Let’s start with a question; What is love? A thought, a feeling, an emotion.
Such a small word that has a myriad of meanings, that is responsible for so many actions; brave and foolish, kind and hurtful, beautiful and cruel. The list is endless, just as love is infinite.
But let’s move away from love as an emotion and look at love as a state of being, a position from which to operate. Spiritual love is what all beliefs and religions are based on. However, over time this becomes lost in the rules and rituals, the need to control, the need to conform.
Today, in my view, organised religion is playing a much more minor role. People are free to make their own choices in what to believe and how to live.
It offers comfort and solace for many. However, for those with closed minds and narrowed viewpoints religion can legitimise their lack of thought and compassion and the selfish behaviour they display. They wear it as a cloak of respectability. Something to hide behind and that is fine for that is their choice, where they are on their journey.
There are others who do not believe in anything; religious or spiritual and that does not necessarily mean they will be selfish or thoughtless, their inner moral compass may be wired up pretty accurately.
Throughout history there have been those who are way off beam both morally and spiritually, whose dogma and rhetoric have led to untold suffering and grief through wars and persecution in the name of religion or rigid beliefs, and please do not think I am singling out any particular modern-day religion or sect with this comment as these excuses, these patterns of behaviour have been used for thousands of years
However also throughout history there have been those silently, steadily, treading their own path, keeping their own counsel; studying, reading, thinking, formulating their own ideas, mastering their own thoughts and living by their own beliefs.
Today we are able to follow in the footsteps of these great explorers, the travellers, those who were willing to journey within and truly discover what it is that makes this human experience truly spiritual on a personal level, those searching for the meaning of love, whether it be for oneself, for others, for the universe.
Truly it is a journey and it most likely starts with feelings and questions, a vagueness that something is missing, there is more to life, there is more to Me than this.
And this is where the journey starts, to experience love, the love for oneself and for others, learning that we are all part of the universe and the universe is within us all. To ask questions, not only of others but also of ourselves; what do I feel? What do I know? What do I need to learn? Where do I start?
It may start with an interest in crystals, in angels, in divination, glimmers of light appear and suddenly the seed is sown. It is a delicate flower, often kept secret, nurtured in private, protected from the harsh world, a delicious secret, a guilty pleasure, that inner knowing that it is there and what it stands for.
And for many that is enough, enough to nurture the soul, give comfort and guidance, inner peace and certainty that this life is indeed full of love, and is the stepping stone to greater things.
But what about those who want more….
So what if once this spiritual love has been discovered and embraced it is just the start of the journey? What if the inner conviction grows and grows until it cannot be held in check any longer?
Can I suggest that you first get yourself a little notebook, nothing flashy but nevertheless special to you, a place to write down your thoughts, your questions, your ideas and that every day you sit quietly for five minutes, ten minutes, an hour, it doesn’t matter, it is your journey going at your pace. Every day is good, it builds up a routine but if you miss a day or two it’s not the end of the world. It needs to be enjoyable and satisfying not a chore. Nothing like that, and some days you might find yourself writing in it two or three times, well that is fine too.
Every now and again read what you have written, notice how your ideas may be changing, your intuitive thoughts creeping in, notice how your mind is growing and expanding. Try reading a book or just a chapter or just a page even. Remember there is no written test at the end of doing some spiritual or intuitive development or learning.
The tests come as part of life…but that’s a topic for another time……
First published in Well Being News on www.lizianevents.org.