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The healing power of love – it’s free and available now

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The healing power of love is so extraordinary that we should be able to bottle it. Actually, we don’t need to because it is freely available anywhere at any time. Yes, it’s on draught right where you are now!

Healing power is more than touch

Physical touch is normally an important part of healing, but that’s only part of the story. Love is, of course, much more than touch. There can be a huge difference between an embrace filled with warmth and one given, say, because it is “the right thing to do”. The first contains the healing power of love, whereas the other is like an empty pot. The same may be said for actions, words and even a glance – it is the underlying intent that conveys the essence.

What is going on below the surface?

It goes without saying that the world at the moment is sick and that there is need for healing on a grand scale. Medicines and vaccines will play a major part in dealing with the pandemic, of course, but at some point the underlying causes need treating, too. In most cultures, it is a tenet of traditional medicine that when conditions are right and in balance there is good health. When there is imbalance, internal or external, there is potential for sickness, and the world has been seriously out of balance for a very long time. The governor of balance is our consciousness, whether that be individual or collective.

Love is movement towards unity of consciousness

Healing is in essence a process that harmonises and unifies. The world has always been troubled with the opposite – divisiveness – and this has manifested so very clearly in world politics in recent times. Divisiveness is a symptom of the ego, or sense of a self that is independent of others. It is this which creates poverty, racism, selfishness and every other human ill. To restore balance, the human race needs to move towards unity, both within itself and with the world of which it is a part.

Mind the cracks

What can we do? One of the ego’s best lines of defence is to blame. When we judge or criticise others, we put ourselves apart from them. Watering the seeds of separateness within ourselves, the cracks in our consciousness grow. This view on life informs everything we think, feel, say and do. Instead, we need to heal the cracks, and love is the wonderful glue that helps to do that. When we notice our thoughts turning judgmental, we send out loving kindness instead. It’s actually not that difficult, so even if we are obliged to stay at home, we can still radiate wholeness and goodness. That’s healing.

Moving towards enlightened living is the theme of Awakening Heart – The Blissful Path to Self Realisation

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It’s not all bad news – love heals, both inside and out

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Understandably, there is a great deal of anxiety about the effects of the coronavirus, socially and economically as well as in a health sense. Fear is spread far and wide, and this increased stress tends to weaken the immune system. So, instead of mulling over the negative and fearful stuff, let’s talk about love for a minute.

The miraculous antidote

Love is quite extraordinary. We take it for granted as part of life but we often mess it up, don’t we? Part of the trouble is that we are conditioned to associate love with relationships from quite an early age and that, as we know, is fraught with difficulty. Expectations invariably lead to disappointments and little hurts build up. These restrict the flow of energy through our body. Over time, our vitality suffers and life is less joyful and healthy than it might otherwise be. The antidote to this is love. It is amazingly powerful – we just need to learn to let it out of the box.

Love strengthens the immune system

Just as fear weakens our defences, love can help strengthen them. The immune system is a fairly simple name for a rather complex collection of defence mechanisms within and on the body. Informing and underlying our physical body is an equally sophisticated system through which the energy of vitality, Qi, flows. The better the flow of Qi, the more effective our immune system generally is. This somewhat subtle field of energy not only permeates the whole body but also extends beyond the skin.

Wei Qi

The Qi that runs close to the surface and surrounds our body is sometimes known as Wei Qi – the outer, protective layer of Qi. There are many Qigong exercises and techniques to strengthen Wei Qi. Those are really good to do and very relevant in the current climate. But what is not often appreciated is that Love expands this energy field. So when we love, we build up positive energy in and around us. When we retreat inside ourselves through fear or anger, the Wei Qi retreats, too.

Don’t panic, but for heaven’s sake don’t just sit there

Life and the world are rather upside down at the moment. As a race, we have neglected and abused our beloved planet for far too long. She is giving us a very loud wake-up call because, let’s face it, we have ignored all the warnings so far. Perhaps when the immediate urgency of the current situation has passed, a new world view may emerge. In the meantime, let’s stay positive and remember there is a very effective healing power within all of us.

Energy circulation meditation for vitality

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Being happy: why we should choose to flick the switch

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HappinessBeing happy is really rather good. Have you noticed (well, of course you have) that when we are happy, life seems so much lighter? It is also really rather good to be in the company of people who are lighter in spirit. Lightness can be catching. Unlike winter lurgies, happiness is a wonderful infection to pass on. Feel free to pass on your lightness! Indeed, let’s lift the cloak of gravitas that hangs heavily over so much of life today! We need inspiration, not gloom; but what can we do about it?

Being happy: is it a matter of choice or fortune?

We cannot solve the problems of the world, nor can we necessarily change many of the things that affect us, such as health and living conditions. What we do have control over is how we respond internally . When we are feeling down or serious about life, our internal energy takes a bit of a nosedive. Our emotions are very much affected by our energy or Qi; in turn, our Qi is influenced by our state of mind and our consciousness. This is where choice comes in.

Choose to look on the bright side and sow seeds of happiness

Looking on the bright side is not to be unrealistically optimistic but to realise that good can come out of anything. It really is like turning the light on. I sometimes imagine that there is a switch in the heart energy centre. To throw it from dark mode to light relies simply on intention. The significance of this little mental step is that our energy immediately becomes lighter. Energy follows intent. There is a very deep truth in this. We don’t need to analyse, though; just do it. And who knows? Make it a habit and we could well start off an epidemic.

The Great Little Book of Happiness is filled with tips on what we can do to improve our happiness and sense of wellbeing.

Energy circulation meditation 

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Simplicity – the root cure for all problems?

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Simplicity-mindSimplicity is a wonderful word, I think. It has a ring of freedom about it. Deep down, I suspect that we all have a secret yearning for simplicity in life, to some degree at least. The basis for how we experience life is consciousness – the sum total of our thoughts, sense impressions, beliefs, memory and, particularly, the capacity to observe. It is this last that we tend to forget, yet it is simplicity itself. Being free from judgment, it is also the key to the higher aspects of our minds and to inner peace.

Simplicity of living or of thinking?

There is a wonderful saying in the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism: “May you be filled with comfort and ease.” This has nothing to do with living a comfortable or luxurious life but with having a perfect state of mind. It is the direct experience, the realisation, of simplicity within ourselves. When we have that, it doesn’t matter what our job or responsibilities are because everything is crystal clear. Nothing can faze us and whatever we do or say will be correct because it arises from pure mind.

Gradually, softly is the way

That perfect simplicity is not somewhere else. It is already present. You and I are simplicity now but it is difficult to see that because we all suffer from mental fog. Just as it would be extremely foolish to drive fast along a foggy road, so our progress towards finding inner clarity also needs to be gradual. Soft, not grasping. There is a great deal wrong in our human world but real change for good depends on collective consciousness. That can only happen if we as individuals change, moving towards our own inner simplicity. Then the outer changes will come.

More on simplicity can be found in The Art of Not Doing – How to Achieve Inner Peace and a Clear Mind

Our next evening workshop, Managing Life, is on Monday 10th June 2019.

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Home improvements that strike at our essence

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Home with love

It is so fundamentally important to the spiritual, mental and emotional well-being, as well as the physical health, of the human race that each and every home is filled with love. It doesn’t matter if we live on our own or in a household of many. If love is absent, the home is not a healthy one. Although that is obvious, or should be, it may not be at the forefront of most people’s minds that the greater the love is where we live, the healthier it will be for everyone within it. This love isn’t something that we reserve for our nearest and dearest; it is love for the whole of one’s home environment.

Home should be a sanctuary

If there is love for the home, we have a deep respect for it and, most importantly, for everyone who steps into it. Our dwelling place should be one of sanctity and a refuge from the bustle of the outside world. We should feel happy and blessed as soon as we enter. To help with this, we can bless the house, not in a form of words necessarily. It can simply be from a level of feeling, which may be a mixture of gratitude and an intention of goodness.

Raising the energy of our home

By doing so we immediately uplift our surroundings. At some level everyone who enters receives a positive effect from the general energy of the place. Whether we live in a grand house with beautiful gardens or in an apartment or bedsit is immaterial. If every home on our planet were filled with warmth, joy and happiness, if every single dwelling radiated love and generosity of spirit, wouldn’t the world be an amazing place? Forget home improvements, just do the one improvement that fills it from the heart. The jobs and the gadgets can wait.

From Awakening Heart, the Blissful Path to Self Realisation available here

Our next evening workshop Beginning to See Light is on Monday 17th September 2018 at Wolseley Bridge, Staffordshire. Only a few places left. More details.

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