The Language of Inner Worth
Dear Friends,
Here at the Owl’s Nest, the concept of self-love frequently surfaces, as it serves as a cornerstone for healing, personal growth, relational competence, and intimacy. This edition of the newsletter delves into self-love and its interplay with the Law of Attraction. In exploring the implications of how self-love is expressed linguistically across different cultures, I aim to uncover how these perspectives can enrich our understanding and practice of this vital principle. For those overcoming trauma, embracing self-love can feel daunting—for some, it feels unattainable; for others, the very thought may even provoke discomfort.
While crafting my website’s content, I noted several repetitions of “self-love” in the text, so I naturally sought out different ways to express the concept. Surprisingly, I found that all its synonyms have negative connotations—selfishness, narcissism, conceit. It seems there's a cultural ambivalence about embracing self-love without feeling guilty or overly self-involved. Curious about whether this view is unique to English-speaking cultures, I discovered that other cultures have words for self-love that imply more positive attributes:
Amor Propio (Spanish) and Amor Proprio (Italian): Both translate to “proper love,” signifying inherent dignity, self-esteem, and self-respect.
Självkärlek (Swedish): Means “self-love,” and, most importantly, is widely recognized as crucial for well-being.
Atmanubhuti (Sanskrit): Denotes “self-experience,” or the realization of one’s soul, hinting at a profound, spiritual self-connection.
This variety shows us that self-love is more than self-prioritization; it’s about cultivating a nurturing relationship with oneself. It involves setting boundaries, honoring your needs, and giving yourself the space to flourish, and can even hold spiritual significance.
Why do you think self-love is shaded so negatively in English-speaking cultures? Are there words you know from other languages that can expand our comprehension of self-love? Can you imagine feeling differently about self-love if that term carried pride, well-being or spirituality in your native language?
From an energy standpoint, nurturing self-love indeed shifts our internal landscape, imbuing us with a positive self-image that can enhance our overall life experience and attract positive outcomes. However, when we consider the Law of Attraction, it’s vital to adopt a balanced view. While this philosophy proposes that our thoughts can influence our reality, taking this idea to an extreme can foster an unjust narrative of victim-blaming, implying that those who have survived harrowing experiences have simply “attracted” such violations due to their mindset.
This is a reductive take on a vastly more complex interplay of cause and effect that shapes our lives. It's essential to recognize that while our attitudes and beliefs are powerful, they interact with a myriad of external factors beyond our control. By acknowledging that the Law of Attraction is but one element in the mosaic of life's forces, we avoid oversimplifying human experiences and instead, open ourselves to a more compassionate, self-compassionate and realistic understanding of personal growth, resilience and our energy field itself.
Wishing you abundant self-love,
Sally
