The Hype of Valentine's Day
Yes, we've just passed Valentine's Day which, like all of our other holidays, is hugely hyped up – and therefore more often than not quite disappointing. The root of Valentine's Day goes way back before Judeo-Christian times to the beginning of February, with what we now only celebrate as Groundhog's Day – an interesting metaphor about whether we will move forward or extend the winter of our discontent, as Shakespeare might have called it.
Theatrical Release poster
The movie of course was a brilliant story of what happens to us when we're fundamentally stuck, which always separates us from our authentic self. In pagan times Groundhog's Day was called Imbolc, and was the day when sacred partnership was celebrated – which was a voluntary commitment only as long as both partners were willing to continue it – called hand-fasting.
Understanding Spiritual Love
The understanding spiritually and truly is all we are all we can be – all we can ever experience – as love … but the real definition of that word continues to mostly elude us. I can say love exists beyond measure, and is neither created nor destroyed where present – so it is transcendent – and who and what we are … and only where we go.
We recognize love when we find it, provided we can be in a free, discerning and truly grounded position – also free from what I call "scripts" – what clinically is called codependency, and of course presents any fear-based directives. Love is truly free, empowering and endlessly developing.
By that I mean we learn from and through love – and we then come to understand so much more about who we really are … and the nature of how we experience … and what we really desire in our lifetimes. Loss underscores our capacity to achieve these insights.
Perhaps that's the ultimate purpose of the guaranteed loss that happens on the Earth plane. Love also, of course, transcends loss – and, in its way, both wreaks havoc and miraculously changes how we experience it, ourselves and each other.
Here are three reflective and journaling exercises to experience where you are in accessing and being love to support and accelerate self-healing and development – and discover greater wellbeing, wisdom and joy:
- Write the word "love" at the top of a sheet of paper – and then, as an automatic process, write whatever words or phrases seem to come up in response as you continue to focus on this word love – one word or phrase to a line until you've run out of ideas. Then go back down your list, starting with the title "Love", and add the phrase "I am" or "I have" or both! – to form little sentences, with each item on your list. For example, your title would read I am love/I have love. When you're finished, settle back for a couple of minutes and read down your list – taking it in however this hits you – and then journal your insights.
- Imagine you can go right into your heart, and ask your heart to tell you what it has lost in your life. Record all that comes up inside you. Take your time with this – you can create a list or simply free-form write. Again, when you're all finished wait a few minutes and then read through all you've written, and record your insights. Then add the phrase "I love" wherever you feel it "fits" – especially if you feel very surprised with what you then see – with all you've journaled.
- Go to what feels like the center of your gut, and ask your gut to respond to the following question: What, if anything, would change at any moment in my life if I came to freely, unconditionally love? Close your eyes and imagine you simply surrender to your gut … and that your gut then takes you on an inner journey as its way of responding, however long this occurs … and when you feel complete for now, return to full waking consciousness and once more record what happened. Then again, after sitting with your experience a few moments, read through everything you've written, and consider any sense that feels like a call to action. Describe that – and ask yourself how you can find the courage to take corresponding steps to carry that out in your life.
Love is not exclusive. It is a given – and centrally gives and offers to us in a circle without beginning, without end.
