Day 5.
Unconditional Love.
Welcome back.
In the last session,
We explored the concept of awareness in Toltec teachings.
We learned how being fully present and attentive to our thoughts and environment can help us discern whether our choices are influenced by past conditioning or reflect our true selves.
Today's objective is to understand the role of unconditional love in combating the negative influences of attachments and domestication.
We will explore how loving ourselves without conditions is essential in maintaining our authenticity and self-worth.
The theory for this section states that practicing unconditional love towards ourselves is crucial for overcoming negative self-perception and fostering personal growth and authenticity.
Attachments and domestication are two of the primary reasons for our unhappiness.
When you start noticing them affecting your life,
It's a step towards detaching yourself from the matrix,
If you will.
But that is not enough.
You must fight them.
You must overcome them.
And the best way is unconditional love.
I know it sounds a little corny,
But it's the truth.
Imagine a scenario where someone attempts to domesticate you through a seemingly innocuous yet sarcastic comment like,
Nice shirt.
Moments before,
You were content with your shirt,
But their tone introduces self-doubt.
At least,
You interpret it that way.
Suddenly,
You internalize their judgment,
And your inner voice turns negative,
Shaking your confidence.
You start believing,
Hey,
Maybe this shirt isn't very nice after all.
This is how domestication works in subtle ways.
It's a subtle and yet effective way for others to introduce and influence certain choices to you,
Especially when you doubt your own decisions in that case.
Negative internal talk or beating yourself up reinforces this issue.
So for instance,
Looking in the mirror,
You might critique your appearance—a bad hair day,
Clothes fitting awkwardly,
Etc.
The inner criticism can spiral,
Leading you to harshly judge yourself as unattractive or unworthy.
And this is the voice of the little parasite in Toltec terms,
Which simply means negative thoughts in our everyday language.
And if left unchallenged,
Such negative talk,
Both from others and yourself,
Can undermine your intentions and your self-belief,
Letting the parasite dominate your self-image.
The only way to fight against such creeping negative thoughts is to love yourself unconditionally.
And unconditional love means accepting and loving yourself regardless of others' opinions and others' comments.
It's about affirming your own choices and recognizing that your worth isn't tied to what others think of you.
So when you practice unconditional love,
And you should,
You respond differently to the sarcastic comment.
Instead of letting doubt creep in,
You remind yourself that your choice of shirt is an expression of your personal style and your preference.
You appreciate the shirt for whatever reason you've chosen to wear it.
Maybe it's comfortable,
Maybe it has your favorite color on it,
Or it just makes you feel good.
This acceptance helps you maintain confidence in your choice,
Regardless of the opinions of others,
Or even the negative voices that may be in your head.
Unconditional love for oneself is about accepting and loving yourself regardless of anything that you might have or might not have,
Anything you might be or might not be.
And whether you accomplish your goals or you don't accomplish them,
Unconditional love is unconditional,
And you ought to remember that.
So here's the practice.
Releasing self-judgment.
Stand in front of a mirror and notice any self-judgments that creep into your mind,
That surface,
And observe critical thoughts about your appearance or your traits.
Identify the judgment that triggers the strongest emotional response,
And then write it down.
Reflect on the origin of this judgment and how it has influenced your behavior.
Ask yourself,
Is this judgment adopted from others?
Has it limited my actions or my opportunities?
Decide if you want this judgment to continue influencing your life.
Notice I said the word decide.
If not,
Acknowledge that it's a belief you've upheld,
And that you choose to release it.
Forgive yourself for any self-criticism by saying out loud,
I forgive myself for using this judgment against me,
And now I choose to let it go.
Dispose of the piece of paper you wrote down your thoughts on as a symbolic act of releasing the belief.
Tear it up.
Throw the pieces away.
Whenever you notice a resurgence of this judgment,
Repeat the forgiveness statement to affirm your commitment,
Your commitment to self-love and to acceptance,
And apply this process to each judgment that you've identified.
So let's sum this up plainly.
Unconditional love helps us overcome the negative effects of domestication and attachment so that we act true to ourselves.
What do you think?
In what ways can practicing unconditional love change how you respond to criticism and how you respond to sarcasm?
What are some steps you can take to cultivate unconditional love for yourself daily?
Note instances where you practiced self-affirmation and self-compassion,
Especially in challenging situations.
Each week,
Review these instances and assess if there's a noticeable increase in moments where you showed yourself unconditional love.
This can be a clear indicator of progress in self-acceptance and in love.
Congratulations,
We've reached the end of this session.
And in the next session,
We will extend the concept of unconditional love to others,
Exploring how it can free ourselves from negative emotions.
Remember,
The more that you practice these techniques,
The faster and easier they will work for you.
Thanks again for allowing me to serve you.
And as always,
Remember,
It's a great day to be alive.
And I'll see you in the next session.
Thank you for listening.
Bye for now.
