There are two kinds of love: divine and human. Divine love is unconditional. Divine love sees through judgments and other barriers. It holds no expectations. It gives and asks nothing in return. Divine love is what our souls are made of.
Human love is love through mortal eyes, but not necessarily from the soul. Human love often has conditions. Human love has expectations, and judgments. Human love gives, and is hurt when it doesn’t receive in return. Human love is a romanticized experience of love that is influenced by our fears, desires, needs and insecurities.
Human love often says, “I’ll love you if…”
Divine love says, “I love you, even when…”
We’re led to believe that romanticized human love comes with such rewards. But in my experience, Divine love is where it’s at. Loving from this deeper place in your soul, where you have an unlimited source of love at your disposal, is literally out of this world.
I’ve met people on their spiritual journey who leak love onto everyone they meet. There is such a thing as being too open, placing a doormat on your heart for anyone to wipe their heels on. Human love can lead us with illusions, and that could sometimes put us into situations that are less than loving. Are you bearing your love for all to see so you’ll be loved and accepted, or desired? If so, this human motive skews the soulful benefits of a non-attached love that’s truly divine.
Divine love isn’t about thrusting your open heart into the air for all to see. It’s a subtle, harnessed energy that resides deep within. It shines naturally from your heart, like the sun, creating a brightness around you. You may find people drawn to the light your love is emanating along your path. Be the light. It’s all you need to do. You don’t need to prove your love when it’s divine. You just need to feel it deep within you, and walk with it wherever you go.
I think about blogging nearly every day but I find myself taking these ideas into my sleep because the reporter in me is still programmed to commit to a full-length article. But by now I should be awakened to the era of the blogger. The era where I can share thoughts, and healing tips, with you just as if I were writing in a diary.
So my blogs could, essentially, start off something like this:
Dear LOVEolution,
Today I learned….or whatever other thought is passing through my mind. And hopefully, of course, it will be some kind of use for anyone who volunteers to read it.
So, dear readers, I am going to post more blogs. You will still receive detailed guidance about healing tips, but also, just some thoughts of the day that inspire serenity. Because blogs, like life, don’t always have to be filled to the brim. Sometimes, a little cup of cheerfulness is all it takes to lift the mood of an otherwise so-so day.
I have started a new series “What Is Love?” because to me, that question NEVER gets old. There are always new and modern manifestations and expressions of Love and it is truly a joy to encounter and highlight each of them.
My Love research for this question “What is Love?” yielded hundreds and hundreds of results. I have done my best to break them down into logical topics of organization so that you might be able to explore your most interesting Love niches first.
General Definitions Of Love
This section was more of a collection of general, mainstream and reference based writings on Love. I was excited to see Love in headlines like the Economist and NPR’s blog. Of course, there is also the infamous Wikipedia with its crowd sourced encyclopaedic goodness.
65 Definitions Of Love – Our most popular LOVEolution article ever and a collection on ideas of Love from various people in our LOVEolution network.
Philosophy is super important when it comes to Love in order to really understand the various definitions of Love. Love doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. Most people assume when you say Love you mean a certain kind (typically romantic Love). The idea here is to expand our view and definition of Love so that we may understand the many meanings of Love and be more precise when we say we Love.
Entry on Love from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy – The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, aka a VERY scholarly and academic source. Lot’s of academic oversight which allows a great academic exploration of Love from a philosophical standpoint. Is Love An Art? By Dr. Kathleen O’Dwyer – A sample of an article on Love from Philosophy Now magazine. (Subscription required to see full article) Philosophers Ponder: What Is Love? – The Marin Independent Journal interviews Troy Jollimore associate professor of philosophy at California State University at Chico.
Scientific Research and Considerations
Love in science is absolutely fascinating. There are consistently new discoveries and information being learned partially due to new technology like being able to see brain function previously inaccessible from even our best technology available. The articles in this section explore the internal mechanisms that make Love work in our heart and minds.
What Is Love by Deborah Taj Anapol Ph.D – Deborah Anapol, Ph. D shares why she believes Love is inherently free and cannot be bought, sold or traded How Do I Love Thee? Experts Count 8 Ways – A scientific look at why we Love by LiveScience. What Is Love? (Baby Don’t Hurt Me…) – Researchers at Stanford Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Imaging hosted 1st Annual Love Competition using fMRI machine. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, What is Love? – An empirically-based essentialist account of what Love is. A two-part study which investigates new possibilities in our understanding the nature of love. What Is Love? By Chris Smith – Chris Smith lecturer at Cambridge University writes about the neurological and chemical clockwork underlying love. How Love Works – How Stuff Works breaks down the mechanics of Love and how it works. “What Is Love? A Brief History of its Many Medical Meanings” – Time magazine examine Love, health and medicine from a historical perspective. Human Nature Watch “What Is Love?” – A look at what is love which also challenges various scientific research out there. The Brain On Love – Diane Ackerman from The New York Times discusses the exciting new field of Interpersonal Neurobiology 150 Definitions Of Love – Despite this less than great looking website, there is some incredible information about past and present theories of Love as well as a look into chemistry. Definitely great for stimulating further Love study and concept understanding. What exactly is Love? – A look at Love from a scientific perspective with references to various research.
Religious and Spiritual
Religion and Spirituality in general are consistently discussing such concepts as Love. Love thy neighbor is the Golden Rule in Christianity. Hillel the elder from the Talmud tells us to Love one another and that this is the most important lesson from the sacred Judaic text. Hinduism and Buddhism are known for philosophies supporting all life. Islam also touts loving oneself, each other and God.
At the end of the day no matter what our history, background, faith and tradition, if we’re talking about Love we are part of a Universal consciousness of Unconditional Love. And that is truly a great thing.
There are many Love movements out there and it can be overwhelming to figure out which ones to check out. I’m confident there are many other movements and discussions out there I have omitted, however, these are particularly noteworthy choices exploring Love in interesting, unique and inspiring ways.
The Love list would truly be incomplete without Romantic Love. This is usually what people think you mean when you say “Love”. These articles take a look at the intimate side of Love from the perspective of finding an intimate partner, spouse or other form of Lover.
I found some videos on Love including a BBC documentary and Stanford Research exploring the complexities of Love.
What Is Love? (TEDxRaleigh) – Yours truly, author of this article, shares his thoughts on the meaning and exploration of Love philosophically, scientifically and spiritually at TEDxRaleigh 2011.
What Is Love? (Stanford Research) – Researchers at Stanford Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Imaging hosted 1st Annual Love Competition.
BBC Documentary What Is Love – BBC producer Neil Trevithick explores how people think, feel and deal with Romantic Love across the globe. What Is The Man’s Guide To Love – A video explaining the Man’s Guide To Love website and purpose. Where Love Begins – Silvie and Maryl TV, created by holistic lifestyle coaches, passionately help people upgrade from the inside out.
Free Material and Downloads
If you are serious about exploring Love, you will be happy to find lots of free resources out there. I found some substantive PDFs from Spiritual, Scientific and Social perspectives on Love.
The Love That Does Justice by Michael Edwards – The Love That Does Justice by Michael Edwards, free PDF download from his website. Have read through this (376) page before and used this when preparing my TedxRaleigh talk on What Is Love What Is Love? A Conceptual Analysis – A scholarly analysis focusing on Love theories of Plato, St Augustine and Freud. “What Is Love, What Is Sex?” – From Human Relations Media: A teachers guide to teaching adolescents about the challenges of sex vs. Love and provide guidelines for making health decisions. Mind Map On Love – Keith Rice has a mind map on Love, very in-depth but a little hard to read.
As always thanks for reading and feel free to stay a while and take a look around. We’ll be bringing you more Love Media on a daily basis from across the world.
My goal was to stay positive today and focus on positive results and cooperation. There was no guarantee that I would get the result that I wanted. And what happened was, I didn’t. I was told no when I was hoping, praying, visualizing a yes. I had faith in a yes. But, it was a no. And not just a simple no. But a rude, arrogant, hostile and disrespectful no. What I encountered was really negative customer service.
Once the shock of my positive will not working out my way wore off, as did the prickly sensations from the incredibly rude encounter I had, I took a step back and considered something deeper was going on beneath the surface of aggravation and disappointment. With a deeper glance, I started to realize that there’s this theme happening right now in my life, in this present moment, and I keep encountering others who are learning the same lesson. No coincidences. The lesson is to voice rightful complaints, share your honest opinions, and request positive customer service from businesses. It’s common, especially with sweet, sensitive men and women who don’t like confrontation or to hurt people’s feelings, to just suck it up and let people get away with treating them disrespectfully. Like yesterday, my very kind, patient and generous young hair stylist admitted she had been overcharged and left unhappy with a sloppy salon experience right before an important event. She has a lot of integrity in her work, she really cares. Unfortunately, she encountered a fellow beauty specialist who didn’t share her enthusiasm or caring customer service. I shared with her how important it is to speak up for yourself and let people know when you’re not happy about a service provided. You then give the business an opportunity to make things better.
Confronting a source of unhappiness or dissatisfaction doesn’t have to be insulting, dramatic or wildly uncomfortable. Confronting a situation means you honestly share your feelings, practice respect and mindfulness for everyone involved, and practice self-awareness: an acknowledgement of your needs. This is a healthy practice that strengthens self-esteem, and feelings of peace and wellness.
I took my own advice today and put this exercise into practice. Here’s my advice on how to approach low level customer service without losing your cool. We’re going to use some key points of yoga here: objective thinking, mindfulness and of course, don’t forget to breathe.
First, acknowledge both sides of the situation objectively. It’s natural for someone to take your opinion personally and react defensively. This approach never works well for anyone. So you never want to go in guns blazing, out to attack. It’s not about attacking anyone, or making yourself out to be better than anyone. You may want to make this clear, that your complaint isn’t personal. No one will ever be inspired to change or do things differently if they feel they’re being personally attacked or negatively criticized. Put yourself in the other person’s position. Tune in. What do you feel is going on here? Where may this person be coming from? Acknowledge where they may be coming from. Express some understanding and fairness for everyone involved. And if they cooperate with you and make an earnest effort to make a difference, express your gratitude. It’s hard for people to admit when they’re wrong, or to put your needs above their ego and make a positive change. It takes humility and a great spirit of pure service. Commend them for it.
Take some time to really be mindful of your words. Read and re-read any emails before you send them. Listen to yourself before you open your mouth and let the words flow out. Is that really want you want to say? Is that really how you feel? Are your words supporting a positive change or are they going off topic and following a wounded ego? Are your words expressed calmly? Make sure you remove the ego as much as possible. Make sure your words are relevant to the present situation. Keep editing until you feel your intention of complaining is really clear and important to you, and useful from a professional perspective.
Be rational. Be fair. Think you may create an opportunity for positive change in voicing how you feel. Don’t use complaint forums to rant and rave about injustices without offering real, possible solutions that you take care and time to imagine. Exhibiting self-control with your expression reveals your character, it’s your spirituality in action. You are human, sometimes emotions may get the best of you. That’s okay. Forgive and keep learning. Try to stay calm and centered as much as humanly possible before sharing your opinions or voicing your complaints. It will not only help you communicate clearly, but you will also feel good about expressing yourself in a dignified manner.
In this, my most recent life lesson on this subject, yet another opportunity for me to grow toward my divine potential here on Earth, I let go of everything else. I detached from all the ego aspects of the situation, trusting details work out for the greater good. I just boiled the day down to this one lesson, accepted the opportunity to put it into practice, and expressed myself as clearly, objectively and humanely as I could. As soon as I did, I felt an acceptance of what was. And I was able to let go of the negative thoughts and stress attached to it. I could move forward and leave the rest in God’s hands.
Expressing yourself can be a helpful practice to move on from feeling negative about a situation because we want to be heard and acknowledged. Even if you’re not sure you have been, voicing your opinion and hearing yourself speak honestly is good for your soul. It helps you gain clarity into what’s important to you so you can express it, and stand tall, and feel well, in your world.
We won’t see change in the world unless we ask for it. We won’t be acknowledged unless we work for it. Don’t let anyone intimidate you, no matter what their status or how how powerful they present themselves to be. You’re just as powerful as anyone else in this world. No one has authority over your thoughts, opinions or feelings. You are free to express, and if you do so with honesty and respect for yourself and others, you may just help make a difference.
Physical yoga exercises to support your courage and self-expression:
Plank pose
Cat/cow
Downward dog
Warrior 1 and 2
Camel
Lion’s Breath
Pranayama like fire breath or Ujjayi. If these breaths are too overstimulating, opt for a quieter exercise like alternative nostril breathing.
Balance an assertive pose like Plank with a calming restorative pose, like Child’s or Savasana/final relaxation so you bring balance to your body and promote calmness, focus and centering along with strength and confidence.
You may have just read my pep talk blog. You’ve got a desire not to succumb to one of those days when motivation feels low and you just feel blah. It’s time to recharge your battery and dust your aura off. It’s time to put yourself first, love yourself, and try these simple yoga exercises to turn your beautiful light back on. I’d personally recommend trying all three of these exercises in this order unless you feel guided otherwise. Trust yourself first always.
Angelic Healing
Sit or lay comfortably, preferably on the floor where you can feel connected to the ground. Ask Archangel Michael to cut any toxic cords to stressful people, situations or things that have been hurting you or affecting your well-being in any way. Ask this Archangel to then sweep your entire energy field, pulling out any negativity and transmuting it to Light, as the angels know how to do. Allow yourself, on each exhale, to release deeper levels of fear, anger and frustration as God’s angels continue to attune your frequency to a higher state of being. Ask Archangel Raphael to heal any health issues at the root, and to guide you to helpful things that will support this healing process. Ask Archangel Raphael to fill you with God’s Divine and pure love and light, and to lift you out of the ego reality and into a Divine reality where your intuitive sight is clear, you trust yourself, and you feel in your core that all is well.
Yoga Therapy
When you feel tired or overwhelmed, try practicing restorative floor poses that open your heart and chest and help you feel free. Here are three exercises that can help relieve the blues and anxiety and help you feel your unlimited power:
Starfish: lay on your mat with each leg extended toward the edge of the mat, and your hands reaching out to the sides in a T. Your body will resemble a starfish. See if you can picture a starfish in your mind, and how it stays centered and steady no matter what the ocean rolls around it. Allow yourself to feel like a starfish, breathing deeply, enjoying the freedom of expansion through your arms, legs and neck.
Heart Opener: place a bolster or yoga bricks under your shoulder blades and lay your arms out to the sides or where they are comfortable. Place a blanket or pillow under your hips for back support if you feel back tension. Focus on inhaling and exhaling, noticing how the ribcage expands and enjoy the extra space in your chest that is encouraged by the prop underneath. Continue this practice until your chest, and heart, feel lighter.
Cobbler’s Pose: Sit tall, bringing the soles of your feet together. Use bricks or blankets under the knees for support. Place a blanket under the pelvis if you can use more spinal support to still tall. As you inhale, bring your hands behind you, placing the finger tips on the mat and looking up, feeling the chest expand wide. As you exhale, place the hands around the tops of the feet for centering. Continue this exercise for at least 5 breaths, focusing on the transition between expanding the chest and lengthening the spine on the inhale, and connecting to the feet on the exhale.
Crystal Healing
Place crystals on each of the seven main chakras. You can also create a circle of crystals around your aura. Choose crystals you’re guided to. I like amethyst, citrine, rose quartz and other “light” stones for the upper chakras and hematite for the root. Inhale and exhale, using rhythmic yoga breaths to let go of stress and tension and allow the crystals to help attune your frequency. Notice any sensations you feel. You can also repeat an affirmation such as, “I am open to receive love, grace and healing in my life. I am inspired with divine guidance and I take action to create a life that I love. I am free, and they are free.”
Happy healing! Wishing you renewed feelings of peace and well-being now and always.
Lauralyn is a yoga therapist, Reiki Master and Angel Therapist® specializing in healing and stress management. She is currently teaching the wounded warriors at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
I’ve been on both sides of luck and can attest that when things are going really well, it becomes easier to have faith and trust in your positive thoughts as truly making a difference. But when things aren’t going so well, and it feels like no matter how much you give, how much you love, how much you try to be patient and good, things still are an exhausting uphill battle, you may find your faith begin to waver. You may start to believe, “what’s the use in thinking positively when it can’t change anything?”
It’s true that positive thoughts aren’t like a wand in a Harry Potter movie. They can’t just poof all the real stress away. But since our reality here is based on our perception, that’s where the magic happens. No matter how stressful life can feel in this present moment, at this time in your life, your mind can be a place of refuge rather than a spinning wheel of anxiety.
It takes courage to be positive when there seems to be no hope. It’s takes courage to believe that things can get better. It takes courage to be willing to take action steps toward what you want. Remember that any situation in life is temporary. Even if you find yourself in a miserable situation for fifteen years, that’s still not forever. You’re still here, with earned wisdom, blessed to be alive, and you’ve got a new day tomorrow to dream, plan, and find new ways to lift your spirit and make your life better.
When you’re in one of those holding patterns in life, waiting for a situation to be completed so you can move on, your patience can be tested to the max. Give yourself permission to have down days. Use these days to rest and recharge. Also give yourself permission to express your true feelings. If you’re not happy, focus on what your needs are and how you can meet them as best as possible where you are. Allow your friends to support you in this journey. You’re learning together, share your experiences. Your positive and caring friends love and accept you no matter what kind of mood you’re in, and their words may be guided by angels just when you need to hear an angelic message from above. Don’t let your outer situation greatly influence your inner world. If you’re not living in your ideal home or with your ideal partner or have a job that you love going to every day, don’t let those challenging situations encourage you to hand over your power and say, “I give up. Take my happiness, take my joy, take my hope and my faith and I’ll just tune out and go through the motions every day because I’m stuck here.”
You are never stuck anywhere. You are only working your way from one destination to the next, and that can take time. You’ll move forward when lessons have been learned, and you are truly willing and ready to create an inspired plan to do it.
It’s okay to have moments when you feel like you’re ready to throw in the towel, but don’t quit on yourself. Don’t quit your dreams, your ambitions, your heart’s desires. Don’t walk away from that inner voice inside that nudges you in a better direction. Avoid spending time in the pools of anger and regret about the way life has unfolded for you because that keeps you stuck in the past which no longer exists. If your present feels like the negative result of a negative past, then focus on changes you can make. They may seem drastic and impossible right now. But when you allow your mind to really see all of the possibilities, you will see that really, you were born unlimited. You were born to use your imagination and explore what is possible – and true – for you.
Live your truth, even when your outer world isn’t reflecting it. Start with changing your perspective about your present situation as much as you can and doing whatever you need to do to start working your way out of the funk. Before you know it, your baby steps will be revealing more of your future which is leading you to great things.
But first you’ve got to believe it. Because if you don’t believe it, you will never see what’s possible. Curiosity of what is possible is where your life begins. Your free will and passion to discover what’s possible is what will take you to your destiny.
