“The temple of love is not love itself;
True love is the treasure,
Not the walls about it.
Do not admire the decoration,
But involve yourself in the essence,
The perfume that invades and touches you-
The beginning and the end.
Discovered, this replaces all else,
The apparent and the unknowable.
Time and space are slaves to this presence.”

~Rumi

True love, in contrast, is a genuine feeling which sets us free.

I am currently reading Love, An Inner Connection by Carol K. Anthony. Actually, I just completed it and am already re-reading it, taking notes and journaling to really absorb what it is talking about. It is based on the principles of the I Ching and is so profound. There is a strong parallel between this quote and the concepts in the book, all of which are making a deep impact on me.

Love is deeper than a feeling and more than an action word. It is a connection…a way of living. When it comes right down to it, all of our words and actions either come from a place of love or a place of fear, knowing that fear includes anything that doesn’t fall under ‘love’.  Any time doubt or worry come into play, it’s a place of fear. My own personal work has always taken me to a place of conscious awareness of my words, internal or external, and my actions. Since I have read this book, the depth of the awareness has increased. I see how my doubts and fears creep into my mind and overpower the quiet voice of love, or my heart. On the other hand, when I allow myself to fully be in the presence of love, it feels lighter than air, yet warmly grounding and deeply satisfying. Those moments can happen at the most unexpected or unusual times, often not surrounding a ‘big’ event. The connection is powerful and often emotionally overwhelming in a supremely beautiful way. I simply don’t know how to put it into words…

“True love is the treasure, not the walls around it.” This line coincides with a topic in the book about unintentionally setting barricades to receiving love. I sat with this one for a while and was amazed at how many examples I could come up with where I had either intentionally or unintentionally set up barricades, usually around old beliefs or stories that either I had created or had been taught to me through life. Doubt, fear and worry were intricately woven together with other ideas that offered a false sense of protection, keeping me from getting hurt. Instead, the protection was hurting me. It was keeping me disconnected from myself, from Spirit and from any other person opening themselves to me.

Anthony often refers to saying a strong inner NO to anything that is not in alignment with our truth (love) or is in any way enmeshed with fear and doubt. To me, this connects to the poem regarding not getting caught up in the decoration. In other words, don’t be so enamored with your partner that you prevent yourself from seeing their own fear and doubt and how they unintentionally project that upon you, usually causing you to feel unloved or unlovable. Avoid getting so wrapped up in avoiding conflict (keeping things pretty on the outside), that your inside is being torn apart. Instead, say a strong inner NO and immerse yourself in the true essence of love. Choose your love and truth above all else and it will radiate outwardly. The behavior of others will correct and adjust themselves if you say a strong inner NO and retreat, still keeping the love space open. Allow for the love to continually be present but say a strong inner NO to engaging in the fear and doubt behavior. Ego takes over and it becomes a winless battle for both parties.

As I go page by page underlining, note taking and journaling, I am seeing how easy it is for the ego defense to kick in and be ‘wounded’ by someone else’s fear and doubt. I am also noticing the patterns present in my relationship and how that can play out if the essence and totality of love is not embraced. Anthony also makes a point in the book that partners fall in love with each other’s true inner self, not the outer ego selves. Thus, the friction that is often present in relationships. Ego (which exists in the fear space) becomes the louder voice in the relationship and without conscious awareness, love can be reduced to a barely audible muffle.

This is a love nudge to the necessity of conscious awareness. This is a love nudge to say YES to our own inner truth (love) above all else. This is a love nudge to feel the essence of love around you at all times, knowing that all creation is loving and supporting…all you have to do is ask. The moment you ask, you automatically open yourself to receiving love. All it takes is a tiny little crack of openness.

 

Posted in Love