“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” Rumi
How did you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Did you do something special for a loved one? Did you perform a service for someone less fortunate than you? Or did you feel depressed because you had no one to celebrate with?
It’s difficult sometimes not to get caught up in the mystique of Valentine’s Day or to want to ignore it completely because it is such a commercialized celebration, but the way we experience any holiday is a choice. No one has to buy into the commercial version. After all, this one is about love and that may take many forms.
Love Expressed Through Sharing
My Valentine’s Day was not romantic, but I felt showered with love. The Universe has been good to me recently. I will probably have my book Awakening to the Dance: A Journey to Wholeness on Amazon as an eBook by the end of this week. Yesterday, I spent the day working with Joseph D’Agnese who did my formatting and taught me how to use the Kindle Reader on my computer so I can proof the book.
This fellow writer loves to help other writers and overflows with enthusiasm and encouragement. Especially at times when I doubted that I could really complete this project, his positive attitude spurred me on. He has answered my endless questions, even taken time from his own writing to format my book. His generosity creates the kind of energy that makes competition obsolete and proves how powerful sharing can be.
Love Expressed Through Following Our Passion
This has been a long journey for me—almost ten years since I began the book. But I always knew it was meant to be because every step of the way, what I needed showed up. That hasn’t always been true for the rest of my life, so what was different about this venture? Most of the time, when I think about the book, I feel excited, I feel love for it and for all those in the story who have been part of my journey. This positive, uplifting energy expands out into the world and draws to me what I need.
Not only have I drawn the classes and assistance I need, I have drawn people into my life who support my success and share with loving and positive energy. They have helped me to see my life and the world in a positive light and to learn to focus on what is good. Wayne Dyer once said, “Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same world.” What we focus on can make all the difference.
Choosing Our Thoughts
My life is very different than it was many years ago before I learned this most basic truth: our thoughts create our emotions. At that time in my life, I often felt overwhelmed with sadness and negative emotions. Although I had learned to meditate and that did help to calm me, it wasn’t enough. Learning to control my own mind was the key. I learned techniques to do that by attending a Unity church and later studying Science of Mind principles. As a result, I felt better about myself and became a more loving person.
When we understand that we can control what we think and feel, it is very empowering. This is significant in learning to love ourselves and therefore others. When we feel empowered, we are less likely to let fear control us. We feel more peaceful. We are less afraid to step into new situations and learn new things. We are less afraid to love and share. Our very presence creates loving and positive energy all around us, uplifting and helping others and expanding our world.
Romantic love is a beautiful illusion, but the real deal is loving our humanity and that requires us to go much deeper. Over the next couple of weeks, I will explore Rumi’s quote to further identify some of the barriers to loving and ways to open ourselves to love.
How do you express your love in the world? Please comment.
© 2012 Georganne Spruce
Related Articles: Dr. Wayne Dyer–Emanating Love, What is Religious Science? 10 Core Concepts of Science of Mind
Awakening to the Dance 