Loving Unconditionally

I had a very beautiful day yesterday, capped by an evening meditation with a wonderful group of like-minded souls.

The host of this meditation group that I have been attending now for a couple of years is a gifted therapist and friend. He always begins with a little talk on a particular topic, and then we meditate together. Those who come regularly, all follow and embrace the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, each in their own way.

The evening began when we were asked to share our experiences of loving unconditionally and how that felt to us.

Our host shared with us the experience of having recently met a well known and published author in the healing community, and noting how despite all his successes, there seemed to be a deep sadness in his eyes. He told us, how in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to convey God's unconditional love.

How do we love unconditionally? Very simply, when we behold the Presence of God in everyone that we meet. This may seem like a difficult and insurmountable task, but really, it is not. It is our resistance to loving unconditionally that creates the difficulty and the tension we seem to embrace in our lives.

To love unconditionally means we see who everyone really is at their deepest essence. We do not see them with our eyes or through our filters - but we truly see them as God sees them - as nothing more and nothing less than the essence of Divine Love.

We were invited to connect with God as Unconditional Love, and to go into our meditations. I had a sense of the immensity of God's Essence, permeating everything in the universe. I could perceive myself as simply a loose federation of atoms and waves of loves colliding in a gentle and loving way with other atoms and waves mixing in a soup where God and individuals were indistinguishable. And while it may have only have lasted at hour or so, it was a beautiful reminder of our essential oneness.

I wrote two poems yesterday - one before the meditation, and another after, that captured my thoughts and feelings. Earlier in the day, I had reflected on the immensity of love we sometimes feel but perhaps cannot adequately express.

May we all strive to love more unconditionally - for in so doing - we collectively bring this world into Paradise as a reflection of the Unconditional Love of the Divine!

Immensity of Love

there is an immensity
of love inside
that I cannot hide
seeking expression
and harmony
with all beings
and all things

there is a vast ocean
of love inside
that I cannot hide
seeking resolution
clamoring for union
with all beings
and all things

there is such an immensity
of love inside
that I can no longer hide

Unconditional Love

Love always,
Without restraint—
As God loves,
That is Unconditional Love

When we see God
In every soul that breathes
And every act of creation
We Love like God does

Love like this is easier
It is our resistance
To the river of love inside
That becomes a labor

"Let your love be like
the misty rains,
coming down softly,
but flooding the river."

Love always,
Without restraint—
As God loves,
For that
Is Unconditional Love

(Quote comes from a Malagasy Proverb)