The 30 day Love Challenge

It is February, therefore it is the month of St Valentine and the month of love.

Love is not just for February of course. It is all the time.

As we steep ourselves in meditation we come to feel love, more and more, as an all pervasiveness. The persistent belief that we are separate from all others is challenged by meditative experiences of Oneness. Love for ourselves becomes love for others, love for others becomes love for ourselves.

Love, like kindness, becomes a spiritual practice in itself.  Sometimes the practice of self-love becomes important.  Many of us find self-love difficult, so convinced are we of our unworthiness, our imperfection.  So we can start with outward love.

I have been trying this of late.

Conjure the feeling of love for a moment, remembering the feeling of love. If you have children, the love you have for them is ideal as it is so unconditional, no matter that there may be difficulties in our relationships with our children the love remains. Or you may choose memories of love for mother, father, sibling, lover. Feel the feeling of love.

Whenever you see anyone, try to conjure this feeling of love and direct it at that other person. The person on the pedestrian crossing in front of you. the person ahead of you in a queue. The person serving you at the store, in the restaurant, wherever. You can do this spiritual practice anywhere and nobody need even know.

Try it with the person who just cut you off in the car. The person who just stole your carpark. To the office jerk. And so on. Challenge yourself.

Notice always what the feeling is and when resistance arises love the resistance. Keep trying it out and noting the effect it has in your daily life.

I challenge you to try this practice all the time for 30 days. Let me know how you go. I am doing it too so you are not alone.

This practice comes with a warning: you are changing your brain. The ability to hate may become impaired.

Love you!