Musings: Living From a Place of Love

As we approach Valentine’s Day, LOVE is in the air and we will acknowledge our most cherished people with cards, gifts, flowers, and celebrations. Valentine’s Day (which has been practiced since at least the 14th century) merely reminds us each year to value our loved ones and community on a single day, but I advocate that it is better to always live from the place of love. Being “in Love” in this context is more of a state of being and living from a higher vibration of compassion to illuminate the essence of unconditional love. May this love-filled newsletter inspire you to love yourself and others all the time!

Love powers the world. Love has the amazing ability to comfort and heal, uplift and transform. Indeed, love is spirit and love is divine. Continuously living from the source of love is a sign of evolved beings. Even in times of difficulties and stress, some people are able to connect with their inner sanctuary; the spirit within themselves that unconditionally loves, guides, and protects. Love always inspires the right action and when one is able to see from that divine perspective of love–they are able to truly resonate with others, seeing beyond trivial shortcomings or errors to see them as emissaries of peace.

While we all have experienced the power of love at some point in our lives, how many of us live 24/7 in love? It is difficult for us mortals to always live from and in love, but with lots of practice, we can spend more time in this blissful place. As I learned from his Holiness the Dalai Lama, all emotions have a frequency: some have high frequencies while others have a low frequency. Judgment, greed, avarice, anger, resentment, and hatred have very low frequencies. Happiness and peace do not reside there. On the other hand – goodwill, friendship, empathy, compassion, kindness, forgiveness, and love have high frequencies which lead to happiness, peace and living in the flow of life.

At any given moment – it is not complicated to know how you are vibrating: check-in with yourself right now for instance. Slow down, find a comfortable seat, close your eyes, and observe your breath. Notice your energy, how do you feel overall? Do you recognize any of the above emotions in your current state or conscious thoughts? With practice, you can neutrally observe yourself and shift your thoughts towards higher vibratory emotions and re-discover your state of being in love. When you observe one of the “lower frequency” emotions or thoughts, simply shift your next thought to one of compassion towards yourself for being human and feeling the spectrum of emotions. Compassion is a form of love that is readily available to you in any moment as a radical shift to a higher vibration. Another sure way to shift from a low frequency to a higher frequency is to consider something you are grateful for — even this moment of stillness to reflect and be is a gift to be grateful for.

I can honestly say that having worked in the field of forgiveness and peacebuilding for over 20 years, I am spending more time living in the high-frequency emotions. Because of this spiritual shift, my life is happier, healthier and more peaceful. In truth, we all have an immeasurable capacity to love and it is in love that we are able to find the qualities of the spirit which are joy, peace, patience, forgiveness, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. In one of my school presentations, I received a beautiful handmade card from a 7th grader Raylean with the sage message “The ultimate level of love is forgiveness.”

I acknowledge that life provides many challenges and at these times it can seem impossible to respond with love. However, it is in these challenging times that it is most important that you do not fall from the wagon into the low-frequency emotions. It is through consistent meditation that you can cultivate a habit to respond to these seemingly negative challenges in your life with love. In fact, the shift from a lower vibratory emotion to higher vibratory emotion in the midst or aftermath of one of your most difficult life experiences can lead to a spiritual awakening. Re-discovering the place of love in your heart and life when you have no control over outside factors and events is one of the most healing things you can do for yourself.

Let us take the advice from one of my favorite philosophers, the poetic Khalil Gibran:

“For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you.
Even as he is for your growth so is, he for your pruning.
But if in your fear you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure;
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor;
Into a season-less world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep but not all of your tears.”

Living from a place of love as often as possible is the surest way to achieve peace, good health, good relationships and happiness for you, your loved ones, your community, and the world! So, make a firmer commitment this Valentine’s Day to do so as the world is in desperate need of our collective love!

Peace and blessings,

Azim Khamisa