An exploration of one of the most complex, multifaceted and wonderful of all human experiences.
By Jo Mooy
Because of St. Valentine’s Day, February is known globally as the month of “Love.” So, it seemed appropriate to write an article about it. After the holidays, I went down the rabbit hole on the topic. There are hundreds of songs about love. The Beatles sang, “All You Need Is Love!” Whitney Houston vowed, “I Will Always Love You.” And everybody was awed at Tina Turner’s resilience when she asked, as Ike was battering her, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”
After decades of songs telling us about the conditions of love, Foreigner asked the biggest question: “I Want to Know What Love Is?” And that was a good place to launch my own quest. What is love? The answer depends upon on whom you ask. Psychologists say it’s a complex and multifaceted emotion that can bring immense joy or profound sorrow that manifests in different forms and intensities. Biologists sanitize the definition by calling love a process in the brain triggering hormones and chemicals that produce feelings of pleasure and reward. Metaphysicians define it as a powerful magnetic energy that attracts or repels individuals based on the frequency (or rate of vibration) that one person has for another. And finally, mystics say love in its highest form is pure, selfless, unconditional, and without attraction or obligation. They also believe it reflects outward in compassionate and empathic service to others.
Those definitions of love were a lot to digest. Putting aside biology’s definition, which seemed a bit antiseptic, I looked for behaviors that represented the other explanations. Emotions significantly shape and influence our lives. They spontaneously occur in the subconscious from experiences in the past or that are happening now. One of the mega emotions is falling in love. Individuals who do describe the early stages of love as a surge of excitement, or flutters in the stomach, or even the heart skipping a beat when they see their beloved.
But the brain cannot sustain that level of chemical overload. Over time, the hormones slow down and the definition of love changes to one less intense. It’s replaced by longer-lasting mutual caring, appreciation, respect and empathy for the other partner. If you’re fortunate enough to be in a relationship where both individuals share the same interests, that love is even more durable and self-sustaining. If the relationship flounders, as Tina Turner and Ike’s did, it easily turns to the polar opposite of love, which is hate. That emotion quickly manifests as a lower-energy frequency and sours the relationship.
The highest form of love is what the Greeks called agape. The mystics refer to this form of love as the most “universal and God-like.” When you pet a small puppy or hold a baby close to your heart and feel an outpouring of an indescribable emotion, I know it’s a manifestation of that purest agape love that was described.
As the human species matures spiritually and emotionally, I pray the awe and wonder of experiencing a puppy’s lick or a baby’s smile touches and elevates our collective moods. The invisible love that emanates from that is magnetic, and it forms an etheric bond that links one another in the vast field of energy in which we live and move.
May we express loving kindness to all. May we speak and behave with compassion. May we develop tolerance and acceptance for all so that personal love transcends to Universal Love. That’s ultimately what love is.
Jo Mooy has studied with many spiritual traditions over the past 40 years. The wide diversity of this training allows her to develop spiritual seminars and retreats that explore inspirational concepts, give purpose and guidance to students, and present esoteric teachings in an understandable manner. Along with Patricia Cockerill, she has guided the Women’s Meditation Circle since January 2006 where it has been honored for five years in a row as the “Favorite Meditation” group in Sarasota, FL, by Natural Awakenings Magazine. Teaching and using Sound as a retreat healing practice, Jo was certified as a Sound Healer through Jonathan Goldman’s Sound Healing Association. She writes and publishes a monthly internationally distributed e-newsletter called Spiritual Connections and is a staff writer for Spirit of Maat magazine in Sedona. For more information go to http://www.starsoundings.com or email jomooy@gmail.com.
