# Chain: Self Love Foundation > *Loving oneself is the prerequisite for loving others* **The argument it traces:** One cannot extend compassion outward while suppressing or condemning the self → the seeker is not to blame for their condition and should meet their own cleansing with compassion → self-love opens the capacity to love others fully → and the soul that loves itself becomes a clear channel of Love to the world **3** messages · **19** supporting · complete --- ## Foundation ### 2016-02-29 - [[2016-02-29 You Struggle but You Do Make Progress|You Struggle but You Do Make Progress]] **(anchor)** Presumptive anchor; the whole argument in one passage, being loved by God as the ground of self-love, and self-love as what opens compassion for others: "You are precious to God, loved by God and you must start to love yourselves in this way. For when you can truly love yourselves you can look upon yourself with compassion, you can allow yourself to feel compassion and love for others and to be a great a mighty channel of Love in this world." The failure state is suppression, covering "your own soulful longings for Love and to love," which leaves the soul stuck until it acknowledges what it holds and lets God heal it. ## Elaboration ### 2016-10-17 - [[2016-10-17 Let Your Light Shine|Let Your Light Shine]] The entailment routed through perception rather than through judgment. "As you begin to turn your gaze upon yourself and acknowledge how precious you are, how beautiful you are, how wondrous is your creation... in this way you then have eyes to see the beauty in others." Nearest to it is [[2019-04-05 Mediumship, Gifts, Being a Channel of Love|2019-04-05-af-augustine]], self-acceptance rendering judgment of another impossible, with [[2016-02-29 You Struggle but You Do Make Progress|2016-02-29-af-confucius]] carrying self-love as the way through judgment, anger and fear. Both of those reach others through the removal of judgment; this makes self-recognition a precondition of sight itself, so what is gained is the capacity to perceive another's beauty rather than the removal of an obstacle. Not an anchor candidate, since the message's spine is being a channel of Light and the self-love passage is one paragraph within it. ### 2019-04-05 - [[2019-04-05 Mediumship, Gifts, Being a Channel of Love|Mediumship, Gifts, Being a Channel of Love]] The mechanism stated as logic: "Come to understand yourself above all, to accept yourself above all... In this way, how can you judge another when you are being of love and acceptance, joy and light?" Self-acceptance rendering judgment of others impossible; arguably a developed statement, though it stands as one movement within a larger message. Possible section anchor; decide at build. --- ## Also touches on this *These messages restate or echo the idea rather than carry it forward, so they sit alongside the thread rather than in it.* - **2014-12-01** [[2014-12-01 Express Your Yearnings to God|Express Your Yearnings to God]] (witness) - "Indeed it is your challenge to love yourselves and in so doing to truly love your fellow man." - **2015-03-28** [[2015-03-28 The Journey of Divine Love Takes Time but Brings Great Benefits|The Journey of Divine Love Takes Time but Brings Great Benefits]] (witness) - Supplies the step above the thread's premise. The roster argues that loving oneself is the prerequisite for loving others; Augustine gives the source of the self-love: "you are truly loved by God and in this you will truly love yourselves. And in this you will love your brothers and sisters." Being loved by God comes first, self-love follows from it, and love of others follows from that. - **2015-05-18** [[2015-05-18 Recognizing Your Two Selves, the Soul and the Material Mind|Recognizing Your Two Selves, the Soul and the Material Mind]] (witness) - "The next step is to truly love yourselves, beloveds, to see the Light within you and recognize what a beautiful creation you are," with loving oneself and others named together, "you love yourselves in accordance to this, and love others," and "Do not condemn yourselves." - **2016-03-07** [[2016-03-07 Sensitive Souls Are the Saviours of This World|Sensitive Souls Are the Saviours of This World]] (sighting) - "to love yourselves, to love all around you," the two named together without argument. - **2016-03-10** [[2016-03-10 Struggle of Mind|Struggle of Mind]] (sighting) - "This does not mean you should not love yourselves and acknowledge every aspect of who you are," a caution inside a message about taming the willful mind. - **2016-03-11** [[2016-03-11 Encrustations of the Soul|Encrustations of the Soul]] (witness) - The registry spine's second step in the message's own words, "continue to love one another, to love yourselves... You must have compassion for yourselves and know that you are not to blame for your condition. You are in a way a victim of these conditions because you have been buffeted by the world." The same passage holds the [[Chains/Soul Expiation|Soul Expiation]] Reframe. - **2016-03-12** [[2016-03-12 God's Touch in the World|God's Touch in the World]] (sighting) - "your capacity to love yourselves" named among the capacities that grow as the seeker moves forward. - **2016-03-16** [[2016-03-16 You Are Truly Beautiful Souls|You Are Truly Beautiful Souls]] (witness) - A short message wholly on the thread's subject, self-love grounded in being loved: "You are truly beautiful souls, each one of you, and I hope that someday you can truly accept this, how beautiful you are, and to love yourselves fully with great joy and true knowledge that you are loved, that you carry love, that you are beautiful, truly beautiful." - **2016-05-09** [[2016-05-09 Shedding Many Skins as the Love Transforms You|Shedding Many Skins as the Love Transforms You]] (witness) - Self-condemnation refused, "Do not condemn yourselves... know with a deep compassion for yourselves." - **2016-06-04** [[2016-06-04 Your Loved Ones Live On in Spirit|Your Loved Ones Live On in Spirit]] (sighting) - "the weight of your lack of self love" named as part of what must be released for healing, in a personal message. - **2016-08-26** [[2016-08-26 This House Is Blessed by God|This House Is Blessed by God]] (witness) - The entailment in its positive form ("when you love yourself completely you cannot but love all in this way"); [[2019-04-05 Mediumship, Gifts, Being a Channel of Love|2019-04-05-af-augustine]] carries it developed from the other side; not an anchor candidate. - **2016-09-01** [[2016-09-01 Be Open to God's Love|Be Open to God's Love]] (witness) - "forgiveness of yourselves" placed first, with "each one a beautiful soul, each one is worthy of God's Touch of Love" ahead of it; the self-first ordering is the thread's own claim; not an anchor candidate. - **2016-09-11** [[2016-09-11 Many Are with You in Your Efforts|Many Are with You in Your Efforts]] (witness) - The thread's territory in practice form, with a provenance clause. "I would suggest that you say these three things to yourself often to counteract these negative thoughts that have been placed within you: you are worthy, you are loved, and you are beautiful." The negative self-estimate is attributed to what others placed within him, which pairs with [[2016-09-12 You Are Supported in Your Struggle|2016-09-12-af-jerome]], the conditions "placed within you as innocent children". Not an anchor candidate. - **2016-10-24** [[2016-10-24 Consider Your Progress|Consider Your Progress]] (sighting) - "a capacity to love yourself and to love others" in one clause, the entailment named without argument; developed at [[2016-10-17 Let Your Light Shine|2016-10-17-af-keea-atta-kem]]. - **2016-11-07** [[2016-11-07 Love Is the Key|Love Is the Key]] (witness) - This message meets the chain from the receiving side rather than the giving side. The chain holds that you cannot love others while condemning yourself. Andrew holds that you cannot receive abundantly while doubting you are loved: "All that inhibits this blessing from flowing into yourselves in great abundance is that doubt within you, that you are loved." The two agree that a settled self-regard opens everything else, and differ on whether it comes from loving yourself or from accepting that you are loved. Whether the chain's argument admits the receiving side is an open question. - **2017-06-15** [[2017-06-15 Lesson on Judgement|Lesson on Judgement]] (witness) - "For a soul that truly loves itself and is embedded within this pure Love of God there can be no judgment, only acceptance and perception," with self-condemnation refused, "There is no need to say, 'I am a failure. I am unworthy.'" - **2018-06-24** [[2018-06-24 Seek Humility and Compassion for Self and Others|Seek Humility and Compassion for Self and Others]] (witness) - The seeker's own imperfection met with compassion, "you cannot be perfect... So, you must have compassion for yourselves, beloveds," and "please do not reject yourselves." - **2018-06-26** [[2018-06-26 Release Judgment, Embrace Love|Release Judgment, Embrace Love]] (witness) - "Stop judging, my beloveds. Stop judging yourselves. Stop condemning yourselves and condemning others," with compassion for one's own patterns asked in place of self-condemnation. - **2018-09-30** [[2018-09-30 Time to Speak the Truth|Time to Speak the Truth]] (witness) - The order of the loves as an outcome of that integration, "In this way, you will truly love yourselves. In this way, you will have a tremendous capacity to love others."