It All Comes Back to Self-Love

“Truly everything comes back to self-love. The love you are able to give yourself is mirrored in the love you receive. It is a constant cosmic exchange.” – Mariah K. Lyons in Crystal Healing for Women: The Modern Guide to The Power of Crystals for Renewed Energy, Strength, and Wellness

The month of February and Valentine’s Day often focus on the love we share with others—but this year, we would like to rē-spin your focus onto self-love. You’ve likely heard it said that you cannot pour from an empty cup, which speaks to the importance of self-care. But at the core of self-care is self-love, and few understand this as profoundly as Amber Makupson, the CEO and founder of the crystal-powered haircare line, Meraki Organics.

What is Self-Love?

“Self-love is the highest form of cherishing and honoring myself fully. It is a journey of healing, forgiveness, nourishing and nurturing myself back to wholeness,” she says. “For me, self-love is every day, not just Sundays.” After losing her mother unexpectedly in January 2021, at the same hospital where she had once lost her father, Makupson found her spirituality put to the test. With a daughter, a thriving business, and others that depend on her, she found that investing in herself had to be the priority. “During this time it has been important to keep self-love a priority [to] stay balanced and nourished physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally,” she explains.

Self-Love Isn’t Selfish:

In truth, self-love is far from self-indulgent. In many ways, it is offering yourself the same compassion, understanding, and motivation that you might provide for a loved one, your child, or even a beloved pet. The peace this fosters within helps you—and your loved ones—thrive. 

In Makupson’s case, remembering the unconditional love that her mother provided is a source of inspiration. “I believe it would break my mom’s heart if I were to be in a depressive state and to totally lose sight of my dreams and goals,” she explains. “Maintaining my wellness practices has been extremely important to tending to my mental state and vibration.” This has meant eating a clean diet, getting ample rest, spending time in nature, exercising, practicing proper breathing, and taking time to meditate and reconnect with her spirituality.

How to Practice Self-Love:

Because self-love plays a central role in Makupson’s wellness practice, she has plenty of tips for you in starting your practice. “My advice would be to incorporate things that you absolutely love, and that make you feel happy and free,” she says. “Remember to be gentle with yourself; loving yourself is about seeing, nourishing, and nurturing all parts of you.”

A DIY Self-Love Bath by Amber Makupson:

“My favorite self-love ritual is my sacred bath time,” Makupson says. “I call it a ‘Love Bath. This is really a sacred space for me to recharge my energy field and enhance my vibration with pure love, as love is the highest vibration.” The emotionally sensitive will find water to be particularly cleansing—not just for the body, but also for shedding unwanted “residue” from the day.

Makupson begins her therapeutic soak with mindfulness meditations and reciting affirmations. Mindfulness is a practice that helps to cultivate a nonjudgmental awareness of your thoughts. Makupson believes this self-awareness is key to her manifestation practice of conscious co-creation. “I believe that our minds are so powerful,” she says, explaining that once you become aware of your thoughts and inner dialogue, you can align them to promote peace, wellness, and the attainment of your goals.

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If you are unfamiliar with the practice of reciting affirmations, Makupson recommends starting with the simple phrase, “I am the pure essence of love.” While reciting the affirmation, either in your mind or out loud, she instructs that you bring your focus to your heart chakra and the color green, the hue associated with the spiritual energy center.

She adds that meditation, breathwork, and the energy of crystals are all-powerful healing tools that make fantastic additions to a self-love bath. “I primarily keep rose quartz crystals surrounding the tub,” she says of the soft pink gemstone that is associated with love, self-love, and compassion. Fresh rose petals, detoxifying Epsom, and mineral-rich sea salts, lavender and rose essential oils, incense or candles, and soft music all set the ambiance and enhance the experience.

Enjoy the process—and relish the fact that you are aligning your words, intentions, and actions with honoring your being.

Written in loving memory of Steve and Linda Makupson.