Loving Kindness – Sep. 2019
by Regina Kaiser
This week we explore Loving Kindness, giving and receiving without an expectation or attachment. I find myself wondering how can I give from my heart when it is heavy with sorrow. And just as this thought is completed the sun shines in through the window, warming my heart. I’m reminded of the beauty of life, and how connected we are with the universe.
The spiritual journey is not intended to be one of isolation which is sometimes confused with solitude. Isolation disconnects us from life, and the nurturing contact of loving souls. Of course, there are times when we need solitude to reconnect with ourselves and life, such as a retreat or short getaway. But we are still connected….
Each of us moves through life with our experiences and stories. Some of the stories are tucked away, perhaps stored for another time, or forever buried in the past. Some of the experiences are still in the healing process, finding solace through a slower process of transformation. Miraculously, meaning presents itself when we’re sharing our story, listening to a friend share, or reading an article. It’s as if it was ‘just for us’. We stop feeling so alone and we feel connected. This is how solitude transforms into loving connections.
Exploring Loving Kindness
This week we explore Loving Kindness, giving and receiving without an expectation or attachment. I find myself wondering how can I give from my heart when it is heavy with sorrow (Healing Loss – Harmony & Health ). And just as this thought is completed the sun shines in through the window, warming my heart. I’m reminded of the beauty of life, and how connected we are with the universe.
Solitude vs Isolation
The spiritual journey is not intended to be one of isolation which is sometimes confused with solitude. Isolation disconnects us from life, and the nurturing contact of loving souls. Of course, there are times when we need solitude to reconnect with ourselves and life, such as a retreat or short getaway. But we are still connected….
Each of us moves through life with our experiences and stories. Some of the stories are tucked away, perhaps stored for another time, or forever buried in the past. Some of the experiences are still in the healing process, finding solace through a slower process of transformation. Miraculously, meaning presents itself when we’re sharing our story, listening to a friend share, or reading an article. It’s as if it was ‘just for us’. We stop feeling so alone and we feel connected. This is how solitude transforms into loving connections.
Being in a loving place requires compassion for self first. I know that may sound selfish; however, when we can relate and communicate our own feelings and needs we are better able to be there for others. Our inside needs won’t get lost in the giving and receiving acts of kindness, leaving us feeling hurt or disappointed by the actions or inactions of another. Guilt, shame, regret and doubt transform into understanding and love.
When we honour our needs with self love and love for others we stop projecting an expectation towards ourselves and towards others, and the heart opens with greater grace. For example, if you are quietly struggling with a painful memory, and haven’t shared your need to be heard, to be alone or to be surrounded by others, whichever it might be, then you haven’t given with an open heart. You may not know you’ve done this, but it closes you off and causes more suffering.
But how do you stay authentic without becoming that person no one wants to be around because you are sad or feeling low?
How can you be there for another whom you see is suffering?
The heaviness is real and uncomfortable, and could be you feeling it, or you witnessing it. Either way, we’ve all sucked it up to put on a brave face, trying to display resilience and strength, trying to say or do the ‘right’ thing. There’s no point judging yourself. We are all on this journey together, co-creating. Instead, allow yourself to trust you don’t have to be someone you’re not ready to be. All healing is self healing…
The process of healing continues as each of us becomes present with our own journey, supporting each other and trusting the universe places the exact circumstances and people on our path, always in our highest integrity and the highest integrity of all.
This week at Classes for Mindful Living we invite in Loving Kindness, the act of opening our hearts to receive and give without becoming depleted and without attachment. This powerful act of love opens the heart and brings healing to all.
“It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.” — The Invitation written by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Send comments to regina@veracis.ca
