Of the many faces that may fuel the essence of love in your life, how many of these are routinely ignored? Have you ever considered the variety and essence of love that would makes your life more rewarding? Day by day we go through routines without a lot of heart – shower, cup of coffee/tea, brush the teeth, do something with your hair, or not…..
Most of the time, we simply re-set each day, as a carbon copy of yesterday, and somehow, we recreate it just like all those that came before. Gosh this is boring! There is however, a spark, something which may not be present in your habitual preparations for another day, but it is one of the most imperative feelings of human kind – the Essence of Love.
The essence of love comes in so many forms. Love for others, love of food, love of pets, music and so on. This concept is so important for our vitality and well-being, that the Ancient Greeks had names for these individual flavors.
- Agape is the fraternal love you would feel for humankind. Folks in your community or those you may work with. It’s warm and friendly but stays in the realm of the platonic
- With practice and proximity however, Agape could give rise to Philia, or the love you feel for long-term friends, and comrades. This essence is the source for the naming of Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love.
- Ludus begins to flower when this fraternizing turns rather warmer and melds into a playful form, like flirting, or the deep warming energy when best friends gather for a wedding.
- Ok, so Pragma isn’t really an ancient Greek concept in and of itself, but it has conceptualized to delineate the type of love that long-term relationships enjoy. After the heady passionate days, and the weathering of storms and upheavals together, love tends to mellow over time into a fine glow. Like two fig trees who have twined into one, this is the couple married for so many decades that they no longer know who they are without the other person.
- Ah the sexy and dangerous Eros epitomizes the sense of sexual desire and passionate entanglement. Born of Chaos, (naturally, because where else could passion be born?) Eros has a tribe, that includes Anteros, his brother of unrequited or rejected love, charming Himeros who kindles desire, and the poetically romantic Pothos, who suffers eternal feelings of yearning, but never possessing.
- However, one of the most neglected forms is Philautia or the love we hold for ourselves. This seems to be one of the most difficult emotions for us to engender and yet crucial for us all to practice.
Rather than purely seeking out other loves as mirrors that reflect what you wish to actually see in yourself, instead, learn to recognize all the parts of you which makes you unique. The habitual view of life is often believed to be perceived through the eyes, trying to see what is in front of you, to make sense of it, to categorize and understand it by reducing it to a definition. In reality, everything we actually experience is purely born in the mind.
I perceive therefore I AM.
To make the journey from an outward focused vision to one that recognizes the depths of your inner heart, is a deeply rewarding and possibly even, surprising experience.
Since self-love may be a new focus to explore, play with this short, sweet & effective meditation which will guide you through unexplored areas. With gentle practice, you will learn how to call on the very best of yourself in any situation. Add this to your daily practice to amplify every essence of love in your life.
Like this simple practice? Explore more of Kristen Eykel’s posts on her blog to easily amplify your life
Written by Kristen Eykel & Carolyn Staggs.
