Bast ~ Independent

This is your card reading for Tuesday, February 14th/17---Valentine's Day!  Your card today skimmed out of the 'Goddess Guidance' oracle deck, authored by Doreen Virtue.  Your card is 'Bast ~ Independent', and Doreen's message for the card is this:
"Your independence is a foundation for your strength and success...
MESSAGE FROM BAST:  Like the cat, you're fiercely independent, yet you also need affection and playful companions. Now is the time to balance your social interactions with solitude.  While you may ask others for their opinions, ultimately you must make your own decisions.  Your freedom and independence are top priorities, so ensure that these characteristics are nurtured.
VARIOUS MEANINGS OF THIS CARD:  Spend time alone. * Give yourself permission to play. *  Ask for your needs to be met. * Make your own decision. *

My message for you today:
Happy Valentine's Day---a day to celebrate LOVE---and this absolutely begins with LOVE OF SELF!  To be independent doesn't imply being solitary.  In the context of your message today, I feel that it means honouring yourself so that you can be the authentic expression of Soul that you came here to be.  When you are clear within yourself about WHO you ARE, and you strive to live your life from that place, you are then able to bring your best self into any relationship. For so long, we were taught that it was 'selfish' to acknowledge our personal needs and desires.  Yet, if you are not in touch with your needs and desires and are merely living your life according to someone else's interpretation of what your life should look like; then you are not living your life authentically.  
You can absolutely experience 'freedom' within a loving, committed relationship---the freedom to be who you are meant to be.  I always advised my children that in choosing their life partner, 'Choose someone who lifts you up---who encourages you to be the best version of yourself.'  I will say that my husband has pushed me at times in our marriage, because he has seen potential in me that I dared not dream for myself.  Sometimes, quite frankly, I was annoyed when he did this, because he was pushing me outside my comfort zone; but even in my annoyance, I understood that he was doing it because he believed in me (when sometimes I was struggling to believe in myself).  It's very empowering to have someone advocate for you in that way, and your Soul is calling to you to do that for yourself, also! 
A well known quote of Oprah Winfrey's, "God can dream a bigger dream for you than you can dream for yourself, and your role on Earth is to attach yourself to that divine force and let yourself be released to it."  Trust that you are YOU for a reason!  Celebrate that today, on this day of LOVE...  
Yes, today is a day to honour the loving relationships in our lives and to give thanks for them, but it is also a day to be conscious about how you show up in your close relationships and to strive to do so authentically.  To be vulnerable enough to share with another from a Soulful, authentic place is the most loving act there is.
Blessed be...