Rituals of Radiance: How Self-Care Becomes a Sacred Act

After working in the beauty industry for 14 years, I’ve witnessed a profound shift. What was once viewed as a luxury reserved for special occasions has now become an essential part of wellness. Regular facials are as important as regular doctor checkups.

While professional estheticians cannot diagnose medical conditions, we do study skin diseases and disorders extensively in school. This creates an opportunity to notice irregularities, such as changes in moles, and encourage clients to seek medical attention when needed.

Self-care becomes a sacred act the moment you choose to look in the mirror with eyes of love at the reflection staring back. It begins with appreciating what you are giving your attention to. Esoteric, I know—but hear me out.

You’ve probably heard the yogic saying, “Where focus goes, energy flows.” The quality of your energy matters because your ritual matters—and you matter. As humans, we radiate when we are in a state of joy. Being in your natural state of joy requires taking care of yourself. The world naturally tends toward entropy, but your self-care ritual acts like compounding interest in you. It strengthens your capacity to give to others without depletion. Giving without expectation is a great gift—a blessed state that even supports telomere growth.

The definition of “sacred” is something connected to a higher power, something greater than the self. When practicing self-care, express gratitude for what you’ve been given—a beautiful face and body. Your body is the vessel that carries you through the storm—or becomes the storm. Treat your reflection as the blessing it is, in all your glory.

Your skin, the largest organ of the body, functions as both a nutrient absorber and a system for waste removal. It protects your vital organs, regulates temperature, and responds to light through melanogenesis (tanning). Because your skin gives so much, it deserves respect. Speak sweetly to it—not just in words, but in thought.

Thought is not an airy thing. It lives in the fourth layer, weaving through the endocrine system, flowing through hyaluronic rivers, shaping bone. Our perception of a thought becomes the emotion, and that emotion becomes the body. Sweet thoughts carve beauty deeper than skin—they shape how we inhabit ourselves.

A beauty ritual is not vanity. It is devotion. It is prayer in motion. It is the soft, persistent language of love spoken to your own reflection.

Citations

Lorenzi C, Leggeri A, Cammarota I, Carosi P, Mazzetti V, Arcuri C. Hyaluronic Acid in Bone Regeneration: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Dent J (Basel). 2024 Aug 19;12(8):263. doi: 10.3390/dj12080263. PMID: 39195107; PMCID: PMC11353189.

Zhao C, Zhang Z, Hu X, Zhang L, Liu Y, Wang Y, Guo Y, Zhang T, Li W, Li B. Hyaluronic Acid Correlates With Bone Metastasis and Predicts Poor Prognosis in Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022 Jan 26;12:785192. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.785192. PMID: 35154001; PMCID: PMC8826575.

Edwards R, Ibison MC, Jessel-Kenyon J, Taylor RB. Measurements of human bioluminescence. Acupunct Electrother Res. 1990;15(2):85-94. doi: 10.3727/036012990816358243. PMID: 1978506.

Giridharan S. Yoga and Telomeres: A Path to Cellular Longevity? Cureus. 2024 Nov 27;16(11):e74552. doi: 10.7759/cureus.74552. PMID: 39735156; PMCID: PMC11676400.

Bliss Ball Bliss

I am a healthy traveler. Nutrient-dense food is vital when traveling because cognitive ability is crucial to a smooth flow. It is a moving meditation that requires an artist. A Bliss Ball is a nutrient-dense superfood convenient for traveling AND indulgent to the senses. The fresher the cacao is, the better. These are great for sustainable energy throughout the work day, camping trips and road trips, etc.

@marctran

So grab a cutting board, knife, two bowls and the following ingredients…

¼ c Peanut Butter
½-1 Banana
1 ½ TBS Coconut Oil
1 bag of Dates
¼ tsp Vanilla

1/4c Cacao
1 ½  TBS Maca Root Powder
¼ tsp Cinnamon, Nutmeg
¼ c Panela

Sesame Seeds
Coconut Flakes

Chop the dates until they form a mass. Smoosh together peanut butter, banana, coconut oil, dates and vanilla in one bowl. In another bowl mix cacao, maca root powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and panela. Combine the bowl to form a solid mass. Roll the mass to form balls. Roll the balls in sesame seeds or coconut flakes.

Rose Petals are fun too!

Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Enjoy your trip and stay well, friends!

Cacao from Lake Atitlan - To get your brick of fresh cacao from an ethical source contact us.

Leading with Light: The Power of Humility, Courage, and Connection in True Leadership

There is no value to light without darkness. The ability to see the light in difficult situations and pull out victorious is virtuous of a good leader. A good leader observes the surroundings to make sure the people are taken care of. The followers are reminded they are where they need to be to solve a problem and that all of their life experiences have brought them to this point. This creates significance, a basic human need.

Connection is a primal, basic human need. The role of a leader is to overcome the face of adversity with courage and confidence to achieve the desired goal. They inspire connection and empower those they lead while keeping a humble perception. Diverse perception opens channels of humility by touching many people. All walks of life are united, for the greater good.

Humility makes a good leader inspirational. A True leader learns from their mistakes and can gracefully move forward. Humility says, “I can navigate through decisions and will take responsibility for the decisions made.” The ability to see with compassion and forgiveness, and also to teach by showing and not simply telling, make one a great leader.

Abraham Lincoln was a great leader who came from humble beginnings, working odd jobs and reading as many books as he could get his hands on. He later went on to become the 16th president of the United States. This spectrum of influence is a virtue of a good leader as it opens perception in order to relate to a broader range of people. By relating to a broader range of people, the desired outcome has the propensity to impact more people on an intimate level, because people are human. This is the relatability that forms movements and inspires people to live. 79% of employees quit due to a lack of appreciation. Significance is one of the basic human needs, and when leading a team, it is vital that the team feels they have a purpose and that their purpose is valued.

Courage is an attribute of a good leader because courage is following your heart even when what you believe is against practicality. Courage is stepping outside the box to look at the whole picture, and then doing what one believes is right based on the experience of previous decisions made. The courage to be authentic in self is a virtue of a great leader because we are all here with a unique gift to offer the world. When we take the courage to follow our hearts and share our gifts, we can truly step into the best version of ourselves. The role of a leader is to empower others to follow their truth by example. When people see that something is possible, it becomes real, and they believe in themselves to do the same.

Humility, diverse perception, and courage make a good leader because these are attributes of a good person. Someone in the role of power and influence needs to be a good person, or the masses will fall. Corpses will surround and the most impactful people will lose sight of what is important: love and connection to self. We can’t love others if we don’t love ourselves. If people are constantly coming from a place of fear and insignificance, there will be no drive to live, let alone reach the end goal. The role of a good leader is to inspire and reach a goal. Humility, diverse perception, and courage make this possible and admirable.