Maui Vision Magazine – Aug-Sept ’09 Issue
For some the word love might evoke thoughts of red candy hearts, hallmark sentiments and Valentines. For others it holds negative connotations representing a failed relationship or a lack of one. In most cases, the word has actually developed its own personality separate from its true meaning. Wikipedia states this about the word love: “(Its) diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states”.
So, what exactly is love?
As a Sufi teacher, I have come back to this question over and over again, continually refining my perceptions of love and letting go of those that hold a negative slant. The truth is, the more we judge and resent love or unconsciously fear it, the more we push it away. And, in all honesty, isn’t love the one thing we all long for at the most fundamental levels? “Love is the answer, love heals all wounds, all you need is love”… these over spoken statements have become cliche’ to most but they hold a deeper meaning that everyone has the ability to experience.
As most deep meditators, sufis and mystics of the heart will attest to, the feeling sensation of love has the ability to completely transform each of us from the inside out. That might sound like a strong statement but, in my experience, it is true. Time and again I witness in myself and with my students how this very personal and universal experience has the capacity to heal all wounds, answer all questions and fulfill all needs. Once initiated, this inner healing movement happens in waves. Waves of awakening. Through following The Love we find our peace, bliss, fulfillment and celebrate reaching a new peak of awareness, clarity and freedom. Then, in time, we find ourselves facing another obstacle and with it another opportunity to rediscover love in a new form.
One thing that Love is, among an infinite array of possibility, is a healing agent offering the strength we need to overcome our problems. Love is sourced within each and every one of us. We all have the ability to find our own connection to it and harness its profound power to regenerate, restore and rebalance every aspect of ourselves and our lives. The way we do this is by feeling it. Once we commit to a practice of feeling love and it’s subtle sensations, we develop a relationship with this healing presence within us. As we become more and more receptive to it, love grows and expands its reach into our bodies, minds and life.
Since walking a path of love I’ve witnessed in myself and others the release of old, painful emotional patterns, mental habits, physical disease and inharmonious life circumstances. Many believe this is not possible. Anything is possible when we contact the divine current of love in our hearts. Anything.
Here is a foundational, heart-centered meditation to practice whenever you have an undistracted moment–waking up in the morning, going to bed at night, standing in line at the grocery store–it is a practice that feels good and is easy to do:
- Breath deep and relax.
- Focus your attention on your heart center and feel the warmth deep inside.
- Drop deep into the feeling of love (call to mind a child or pet you love to invoke the feeling).
- Let go of the image of your loved one and just be in the feeling.
- Let it grow and expand into your body and mind
Enjoy your warm, open heart and the wonders it holds!
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