Verse 14, “To crown all, there must be love, to bind all together and to complete the whole.”
The song “Love Came Down at Christmas” keeps going through my head this morning. The words came during meditation on images of the “Fountain of Love,” “Stream of Love,” and “Eternal Dancer.” I had randomly pulled the images in response to asking, “What does an unyielding, heavy energy in my psyche want me to know?” I felt this energy soften as I compassionately listened to its needs through the images I’d drawn.
I imagined a stream of love flowing through me from the larger fountain of the Self or Christ. I relaxed into the eternal dance as I listened deeply to the waters of my psyche/soul. I dialogued with the stagnant energy to transcend my ego’s aggravation with it.
The paradox is that dropping into the stream of love allows the ego to loosen its agenda. This makes room for the need of the previously unconscious (in this case, stagnant) energy. The seemingly opposing energies begin to hear what each needed in the presence of love.
My contemplation practiced the qualities of love Erich Fromm shares in The Art of Loving: giving, care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge. Giving myself time to care for the wayward energy allowed me to be responsible for the need it communicated. I showed respect of the new self-knowledge by acting on it.
Fromm’s book inspires me to practice the art of loving, towards myself and others, instead of waiting for love to magically arrive. I keep a list of the qualities of love in my planner as a daily reminder that love unites.
Inner Reflection and Outer Action
I invite you to practice the art of loving with yourself today. Take space to focus on your inner world and to listen for your psyche’s needs. Let Fromm’s qualities of love shape your presence with the energetic states you discover.