posted May 08, 2012 11:54 PM            

Spiritual masters must have some kind of self-love that manifests as that warm energy inside...is that just like romantic love? That's my question.

I'd love to know if that sensation of being "in love" is available to people all the time, if they only meditate or follow some kind of discipline....OR if you really need to be in love to have it.

Does anyone else have an opinion on this?

Pardon me if this just sounds nuts, I don't know how to ask the question.

All input along these lines appreciated.

posted May 10, 2012 11:33 AM            

My take on "love" is that love is love, I am in love with my cats, my roses, my house, a sunset, the moon....(sometimes my "bfriend" )

But the feeling of falling "in love" has been studied and been shown to be an issue of brain chemistry, like when we fall in love with another, supposedly to keep up the species and procreate.

Romantic love is, I think, this type of giddy, falling in love, love, and boy it does feel good and does have its purpose, but it never lasts, it cant, especially IF it is a chemical reaction in the brain.

Self love, I dont think could resemble this kind of giddy, inlove feeling.

Self love, to me is more of my being "in love" with my above mentioned, a very general, basic all encompassing state of love...like the kind of love that all is from.

This is really hard to put into words, , but will ponder as the day progresses!

posted May 10, 2012 11:53 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Faith:
I don't understand why I can love someone else and feel all warm and happy inside, but I cannot just summon that feeling at will, without that person being there. And I certainly don't get all happy thinking about myself.

Spiritual masters must have some kind of self-love that manifests as that warm energy inside...is that just like romantic love? That's my question.

I'd love to know if that sensation of being "in love" is available to people all the time, if they only meditate or follow some kind of discipline....OR if you really need to be in love to have it.

Does anyone else have an opinion on this?

Pardon me if this just sounds nuts, I don't know how to ask the question.

All input along these lines appreciated.

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It is not nuts at all.It makes perfect sense. I don't want to give a platitude, so I will try to think about if I can answer. I do understand the question, perfectly, though.

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Passion, Lust, Desire. Check out my journal

posted May 10, 2012 05:54 PM            

Hippichick, I get what you are saying! It's hard to differentiate, I agree-- but you gave me some more food for thought. So love really IS like a drug...the way the chemicals play with your brain. I just don't know why it doesn't LAST, chemically speaking. Do you?

Ami, thanks for thinking about it, too!

Just trying to figure out my way to happiness. I love my husband but I'm not as good at conjuring up that "euphoric" feeling as I'd like to be. I suppose it CAN'T last like when you first fall in love....

but damn, I want it to! OR I want something else kind of like it.

posted May 10, 2012 08:26 PM              

I've got Venus in Leo and I've got a great deal of love for myself and love to share with others. I neglect my needs every now and then because I'm a people person but I love myself dearly and deeply. My degree of expression for giving and receiving love is big and powerful. When I love, I love intensely. I find the more I grow to love every bit of myself the more I'm capable of giving love to others. It's a hard cookie to crack, self love and all. It always starts from within.

I truly enjoy being in a union with another, however it's not something I've ever needed. I've got a lot of love all on my own. There's nothing more enjoyable to me then being with others, but at the same time I love being with myself. It's easier to love when it's coming from a place of genuine desire not an ego driven codependent need of some sort. I'm very ok with myself. It's weird because society is not to accepting of someone like myself but
I'm ok with that because I'm satisfied with who I am. Sharing love with another is an icredible joy. It truly is. I love forever. My last love situation lasted 11 years. To this day I still love him dearly even though we've parted ways and I respect him. We shared something beautiful. And there are moments when I can even feel the love that we shared in it's potency surround me when I'm alone with myself.

posted May 11, 2012 12:01 AM            

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And there are moments when I can even feel the love that we shared in it's potency surround me when I'm alone with myself.

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This is what I'm interested in...is that feeling the same as when you are just happily loving yourself, or different? Is it better, like two is better than one?

It's weird how watching movies or reading books can stir up all these old feelings in me, and I can re-live old sensations.

This is like a romantic "voyeur" situation, (although I actually am shy and do not watch any heated love scenes...even kisses on screen can make me squirmy.) But watching a really powerful romance DOES give me that energy, and I suppose it's all connected to memories or maybe universal consciousness (??)

I don't know if anyone here is familiar with Norman Cousins- he cured himself of a terminal illness by using laughter as medicine (and some other unconventional tactics.) He just watched comedy videos all the time and laughed himself well.

I wonder if the "love" I feel watching The Notebook or something similar has a healing effect. As I see it, comedy and romance make us less lonely because we see that others are like us.

I'm not thinking of self-approval so much as having that heat, the "warm fuzzies" you know within. UNLESS you can get those fuzzies just by being happy about life? Can you, NJ?

I always need to feel connected to something larger than myself, almost like that heat in the gut is feeding off of some kind of spiritual umbilical cord to the oversoul or the Not Me.

Which is weird but I'll hit "submit reply" anyway, why not?

posted May 11, 2012 02:26 PM              

The love I have for myself and the love I express to others is different, because it's connected to different emotions. Kind of like the love you share with your family as opposed to the love your share with your mate. Love has many expressions and can be experienced through many prisms. It's no more or less powerful through any specific expression, it however can be connected to varied emotions.

I'm an intense person, therefore I feel everything very intensely and deeply, including love. I'm not an on the surface type of individual, it's just not who I am. I guess the bottom line is, love is love, it's just experienced on many different levels and expressed in many different ways, and it can be tied to many kinds of emotions. I don't think I can compare the love I have for myself with the love I share with others. It's a different expression. And both are necessary to create a balance within each individual. It's like trying to compare personal love and universal love. They are both expressions of a very pure and honest deep feeling (love) however, they represent two different desires within the soul.

quote:

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It's weird how watching movies or reading books can stir up all these old feelings in me, and I can re-live old sensations...But watching a really powerful romance DOES give me that energy, and I suppose it's all connected to memories or maybe universal consciousness (??)

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I know what you mean. I think you're making a deep connection through the visualization of those emotions and experiences on the screen. Like you mentioned, possibly connected to old memories from this lifetime or possibly another. As people we definitely are all connected. And I'm a bit of a film voyeur, no joke. I just really enjoy seeing expressions of love and just intense emotions in general. Connecting with life on all levels, through all kinds of experiences, visual, mental, direct, or indirect.

I don't necessarily try to feel connected to something larger than myself because being apart of this cosmic existence already allows me to innately feel that way. I've always been very in touch with the world and universe. I'm a group individual, and relating comes naturally to me. As far as warm and fuzzies go, hehe, it's all just different feelings for me. The self love I experience, is a deep joy and peace within myself. The love I feel for another is intense, penetrative, encompassing and intricate. It's a different kind of love expression and experience. I don't think it's greater or less than the love I experience with myself because it's so different. Self love, intimate/personal love and universal love, are all incomparable because they touch different centers within a person. Yet they are equally valid and necessary to the overall well being of a person. This is what it means to experience love on different levels, connecting to all centers within the body.

Like for example if I'm in an intimate relationship and it's consuming most of my time and energy, leaving me little time to connect with myself and express self love, I feel imbalanced and a bit empty. Especially if I'm also not able to express universal love through connecting with others and doing humanitarian work. Why not allow love to be experienced on all levels, self, personal and universal. People are a paradox, and in a sense we need many things to feel truly fulfilled and complete. But that journey always starts from within.

posted May 11, 2012 03:43 PM            

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Passion, Lust, Desire. Check out my journal

posted May 11, 2012 11:14 PM            

quote:

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I don't think I can compare the love I have for myself with the love I share with others. It's a different expression. And both are necessary to create a balance within each individual. It's like trying to compare personal love and universal love. They are both expressions of a very pure and honest deep feeling (love) however, they represent two different desires within the soul.

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NJ, thanks so much. That's the kind of thought I was fishing around for!

This gives me more to think about. I don't want to get into my life story but I do have to venture out more and explore more ways to love life and its people.

quote:

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Like for example if I'm in an intimate relationship and it's consuming most of my time and energy, leaving me little time to connect with myself and express self love, I feel imbalanced and a bit empty. Especially if I'm also not able to express universal love through connecting with others and doing humanitarian work. Why not allow love to be experienced on all levels, self, personal and universal. People are a paradox, and in a sense we need many things to feel truly fulfilled and complete. But that journey always starts from within.

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Beautifully said!

I agree...I just need to do more of everything, I think!

I love being a stay-at-home mom but I also need more out of life. I can just get so drained, being in the house and answering my toddlers' questions all the time.

My husband is self-employed and home, too. So I get time to play on the computer while he's tending to the little ones sometimes. And that is nothing to sneeze at...like I really love having time to chat with this LL community here!

But it'd be nice to see my siblings and extended family more, old friends, and do some charity work. My humanitarian efforts lately have been to go on the internet complaining about the wars. Well, that's something, right? But I would like to see people and help them.

Bottom line is, I have to get in touch with more feeling all around, I really do.

Thanks, nice talking with you!

posted May 11, 2012 11:16 PM            

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Originally posted by Ami Anne:
I am still thinking, Faith, as I HATE platitudes! xx

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posted May 12, 2012 09:23 AM              

It was really great having this conversation with you also. It got me thinking and I learned a bit more about myself and got to know you better so thank you as well.

posted May 12, 2012 10:58 AM            

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Passion, Lust, Desire. Check out my journal

posted May 12, 2012 03:26 PM            

I'm actually undecided as to my complete answer, but I'll do my best to contribute.

Personally, I'm not dating (can't due to some complicated things, plus, given the creeps who hit on me, I'm really not interested). However, I do feel like I can experience some level of that "in love" feeling when I really imagine what I would want a partner to be like, and the sort of things we'd say--the sort of connection that we'd have. I'm not talking sexual fantasies, here--I'm talking about daydreaming about the entire relationship. It's almost like an ongoing movie in my head that I can edit. (It's heavy on film noir/late 1930s to early 1950s atmosphere, especially since I'm into retro--my 8th house is Cancer, and it's where my moon is located). I can feel a hint of what that love would be like--as in, I can imagine it so deeply that I can almost taste it a little. However, as I always remember that it's just a film in my head, and that in real life, I could never possibly have any kind of romantic relationship (due to practical and personal reasons), the feeling doesn't last long.

But, yes, I can experience the feeling of being "in love" on some level.

As for self-love, it comes and goes. Right now, not here so much. Not feeling great about myself. So, I'm pouring myself into some of my interests. I'm feeling better today than I have the rest of the week, but still not feeling love towards myself. However, pouring my energy into my interests is a way of healing myself. It feels regenerative. So, maybe some self-love is actually sneaking in the back door without me realizing it.

I think--and this is just me thinking and typing off the top of my head--that maybe we can feel things that are either deeply buried in us, or else that are a part of us that could exist, that might even exist, but to which we do not have complete access. That is, maybe there are some parts of us that are not fully reachable even to our own selves, but we can catch hints of them. Maybe it's like being able to smell a wonderful perfume or cologne very faintly, but without being able to locate the bottle because when you try to follow the scent, the trail goes cold after awhile. The bottle exists, but can't be found--all that can be found is a hint of fragrance. That hint is just as real as the bottle, but not as deep, not as lasting, not as satisfying, makes you long for something more and deeper that you can't have--possibly not in the moment, possibly not ever. But it does exist in a small way, and it is in you, is a part of you.

Again, just thinking off of the top of my head. I really hope that it makes sense.

posted May 12, 2012 10:00 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by NativelyJoan:
Faith

It was really great having this conversation with you also. It got me thinking and I learned a bit more about myself and got to know you better so thank you as well.

Inviting more love into your life is all about making adjustments in order to create balance. Take it from a Libra, it's not easy but it's definitely plausible and completely worth it. I truly believe you'll find the love and happiness your searching for. I think one day we all will if we continue to be better people to ourselves and each other. We'll get there.

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*sniffle sniffle*

Natively Joan,

If you're reading this...thanks so much for taking the time to share your very intelligent and lovely perspective with me, I really appreciate it!

And I will miss you! You were just like a bright comet flashing through this forum. But I know you will be shining elsewhere, and that makes me happy, too.

posted May 12, 2012 10:30 PM            

As usual, your eloquence speaks for itself and I feel clumsy even remarking on it. But here goes!

You just blew my mind with this, and I'm pretty sure others reading it had the same reaction!

quote:

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That is, maybe there are some parts of us that are not fully reachable even to our own selves, but we can catch hints of them. Maybe it's like being able to smell a wonderful perfume or cologne very faintly, but without being able to locate the bottle because when you try to follow the scent, the trail goes cold after awhile. The bottle exists, but can't be found--all that can be found is a hint of fragrance.

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WOW. That seems so true and such a necessary thing to keep in mind, but I never heard it before!

Reminds me a little bit of this quote by Thoreau: "If the day and night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like sweet-scented herbs-- that is your success. All nature is your congratulations."

Maybe in that case you are smelling that inner fragrance and knowing how it blends with the outer fragrance of life. Just enjoying oneness that extends over space and time to all things and all potential. If that makes sense...I feel compelled to link what you said with what Thoreau said because both have to do with joy and fragrance

quote:

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However, pouring my energy into my interests is a way of healing myself. It feels regenerative. So, maybe some self-love is actually sneaking in the back door without me realizing it.

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I can relate! I feel this way, too. It's just like self-care. I have been caring enough about myself to do what I know is right for me, and then I feel like a better person because...I treated myself like a better person!

I also have an 8th house water moon and daydream a lot...I can get myself choked up if I make the story good enough. Funny thing is, I don't daydream about ME with some other guy because I'm married! LOL I actually write stories like screenplays and watch them in my head. I usually make the girl blonde because I'm a brunette, and I'd feel like it was cheating if the girl looked like me.

Who knows, now I'm just going to put myself "out there"...maybe going through those motions is just a symbolic way to reach my core of idealism, my innermost dream of total acceptance. Almost like a prayer where you try and reach God and have Him accept you completely...but I am not good at that.

I can just imagine one flawed human being loving another flawed human being and it makes me deeply happy to know it exists.

As always, wonderful talking with you!

posted May 12, 2012 10:36 PM            

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Originally posted by Randall:
Great topic!

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posted May 12, 2012 10:41 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Ami Anne:
I can just go by the Bible as human wisdom pales next to that, imo. The Bible has a lot to say about love. That is my starting point. I will think about it and be back, Faith!

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Ami, for a while, back when I was religious, I could read the Bible and be so enthralled, I would actually blush with happiness.

I still agree with most of what the Bible says about love. Love is not jealous. Love is patient, love is kind. So simple but that is still the bedrock of what I believe.

posted May 13, 2012 08:47 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Faith:
Ami, for a while, back when I was religious, I could read the Bible and be so enthralled, I would actually blush with happiness.

I still agree with most of what the Bible says about love. Love is not jealous. Love is patient, love is kind. So simple but that is still the bedrock of what I believe.

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Passion, Lust, Desire. Check out my journal

posted May 13, 2012 03:15 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Faith:
Ami, for a while, back when I was religious, I could read the Bible and be so enthralled, I would actually blush with happiness.

I still agree with most of what the Bible says about love. Love is not jealous. Love is patient, love is kind. So simple but that is still the bedrock of what I believe.

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1) thanks so much for the kind words about my post; I really appreciate them

2) Since you mentioned the Bible: ever read "Song of Songs"? I have it in French (I have a French Bible that I just love) and it's really just beautiful to me in that language, though still lovely in English too.

posted May 14, 2012 08:15 AM            

When I first became a Christian, I was astonished by Song of Songs because it's a little racy. That's one time I was blushing! I should go back and read it again, I know it's beautiful. My husband is a dedicated Christian and there are Bibles all over the house.

Ami, 'glad that made you happy! Looking forward to your new article.

Thanks so much for the conversation here, I've been thinking about it happily as I go about my life.

posted May 15, 2012 06:41 AM            

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Originally posted by Faith:
^ I'm sure your reading was beautiful!

When I first became a Christian, I was astonished by Song of Songs because it's a little racy. That's one time I was blushing! I should go back and read it again, I know it's beautiful. My husband is a dedicated Christian and there are Bibles all over the house.

Ami, 'glad that made you happy! Looking forward to your new article.

Thanks so much for the conversation here, I've been thinking about it happily as I go about my life.

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