagine the Buddha, Jesus Christ, a wise zen master as Taisen Deshimaru or a native Amazonian Shaman making selfies of themselves every three days, waiting for people to compliment them on their new hair cut or on their mysterious studied and sometimes photoshoped “far away” look… Let’s be serious about the spiritual path, ego and flattery cannot be at the center, nore seduction based on appareances or anything else. All the wise beings i mentionned have passed over and teached us about the illusion of the body, the kingdom of appearances and the poor coquetry. The cries or the calls of a children calling for attention and love cannot match with the spiritual path thought it’s an excellent way to separate fakes from authentic, Anyway, let’s be wise and take it as another challenge to practice compassion, realising how ego can be powerful and smart in wearing masks until fooling the ones that wear them…
Back to possible confusions between self acceptance and self adulation, self-esteem is important in every path of life, as well in any spiritual path. In this last one, the possible beginner’s mystake to start fighting his own ego in a too strong way and without compassion is even the best way to maintain it and to wander on wrong paths. “What resists persists” said Carl Jung, and we must treat ourselves with patience and compassion while avoiding at the same time, the pitfalls of self-adulation or narcissism.
Even in a strenuous spiritual path such as Zen Buddhism (that will always be for me the way of the Samurais) where one goes track down his own ego until into the pains that raised from immobility and long silent meditations, there is compassion. Another common mystake is to confused self-compassion with self pity and doing a zen retreat is usually a very good way to help one make the difference. I would even recommand it as a try and even asking for the kyozaku to help make the difference even more. Ok, i know… The zen path is surely not for anyone and they are also softer ways but whatever is the one chosen, we need to keep in mind that Ego and narcissism is like a super smart thing to fool one on the path. For this very reason I have always prefered the idea of self-acceptance or self-esteem and its indispensable ally: vigilance, to this idea that makes one say “i soooo love myself”.
“As long as you feel that you are the most important thing in the world you cannot really appreciate the world around you. You are like a horse with blinders, all you see is yourself apart from everything else.”
Carlos Castaneda, journey to Ixtlan, Don juan’s teachings.
Quotes on shamanism and spirituality
To tackle the subject of love in a shamanic and spiritual meaning, it is something that stands far beyond this one “love” closed to narcissism we were talking about above. Shamanic love roots and flows from the entire universe and goes back to it. Somehow, it just flows through us to be redistributed or gifted back. When we follow the spiritual path further, we discover that it is coming from “something” much bigger than this thing we have maintained for long and that we call Ego. We carry this “something” inside us but it is not being limited by the illusions of the ego, nor by the ones of time and space. This “something” does not die and is eternal. This is the source of all things, of all creations and all life. We cannot see or perceive it with the ego tools, nore the mind ones. One can not adequately describe it with words, they are not adapted to embrace the whole reality of it. The heart wisdom and openess is the key. Men have been calling it Dharma, the Eye, God, Sibo, the Great Spirit, the origin and the end, The Tao, the creator of all consciousness, the great consciousness, The energy, The intention, etc …
Whatever you call it, it exists in all its magnificence within us the same way it stands in any other living being, a human, a frog, a blade of grass in the wind, a fresh river flowing between the stones, and it is the source of true love. For this very reason, when speaking of love in shamanism, the right questions to ask ourselves should always be “Who’s Watching?” “What is the real source of our love, be it for ourselves or for others?” “Do we expect anything from anyone or in any way in return?” “What is this inside ourselves that loves?”
It’s a new day, a beautiful day. The sun provides its light, love and life equally to every living being on earth. It’s is a good time to open our heart and let it embrace and contain the whole universe and everything living out there. And from there, let’s make it a special moment to enjoy this joy and love we find inside and outside of us with a total confidence in its perfection.
The great Tao flows everywhere,
both to the left and to the right.
The ten thousand things depend upon it;
it holds nothing back.
It fulfills its purpose silently and makes no claim.
It nourishes the ten thousand things,
And yet is not their lord.
It has no aim; it is very small.
The ten thousand things return to it,
Yet it is not their lord.
It is very great.
It does not show greatness,
And is therefore truly great..”
Lao Tseu. Tao te king. La voie du Tao.
Confidence in the perfection
Quotes on shamanism and spirituality, profound wisdom
Love and shamanism
May your day be full of light, joy and wisdom.
Fred
Yourenergymedicine.com
Energy and shamanic healing, distant healing.