We use the word love to describe, sometimes even to disguise, many different emotions, intentions, and behaviors - including need, control, lust, jealousy, exploitation and even abuse. So it is unsurprising that we struggle to understand what it means when we are told to love ourselves.
Divine Love is the energy of the Universe, the essence of all creation. It is an infinite and omnipotent power that is the origin and source of all life. As Buckminster Fuller insightfully observed, “Love is spiritual gravity.”
When we are in a state of true, unconditional love, we align our human personality with our true soul nature. To love unconditionally means we love everyone and everything exactly as it is. We understand that everything is exactly how it needs to be for now, that we are all learning in a way and at a pace that is optimal for our growth and enlightenment, and that we never know what is right or true for others.
What is right for us is our truth. Our truth must be guarded and protected. It is our task, in the face of many competing desires and agendas, to never compromise our truth for any reason, including any fear of isolation and rejection, or the coercion by others.
We love when we know our true desire and are aware of what is needed for us to remain in a state of peace and joy, communicated to us through our intuition and feelings. We also understand that, regardless of what others want or say, and no matter our particular circumstances, if we want peace and joy, we must remain in our truth.
Only when we love ourselves, when we live within our truth, are we capable of truly loving others. True love means not only claiming the necessity of living our truth, but according that same freedom to others. When the path to our truth is compatible with another’s we have some hope of creating a relationship that is centered and grounded in love.
