As regular as clockwork, advertisers are once again upping their ante for Valentine’s Day merchandise.
Who can blame them?
Given our cultural focus on love is only one day in 365, let them make the most of it!
I know I’m sounding curmudgeonly.
I suppose it’s because generally love gets so misrepresented. It’s all smooch, sex and competition on ‘LOVE Island.’ It’s all recrimination, finger pointing and incongruous ‘I love my family’ statements in a particular royal punch-up avidly watched by millions. And it’s all happy-ever-afters in romantic notions of love like Cinderella and the whole h-e-a genre of books, fairy stories and dramas.
Is that love?
Depends on what you learned love was earlier in your life…
So what’s love for me?
It’s the quickening of your heart when you see, hear, feel your beloved. My maternal uncle and his wife, right up until his last few days, would exchange loving glances across a crowded room. Magic!
It’s the soft, warm, glowing deep-down-in-your-guts inexplicable you’d-give-your-life-for-them love you feel for your children.
It’s the warm hum of deep friendship and belonging.
It’s the loving companionship you feel with your animals whatever they are; dog, horse or hamster and, I have to say, cat. My daughter’s family lives with a gorgeous cat we’ve known since kitten hood… and I abso-freakin-lutely love her to bits.
And none of this means you’re never annoyed or mean with those you love OR that you don’t fall out of love with them. All part of the human condition!
Then there’s the love of self which many of us have to relearn having been told once upon a time that we were ‘selfish.’ That or something similar. The very word belies the condemnation when self-ish truly means taking care of self in a healthy way.
And, finally, there’s the healing energy of LOVE itself…
In working with my awesome mid-life women clients, there’s not been one of them that hasn’t had an innate knowing of the healing energy of love.
When I’ve asked them to bathe in it inner storms become calm, pain can transform into understanding or compassion, and damaged parts find themselves soothed and eventually healed by its sacred energy.
LOVE truly conquers all!
Next time you’ve been triggered adversely or feel curmudgeonly, say this 7 times to yourself silently… ‘I forgive myself for XYZ (feeling, reaction, thought or behaviour) and I choose love instead!’
And then?
Then I guarantee you’ll be deliciously surprised…
Love and wild warm wishes…
You are perfect imperfection
A divine light that yearns to shine.
So shine, woman, shine!
PS… I’ve mentioned my amazing Down and Dirty Spirituality School before and now I have a draft dummy page devoted to it on my website. It’s a practice run and the page isn’t live because I’d so love your help if you feel able to give it. I’d appreciate you taking a few minutes to check it over, please, and tell me what you think about it.
IGNORE THE DATES AND PRICING… They weren’t real but filled in for effect as this page is a dummy just waiting for your thoughts. Thank you so much for your help… You can access the draft page here…