Creating a more loving world!
People who know self-love, naturally spread love wherever they wander. What if more humans recognized their true value, knew they were innately worthy, lovable and whole?
What if more of us actually loved ourselves, all of ourselves?
Self-love has long been a radical, revolutionary practice for those marginalized and dehumanized by societal systems. From the inception of this country, it has served as an essential tool for resistance and reclamation. In community, we will explore the transformative power of Radical Self Love (RSL) as a response to contemporary policies and practices. Together, we will craft our own unique path toward embracing ourselves fully and unapologetically. When we are able to love every part of who we are, we open ourselves to love and affirm all of humanity.
Premise of the Radical Self Love work:
We are ALL made of Love. No exceptions!
Infinite love is available and flows through us to the extent that we allow that flow.
We know the two above truths when we come into this lifetime.
Many experiences in our lives have created injuries or blockages to that flow.
Radical Self Love is that which allows us to notice and release blockages to that flow and allows Love to flow through us more fully.
Practicing RSL can transform our lives, our relationships, our communities and our world.
In other words, practicing Radical Self Love is the most important work we can do and this work is simply about remembering what we knew when we came into this form.
Radical Self Love is not a destination. It is a practice. It is a choice every moment to remember our wholeness, our worth, our goodness, our power, our brilliance! It's easy to forget! So many things in our world are designed for the forgetting!
Remembering is an intentional practice! It's deliberate! It doesn't take extra time in the day. It's just a shift in how we look at ourselves, how we hold ourselves.
Many brilliant scholars and activists have inspired this work of Radical Self Love. Here are some some bits of some of their wisdom!
"We live in a world that constantly tells us that we are not enough. We are too dark, too light, too fat, too thin, too queer, too straight, too loud, too quiet. We live in a world that teaches us to judge and critique ourselves in ways that keep us disempowered and divided. Radical self-love says no to those lies and chooses to be in community with our authentic selves." -Sonya Renee Taylor
"Radical self-love is an active practice, not a passive state. It requires us to interrogate the beliefs and behaviors that reinforce our oppression and the oppression of others, and to replace them with practices that align with justice, dignity, and love." -Sonya Renee Taylor
"Radical self-love is an act of resistance. It’s about standing in your truth, no matter how uncomfortable or inconvenient it may be for the world around you."
- Janet Mock
"Self-love is a revolutionary act. It is not just a personal change, but a political one. It says, 'I will not let you control my body, my mind, my spirit. I will love myself and stand in my truth.' Radical self-love is a demand for a new way of being in the world—one that affirms our inherent worth and dignity." -Sonya Renee Taylor
"Radical self-love is not about being selfish or narcissistic; it is about rejecting a system that is built on the exploitation of our bodies and minds. It is about saying no to a world that seeks to define us by our limitations and instead choosing to define ourselves by our limitless potential." -Sonya Renee Taylor
Sonya Renee Taylor is an author, poet, spoken word artist, speaker, humanitarian and social justice activist, educator, and founder of The Body is Not An Apology. Her book was the text for our first class. https://www.sonyareneetaylor.com
“Radical self-love is about choosing yourself every day. It’s about choosing to love yourself and honor your body and your spirit in the face of a world that tries to break you down.” - Janet Mock
“Radical self-love means finding peace in yourself, even when the world around you is in chaos. It means acknowledging that you are worthy of love, care, and respect, regardless of what society tells you.” - Janet Mock
"I don’t need permission to be who I am. I don’t need permission to love myself. It’s a radical act, in a world that constantly tells us we’re not enough." - Janet Mock
"Radical self-love is a transformative tool, not just for individual healing, but for collective liberation. When we love ourselves radically, we are freed from the constraints that society has placed on our bodies and minds, and we open the door for others to do the same."
-Sonya Renee Taylor
"The revolution is not a far-off concept; it begins with the way we choose to love ourselves today. Radical self-love is the foundation upon which all true social justice must rest. It is the love that turns us from victims to warriors, from survivalists to thrivers." -Sonya Renee Taylor
"Radical self-love means not just surviving, but thriving. It means owning every part of yourself—your flaws, your beauty, your mistakes, your triumphs—and making it your armor." - Janet Mock
Janet Mock is an American writer, television producer, and transgender rights activist. Her books, Redefining Realness and Surpassing Certainty took my understanding of Radical Self Love to a whole new depth. https://janetmock.com/
"When we are deeply in love with ourselves, we are also deeply in love with others. Radical self-love is a community-centered practice. It is a love that requires us to hold space for others, to celebrate others, to lift others up as we are lifted." -Sonya Renee Taylor
"When we love ourselves, we begin to create a space where we can be our true selves, not the version others expect or demand us to be." - bell hooks
“In a society where many people are taught to feel shame about who they are, radical self-love becomes an act of rebellion." - bell hooks
"Radical self-love is the love we need to give ourselves in order to transform the world." - bell hooks
"Radical self-love requires us to have the courage to transform the love we give ourselves into a love that can change the world." - bell hooks
"Only by knowing and loving ourselves can we take action to improve the world, because we are no longer seeking validation from others." - bell hooks
"When we love ourselves, we are better able to love others. Love heals. Love is the foundation for transforming both our individual lives and our collective lives."
- bell hooks
bell hooks was Black feminist writer, teacher, cultural critic, and renowned activist-scholar who's work profoundly grew my understanding of love and justice.