Love. Right?
This word contains so so many meanings and indefinable concepts. It’s the tapestry of our lives. Its the why. It’s the purpose. It’s the connection to the self and the world and the cosmos.
Contemplate for a moment what love is.
Why love is.
Because we all feel it - in the moments we succeed, in the people we embrace, in the gratitude for what surrounds us. And love is just oh so deeper than this.
We all feel it across intangible space. We feel it for the work we do, the physicality we experience..
We feel it for people, plances, things..
And incredibly, we also love those who have passed, we love transient energies we have felt but no longer feel (in persons, places), and we love moments and memories we no longer can be present for.
This memory of love gives us the cannonball to catapult out of the cannon. It gives us the ammo - to re-live, to remember, to push forward and attain it these ways again.
It’s what we all come back to in the real moments. When we need to come together for safety, compassion, support, and enjoyment.
Our appetite for love is ever there.
And the mystery is in intangibility of love. The mind-blowing strength of this word, this concept. It can be physical, but it is intangible.
And the most incredible thing is, love gives us this same strength it holds, in exchange for embracing it + being it.
Love in conditions
In our lives, many of us find that we have been trained mindfully to give love outwards - mostly based on conditions.
To love because of things given to us, because of behaviours being met, because of people meeting our right criteria of physicality + standards. Where is the joy in that?
If you love conditionally, you are on this ever-charged roller coaster of unpredictability.
You are putting how you feel in the doings of others. The beings of others. In their actions and words.
And you’re the one who at the end of the day is having the reaction to their action.
Why do we place this power external of us?
We do so much to protect ourselves. In eating right, controlling our safety, ensuring success.. we put so much effort into these things to make our life rich.
But when it comes to protecting the seed that grows our ever-evolving light + purpose - we outsource it.
Well, this feeling + being can come from within, as well.
And it should. First + foremost.
Because we are the ones with us all day, everyday. We are the ones inside of our own heads, hearing + experiencing the world through this perception.
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Wouldn’t it be nice if you simply accepted and loved every thought you had come into your mind?
Wouldn’t it be nice if you caught yourself every time you fell down, and supported yourself unconditionally with no criticism?
Wouldn’t it be nice to hold the highest compassion for your body + mind, and allowed for your mistakes to take form in whatever shape they may?
to love ourselves unconditionally is to be set free
And this being set free is incredibly helpful in its’ simplicity.
When we let go of loving conditionally (both ourselves, and externally), we are welcomed into the warmth of home on the coldest of winter days. Ready for snuggles in front of the fireplace.
Hold compassion always. Hold space always. Listen, like how you want to be listened to. Give advice from your heart. Make decisions from your intuition. Give deep love from a space of deep love. And remember, we are all all all all all human like you.
Loving unconditionally is easy if you allow it.
Make a decision how you’d like to live your life. Is it in love?
If you decide in love, then the mirror is where we need to start.
EXERCISE
Have you ever regarded yourself in the mirror? Have you ever looked deep into your own eyes and sent yourself love on every level?
We’re going to do so, together here.
Bring your phone/computer with you in front of your mirror and place it down so you can read this.
Head to your morrow and Stans in front of it.
Close your eyes and take a minute or two to simply feel warm. Feel filled with love + content.
Open your eyes and regard yourself.
Smile or smirk at yourself, with this warmth + joy.
Get close enough to see your iris in your eye. Gaze into it.
Explore the beauty in your eye, and regard your being (not just physical).
Feel love. Feel love for yourself and for all you’ve gone through. Feel compassion for the struggle, the toughness. Say ‘I’ve got you girl/dude’.
Feel free to put your hands on your heart space if this helps.
Keep that smirk or smile on your face. Remember to keep light, as this space is all about holding yourself with compassion.
Release the thoughts you may have and continue to feel love + warmth for the person you’re looking at.
Do this for 5 minutes, or longer.
When was the last time you felt quality moments with yourself like this?
What did you feel or find?
Sometimes it can be as simple as remembering there is a human inside of me - I am ONLY human. I am worthy of my own love and my own compassion in all that I do.
Love ourself first, take care of ourself first, protect ourself first.
Then the overflow of the ‘self love’ bucket can be shared. And shared it will be.