To love thyself is to love thy creator.

"At breakfast tea a beloved asked her lover,
'Who do you love more, yourself or me?'

'From my head to my foot I have become you.
Nothing remains of me but my name.
You have your wish. Only you exist.
I've disappeared like a drop of vinegar
in an ocean of honey'

A stone which has become a ruby
is filled with the qualities of the sun.
No stoniness remains in it.
It if loves itself, it is loving the sun.
And if it loves the sun, it is loving itself.
There is no difference between these two loves."

This is from a poem entitled "The Ruby" by Jalaluddin Rumi. I find it to be very beautiful. The idea that to love oneself is to love God, and to love God is to love oneself is a basic Teaching present in the Baha'i Writings, and I love the way that Rumi's words compliment the words of Baha'ullah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith.

Baha'ullah states in the Hidden Words:

"O SON OF MAN!

Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty."

Both are speaking to humanity, telling us that we must love ourselves in order to become close to God. Another idea in both Rumi's poetry and in the Writing of Baha'ullah is the idea that if we love ourselves, and we love God, we will be given added strength and power in this world and in the world to come. In the Hidden Words Baha'ullah states:

"My love is My stronghold; he that entereth therein is safe and secure, and he that turneth away shall surely stray and perish."

What a beautiful thought to know that we can love ourselves and by doing so we are then better able to live a happy and joyous life! I really love this idea because it brings me hope, especially because I find constantly find myself almost infatuated with myself sometimes, that is, I am in awe of what I am able to do and what I am able to accomplish in this world. This is not to say that we are to be selfish and full of pride and arrogance, but really it is a confirmation that the closer we get to knowing ourselves and what makes us happy, the closer we get to God and to attaining true, everlasting happiness! YA!