What Is Love?
~Pamela Henry
Love flows
From the golden heart of creation
Desires fulfilled in each nano second
Birthing every new thought into physical vibration
Of well being and life
The life you have always longed for
Hovering above the surface of
Sorrow and doubt
As the layers of the past
Transmute
Ashes to ashes
We hold love
We hold hope
We ask and receive
Unconditional self-love
Resonating through our trillions of cells
Our energetic bodies joyously resounding
Love is the vibration from which all creation flows.
~
I still remember as if it was yesterday. I was seven years old and excited to share the valentine cards that I had prepared for my classmates, and to receive the cards that were intended for me.
As we exchanged cards, the excitement was palpable. Then it happened.
Several of my classmates gave me cards with a hippo on the front. I was devastated. There it was. The evidence that I didn’t fit in. There was something inherently wrong with me.
Being a chubby redhead, I was different from the other children. From my seven year old perspective, not only didn’t I fit in, but the judgement of my physical self through these hippo cards had firmly planted the seeds of not worthy and not good enough.
I was confused and hurt and it would take me decades to reclaim the self-love that I had as a young child, before the judgement of the outside world caused me to take an unexpected turn into self-judgement and ridicule.
As I reminisced about this early Valentine’s Day experience, I wondered how many people were feeling unloved on this highly marketed day of love. Have you had a similar experience?
How many beautiful souls feel undeserving of love because they have endured the harsh opinions of others at some point in their lives?
What is love?
Since the dawn of civilization poets and philosophers have written discourses on the meaning and expression of love. The ancient Greeks proposed that love is not one but many different states of being.
These feeling states include philia, which refers to the affection and loyalty we feel for dear friends; storge, the deep love and commitment of parents for a child or family members for their kin; xenia, the care and nurturing that a host provides to a cherished guest; eros, the passion and sensual longing experienced by lovers; and agape, the purest, most idealized form of love, sometimes translated to mean “love of the soul” or “unconditional love.”
It is this last feeling state, agape, the healing vibration of unconditional love for yourself that transforms your heart and extends to the world around you. The feeling of agape is your connection to divine love that is unchanging and unwavering.
Only by actively and intentionally loving yourself without reservation can you begin to heal past hurts and disappointments that stand as obstacles in your path. I recently came upon a beautiful quote that reminded me of the importance of self-love.
If Valentine’s Day is about expressing love for those we hold dear, what change could we be in the world if we truly loved ourselves?
What if the love that we are was not only reserved for those close to us, but a beacon that fills the world with our unique light?
A wonderful way to reconnect with self-love and acceptance is through “Mirror Work”, a process popularized by best-selling author Louise Hay. Check out this YouTube video to learn more about it here.
Here is an example of “Mirror Work” and how you can easily integrate it into your day.
Look in the mirror for a couple of minutes three times a day. Do it when you get up in the morning, then at noon and before bed.
Look into your beautiful eyes and connect with the amazing soul that is you. Allow your soul to shine through your eyes.
Say “I love you. I really love you.” Then add your name. “Your name. I love you. I really love you.” Allow yourself to express the words your soul longs to hear. “I love you. You are fabulous. You are awesome.”
If this is difficult at first start by saying “I am willing to love you today”, or “Wouldn’t it be nice to love myself fully.”
Notice how you feel in your body. Do you feel any tightness or do you feel light and energized? Do you have any resistance? Your feelings are your guidance system to releasing negative self-talk.
When you do “Mirror Work” you are connecting with your true self, your inner beauty. This is a gift of self-love; this is who you are when you are not judging yourself.
When you love yourself, you stand in truth and acknowledge that the opinions of others are simply their opinion. The density in your life begins to melt away and you may notice big changes as you align with your true self.
Please share your thoughts below. I would love to hear about your experience with the “Mirror Work”.
With love and gratitude,
Pamela
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.