I like myself.
I used to feel profoundly uncomfortable saying that, and even writing it now gives me finger tip tingles.
Sure, I’ve gotten used to the spiritual truth that self-love is the fundamental foundation of a happy life. I can meditate for hours and feel nothing but this love flow through me. I can marvel at the stillness in my mind, the peace in my heart, the cosmic light show in my aura. Sometimes I can even forget who I am, surrendering fully into the awareness that I am one with everything that is, ever was, and ever will be.
But when it comes to the far more simple and straightforward task of liking myself, I find a little falter. I start to hear soft echoes in my ears, and I recognize them as tiny ringing reminders of all the reasons I’m not supposed to like myself. When I listen in more closely, the message seems to be that I’m not even allowed to like myself. After all, if “like” is the currency of social acceptance, then it must belong to other people. Nobody likes somebody who likes themselves too much, right?
I remember how it felt when I found out that people didn’t like something I said, something I did, something I wore, something I was. I would have done anything to get back to like, and - because I couldn’t like myself - that meant I had to become someone else. Someone more likable. So I learned not to like myself. I let other people decide whether I was likable, and then I aligned myself with their opinions about how I should be. This was the fast track to becoming popular, and it worked.
I gained a lot from being Popular Patrick. He made more friends than I can count, surrounding himself in a sea of like. He gifted me a successful career by any measure, settling - of course - on something remarkably easy to like. He even took me around the world in his endless quest for like.
I am forever grateful to this version of myself, and it’s also time to say hello to someone new. I want to be the Patrick who unquestionably likes himself, the Patrick who is brave enough to assert who he is. I want to be the Patrick who isn’t the least bit concerned about other people’s expectations of his presence, the Patrick who spontaneously dyes his hair purple and uses it as the cover image for his post without pausing to consider how it will go down.
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This week, we all have an invitation to step (back) into self-like. Our gutsy neighbor Mars is making its way unapologetically through its feisty home sign of Aries, and over the next few days it will come to meet the maverick healing energy of the planetoid Chiron. Aries is audaciously assertive, a place where individual expression is king. Mars in Aries acts without hesitation, showing up in its fullness without ever wondering whether it’s welcome. And Chiron in Aries shows us where we have taken on the pain of doubting ourselves, where we have dulled our inherent self-confidence to fit in.
Together, Mars and Chiron in Aries remind us that sometimes self-assertion IS self-love. When we take off the filter of social acceptance and allow ourselves to act as we are, we see much more clearly what we came to create in the world around us. This is the perfect recipe for revisiting and releasing the popular version of you, and it’s a chance to reclaim the like you have always deserved. So let go of all the ways you adjusted yourself to make someone else happy - this wasn’t you learning to be likable, it was you unlearning that you already were.
Speaking of seeing clearly: Next week I’ll lead the first Energy Clearing and Support Session for subscribers on Thursday, May 30 at 4:30 pm London time. I know the idea of energy clearing might be new to you - it was once new to me - and I’ve come to appreciate that real life examples can help our rational minds embrace new possibilities. Also, it’s time for me to unapologetically assert what I do! So here are a few recent stories from clients about what can happen when you clear your energy:
“The session led to a deep release, creating a significant shift in a chronic health problem which I’ve suffered my entire life.”
“Our session was super powerful - just days later the energy topic we worked on helped me unlock a significant and previously intractable business challenge”
“I was blown away by the session, it was so powerful and helped me to understand some ancestral patterns… I gained so much clarity and wisdom.”
“I could feel myself lighten somatically… Emerging from the session, I felt my nervous system settle down and my heart fill with expansive energy.”
“I felt so much lighter and more at ease once the session was done. It was a beautiful experience.”
There’s a special subscription rate through June 6, and you’re always welcome to book an individual energy session if that’s more your vibe. I’m also THRILLED to announce that I’m launching an Energy Lab with my fantastically brilliant friend and colleague Robin. It’ll be free for readers this summer, and our first session will convene on Tuesday, June 11. You’ll find full details below, and here are five quick things we’ll do in the Energy Lab:
Try out brand new energy tools and tricks 🔧
Play with curious and creative friends 🛝
Get to know our own unique energy ⚛️
Connect with the power of cosmic flow ✨
Find more joy in the world we share 🌍
Love (and like),
Patrick
Energy Lab
Next session: Tuesday, June 11 @ 8:00 am PT / 11:00 am ET / 4:00 pm UK / 5:00 pm Europe
Come play with us in the Energy Lab! 🧪🧫 There are no limits on ways that you can lovingly work with your energy, and this means there are always new techniques to explore.🚀 So let’s come together and try out some divinely inspired creative exercises to free our energy and find more joy in life.🌟 We’ll learn, we’ll laugh, we’ll expand our energy toolkit, and we’ll get to know ourselves better.💕
Join us the second Tuesday of the month at 8:00 am PT / 11:00 am ET / 4:00 pm UK / 5:00 pm Europe for an hour of energy experiments. From embodied exercises and linguistic hacks to galactic visualizations and angelic assistance, you’re sure to have a blast.💥
Zoom link forthcoming