Namaste’

I pray this day finds you feeling balanced and at peace.  The summer weather has been very intense, but every time I think to complain about the heat I remember the hours I spent shoveling snow during the winter months!  It’s been a little while since my last muse and wonderful things have been coming together during my short break.  Recently a friend and I had a long heart-to-heart about love and relationships.  Quite a few people around us were transitioning out of relationships due to unhappiness and some reported that their partner had not given or demonstrated the same level of love.

As a lover of all things to do with love I wondered if the issue was a lack of self-love.  My friend commented that his view of love has changed drastically over the years.  In past relationships he expected a certain level of love and respect and was disappointed often.  So instead of continuing on the path of broken relationships he began a self-study of sorts.  In time he realized that no one could ever live up to the standard of love that he required and that in order to have a sustaining relationship he had to fulfill all that he needed.  During his self-exploration he read The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz and insisted that I read it as well as it helped to change his views.

As I read the book I was amazed at the principles written by the author.  It helped to dispel many of the love myths that I held – about myself and others.  I thought back to my own trail of broken relationships and found the same common denominator – disappointment in not being shown the same love that I was displaying.  The reality was that if I showed myself that same love I was giving I would have been perfectly content.  In the chapter Healing the Emotional Body the author states:

“Love coming out of you is the only way to be happy.  Unconditional love for yourself.  Complete surrender to that love for yourself.  You no longer resist life.  You no longer reject yourself.  You no longer carry all that blame and guilt.  You just accept who you are, and accept everyone else the way he or she is.”

Do you have high standards for love and find yourself disappointed or lacking the love you seek?  Know that we can all be Masters of Love, but that love must be given and received by self.  We are all deserving of love, happiness, joy and peace in our lives…and we have the power to give it to ourselves.

May this day continue to find you blessed and mastering the art of self-love.
Om Shanti,
the Yoga Diva of spiritualessenceyoga.com

“Life is nothing but a dream, and if we are artists, then we can create our life with Love, and our dream becomes a masterpiece of art.” ~ Don Miguel Ruiz