Society uses the term "love" to mean many things. We love romantic partners, parents, siblings, children and friends. But we also love baseball and movie stars, Twitter and i-phones, pizza and beer. Love is the subject of poems, songs, movies and theatre but do we really know what love is?
Religions say God is Love; a close personal love that is so intimate, nothing can be hidden. Divine Love is accepting, forgiving, understanding and compassionate. Religions also teach that Almighty God, who loves unconditionally, will punish sinners and that we are all sinners.
The Catholic Church withholds Communion or in extreme cases, excommunicates disobedient members; controlling the soul's destiny in this life and the next.
I could never understand why we have "free will" that if exercised, can cause eternal damnation...It is no wonder we live in a world of fear. People learn to condition love on adherence to a set of expectations. If conditions are not met, love is withdrawn. This tainted love manifests through a complicated web of control called "co-dependent love".
In the mid 1970's, I spent a week at a commune called "Cornucopia" in a workshop based on the book "The Handbook to Higher Consciousness" by Ken Keyes Jr. . My class mates, all older than I, processed decades of programming about being "good enough" to deserve love. We learned self-love was the ultimate pre-requisite to sharing unconditional love. It was at that workshop I learned we all have fears and insecurities that when hidden, keep us from sharing love openly and genuinely. Many people at the workshop dissolved a life of prejudice and misperception in a flood of emotional release . . . then received abundant, unconditional love and acceptance. The sense of belonging and euphoria was life-changing.
Everyone needs and deserves love. Love frees us from being what we think we should, to be who we really are; individual expressions of divinity.
Religions say God is Love; a close personal love that is so intimate, nothing can be hidden. Divine Love is accepting, forgiving, understanding and compassionate. Religions also teach that Almighty God, who loves unconditionally, will punish sinners and that we are all sinners.
The Catholic Church withholds Communion or in extreme cases, excommunicates disobedient members; controlling the soul's destiny in this life and the next.
I could never understand why we have "free will" that if exercised, can cause eternal damnation...It is no wonder we live in a world of fear. People learn to condition love on adherence to a set of expectations. If conditions are not met, love is withdrawn. This tainted love manifests through a complicated web of control called "co-dependent love".
In the mid 1970's, I spent a week at a commune called "Cornucopia" in a workshop based on the book "The Handbook to Higher Consciousness" by Ken Keyes Jr. . My class mates, all older than I, processed decades of programming about being "good enough" to deserve love. We learned self-love was the ultimate pre-requisite to sharing unconditional love. It was at that workshop I learned we all have fears and insecurities that when hidden, keep us from sharing love openly and genuinely. Many people at the workshop dissolved a life of prejudice and misperception in a flood of emotional release . . . then received abundant, unconditional love and acceptance. The sense of belonging and euphoria was life-changing.
Everyone needs and deserves love. Love frees us from being what we think we should, to be who we really are; individual expressions of divinity.