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The World Needs Your Love

2/29/2020

 
Even though Valentine’s Day is behind us and today is the final

day of February, we’re keeping the spirit of love for self and

others alive beyond February and throughout the coming

months! 


The Ancient Greeks had six words for love. One of the words is

Philautia, self-love in its healthiest form. Not the unhealthy

variety associated with narcissism.  Self-love enhances your

wider capacity to love others.  If you love yourself and feel

secure in yourself, you will have plenty of love to give others (as

is reflected in the Buddhist-inspired concept of “self-

compassion”). Or, as Aristotle put it, “All friendly feelings for

others are an extension of a (person's) feelings for (her)self.”




Self-love is our ability to self-nurture--like putting the oxygen

mask on ourselves before we put it on the other person.

Regarding yourself with friendliness and care enables you to

reclaim your inherent goodness and overcome self-defeating

thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes.  Self-love is “a state of

appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our

physical, psychological, and spiritual growth” (Khoshaba, 2012).




Another Greek word for love is Agape . This is “universal loving

kindness” in Buddhism. According to this article there is

growing evidence
that Agape is in a dangerous decline in

many countries. Empathy levels in the U.S. have declined

sharply over the past 40 years, with the steepest fall occurring in

the past decade. Collectively, we urgently need to revive our

capacity to care about strangers, which begins by expanding

our capacity to love and care for ourselves.



Even if we don't watch the news, we still experience the state of

collective consciousness and the effects on the world. I recently

found some comforting words for the state of the world from


Bruce Lipton, a scientist who proposes through his research

that we are on the cusp of a tipping point. He believes that there

are enough of us humans who are "awakening" and that we will

reach a tipping point where this new level of consciousness will

become the norm. I’m willing to trust that his assessment is

accurate.


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He compares what is

happening to humanity

(and the world) to the

journey of a butterfly in the

chrysalis stage where

there are old cells

disintegrating and new

cells emerging and if you

were to open the chrysalis you would encounter chaos. We are

in that chaos moment now, it may last for a while but eventually

the sheer quantity of people tuned into a “new” way of living a

lighter, gentler, kinder way, will emerge. Even though I

sometimes feel despair because it seems we're in the darkest of

times with little hope that light will return, I believe these "worst

of times" are positive and transformative. I also believe that we

need each other, our communities, our kindred spirits more now

than ever.




In one of my favorite quotes, Mother Teresa writes: "If we have

no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to

each other."  We are hard-wired for belonging and we flourish

when we are nurtured and nurture with love and compassion.

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I recently participated in Tara

Brach's
Radical Compassion

Challenge
, an online event

during which we explored

loving ourselves and each

other into healing. She

reminded us that it's “not the

survival of the fittest--it's the

survival of the nurtured”.  She asked us this powerful question:

“How can we take action to bring the power of compassion to a

world in need of healing and to contribute to a saner, gentler

world”?  Compassion toward ourselves, each other, and a

widening circle of compassion for the world is what Jon Kabat-

Zinn
calls "Heartfulness" ,  the attitudes of kindness and

friendliness towards ourselves and others.  “Heartfulness” is an

act of self-love that softens the hard edges, the tendency to be

judgmental, and creates a nourishing, restful, joyful atmosphere


in our lives and in the world.



This Co-Creative Mandala, “Philautia”  invites you to pause and

come home to your “Heartfulness”, especially in times of stress

or chaos, and opens your heart so that you step out of reactive

patterns and engage in loving and accepting yourself and

extending love and compassion to the world.


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May all Beings know happiness.

May all Beings know kindness.

May all Beings know compassion.

May all Beings know peace.


Buddhist Metta (Lovingkindness) Prayer


Self-Love Exercise:


In this simple, yet powerful exercise, I invite you to celebrate

loving and accepting yourself.
 

Give yourself plenty of time without interruptions to dive deeply

into this exercise. Meditate, journal, create and bless your

sacred space.


Make this exercise your own. Invest your time and attention.

Don’t rush.


As you sit quietly in your space, light a candle that welcomes

“Heartfulness”.


Close your eyes. Bring your awareness to your breath; just be

with your breath. Take a deep breath in. Breathe out. Take

another deep breath in. Breathe out. Notice the sensations as

you exhale—without judgement.  Feel the body breathing. Bring

your body into stillness.


Open your eyes and bring your attention to the mandala; allow

the mandala energy to fill your heart; be with whatever is there.


Invest a few minutes toward allowing the “Philautia”  energy to

flow to and through your body.  Imagine that energy bursting

through your crown chakra & extending far into the heavens.

Imagine the “Philautia”  energy flowing through you and down

deep into the earth. Imagine it radiating from your heart and

extending out in front of you and behind you. Imagine the

“Philautia” energy is a radiant ball that encircles you. Now, sit

with this energy for a few minutes.


What about the mandala captures your attention? Notice and

Wonder--Something in me is feeling...


I wonder what it wants me to know?


Relax into your body and its quietness. Be with the energy, be

present, listen.


Scan your life and pick a challenging or difficult aspect of your

life right now. What's going on and how do you feel about this

situation or relationship?


Now, ask yourself
"What would love do?" 


Allow yourself to hang out in this powerful inquiry and see what

shows up.  What would you do if you allowed love to lead the

way?


Listen to the answers you receive and act on them from a

place of love and compassion.  Repeat this exercise as often as

you like.


Make a commitment to do something - even for a few seconds -

that will keep this practice alive every day.  A simple way to do

this is to write down "What would love do?" on sticky notes and

put the reminder in places that you see throughout the day.

When you're faced with a challenge, are feeling stressed,

overwhelmed, or out of sorts--are perfect times to be present

with love. The more you practice, the greater the shift will be, for

yourself and the world.
 

Wishing you the blessings of love and compassion,


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    Author

    Sheryl Harrell, Gardener
    of the Soil and of the
    Soul & Co-Creator of
    Mandalas. Happy you
    found my Blog!

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