Ameni. Hope all has been well for you.
Today is the start of Mercury Retrograde, and for those who know, this is a time for deep introspection and shadow work. Things may come to the surface that you have to heal. Others may not have such a difficult time however, so it is important to do what resonates for you and your highest good.
Self-worth has been coming up quite a bit (at least on this side). Your self-worth is directly tied to your value in society. This means that having a high level of self-worth or self-love is what will make you have value to others and ultimately to yourself.
Imagine this: You paint a picture and you worked hard to do so. You think its a great work of art. You show this picture to a friend, and he or she says "WOW! This is great! It's a work of art!" Instantly, your self-worth goes up because this friend praises you on the painting you not only worked hard on, but had the strength to show them. On top of that, this person has to have a high level of value (and self-worth) for their viewpoint to matter to you. This is how value is created. This is not to be confused with validating others. You, nor anyone else, should look to be validated by another person. It takes discernment to see who sees the value in you. Praising people for their accomplishments is good, but constructive criticism helps them become even better. This however, must be done from a place of love, and not bashing them.
There's a certain level of confidence that one has to have in themselves in order to succeed in anything. When meeting others, this confidence radiates all around you. In the example, by giving value to each other, these friends with the painting then have the COLLECTIVE value amongst themselves to show, and eventually sell this painting to a worthy buyer... but only someone who see the value in the work.
By deeming yourself worthy, you create a value for the work that you do, and come to a conclusion about how much you are valued. Naturally, since your self-worth isn't tied to anyone else, its easy to see the value in others' work.
You are worthy, which means you have value. Meditate on this today.
Ameni