The Quest for Authentic Love

Our heart sometimes burns brilliantly, and in these moments, it radiates a furious fire that eats away the debris from our day. Each lick of the flame causes our heart to shutter with searing pain as it reminds us, we can once again feel fantastic and whole. These sensations can be scary, and they make us weary of the world. In our worry we might ask, “how can these feelings be real when the air is so cold?” As a consequence our emotional reaction may lead us to pull away.

All things are fleeting and every second slips through our hands like grains of sand. Everything ends, this is inevitable, but it doesn’t mean we need to live in fear. Life is an adventure, and it needs to be soaked up like a sponge. So, when presented with an incredible opportunity, we need to take the plunge. We have limited seconds, and none are worth squandering, so celebrate them with someone who is spectacular.

How do we know when we have found someone who is spectacular? The value of every relationship can be determined by weighing it against the feather of truth. Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death our heart was placed upon a scale. At this moment Anubis watched to witness if the heart was heavier than a tall ostrich plume. Those who were heavy of heart were taken by Ammit the Devourer to reside with Apep the Terrible. Here they would exist eternally in the Pits of Fire. If the feather fell, and the heart rose, Horus would take the dead man’s hand, give him eternal bread, and lead him before Osiris in the Fields of Peace.

We don’t have to wait till the end of our days to weigh our heart against the feather of truth. Nor must we place our heart into the hands of those unwilling to weigh their own heart against an ostrich plume.

Take a moment to search for the truth of those who live their life with you. Are they in harmony with moral law, do they venerate order and truth? Have you ever taken the time to determine what they want from you? Those who live with an unbalanced heart invite chaos and hurt, they are wicked and live without loving intent. They can do no wrong, and in their eyes, no one can deliver goodness for the sake of giving goodness. These people wallow in bitterness and woe and the more time you spend with them the more sadness you will know.

The ancient Egyptians looked to the Goddess of Ma’at for guidance, for she was the form that was born when chaos was cast from Earth. Through her principles the pharaohs led, because they knew that if they turned from her will, the world would be filled with chaos and dread. Their divine rule was not born from their blood, but instead the wisdom of Ma’at, and her majestic words.

In this moment consider who in your life lives with the desire to exist within the divine light of life. Test their heart against the weight of a feather and see who serves and who subjugates.

Search for those who live with love and seek to fly with the grace of a dove. Ask yourself, which of your loved ones seek to help others across the sky, even though they live with pain and eternal strife.

As we play on the limbs of the Tree of Life, it is often challenging to see beyond our dancing glee. The sun burns so bright our heart fails to see the shadows on the other side of the tree. Life is fleeting, it moves quickly like grains of sand slipping through our hand, so we must be open and observant to witness every speck of beauty and woe.

Think about the people closest to you. Why are you close to them? Is it because they love you? Do they encourage you to become a better person? Do they make life feel sweet, and wonderful, and delightful in ways that are beyond little treats?

As you search your soul with the goal of finding the people who are spectacular, I want to spend a little time talking about the term “living with love”.

This phrase gets thrown around so much in many ways it ends up meaning nothing.

When I say “Live with Love”

• It means being empathetic, compassionate, and understanding.
• It means having forgiveness in your heart for others and yourself.
• It means feeling your emotions, giving them a place to play, and creating a safe space for others to experience them as well.
• It means thinking of ways for others to reconcile wrongs, whether they are real or imagined.
• It means looking for the cosmic significance of everything, everyone, and every event.
• It is taking the time to see the infinite unknowingness of existence.
• It is knowing people are a glowing ball of energy, emotions, hurt, and healing.
• It is being honest with yourself and others.
• It is knowing what you want, while not knowing what you want, and knowing others are the same.
• It is knowing what you want right now might not be what you want tomorrow, and knowing others live the same way.
• It is knowing you are everyone else, but you see the world through different eyes.
• It is seeing the light when you are surrounded by darkness.
• It is giving someone air when they cannot breathe.
• It is living in the moment with good intentions.
• It is healthy reflection.
• It is standing your ground but knowing when to move.
• It is the willingness to sand out the rough spots in your relationships.
• It is accepting other people’s flaws and quirks.
• It is fighting for what is right.
• It is giving goodness for the sake of giving goodness.

Love is more than sunshine, and lollipops. Love is a power that encourages constant, and consistent metamorphosis. It makes us want to be the best person we can be, it pushes us to achieve our dreams, and reach for divinity. Being in love is a state of pure peace, it helps us feel safe, protected, and invigorated, but it must be earned, fought for, and secured.

You must give some to get some. We have to give to receive. If we desire to have anything, we must be willing to sacrifice something, because if we are unwilling to risk anything, we will be left with nothing. The pursuit of love requires vulnerability. We must be willing to accept the deepest criticism to feel the greatest peace. It is a baptism by fire, and it requires a leap of faith. We must be willing to walk on hot coals, push against the greatest winds, and weather every storm. It is earned with pain, vulnerability, and sacrifice, and it must be maintained.

Love, like hope is a delicate flower, it must be fed, nurtured, and protected. When neglected its beautiful petals wither and fall, until it disintegrates into nothing at all. Once lost it can never be found, so we must cultivate its health to harvest its sweet nectar like a bee to eat its wonderful honey.

Sometimes the people we love do not really love us. How can we know when the golden glow they show is genuine and pure? Real love sets you free. It encourages you to dance with glee, and it guides you gently, by opening your heart to the goodness of all things.

Search for moments of vulnerability, observe the hurt that others are unwilling to heal. Surround yourself with the feather of the bird you want to be, live with integrity, and slice out the disease that is dimming the glow of your soul. Live your life by holding hands with the people who lead you to achieve your destiny.

Our quest for inner harmony and personal boundaries is a challenging journey. We are creatures of community, and our existence requires socialization. Unfortunately, we have the tendency to surround ourselves with people who inadvertently encourage our demons to rise to the surface and push us toward behaviors and situations that have negative consequences. The more we indulge our dark parts, the greater our demons will boil and burn us.

How do we evaluate our peers, loved ones, and friends?

• We must be honest and open to criticism.
• We must cultivate relationships that are open to honesty and criticism.
• We must surround ourselves with people who encourage us to be the best person we can be.
• We must make sure that we are elevating the people around us.
• We need to surround ourselves with people who are humble, empathetic, and creative.
• We need to be surrounded by people who celebrate the silence of the second.
• We need to be surrounded by people who know when to push us, even when we don’t want to be pushed.
• We need to be surrounded by people who will be there for us when we need love.
• We need to give love to them when they need it from us.
• Those close to us must show us that they are willing to work to keep the relationship strong.
• We must work to show our friends that we are willing to keep the relationship strong.
• We need to ask ourselves what value they have in our life.
• We need to ask ourselves what value we have in their life.
• Are they asking more of us than we are willing or able to give?
• Are they giving us more than we think they should be?
• Are they giving us less than what we think they should be?
• Are we giving them more than we think we should be?
• Are we giving them less than we think we should be?
• Do we feel good after we spend time with them?
• Do they connect you with people who espouse the virtues that are important to you?
• Are they moving in a positive direction with their life?
• Can you grow together?

Relationships are not solely about sunshine and smiles. They are hard work. Anything that has value has been earned. We must make sacrifices for the relationships we want, because if we do not, they will never be worth anything to us in a true, meaningful way.

The world tortures us in unimaginable ways. It spins us in circles within its spider silk so it can suck out everything we hold dear. This monster makes us fear the things that draw us near, so we pull away and allow our inner might to crumble from our internal fight. I cannot know what you feel from day to day, or how you force yourself to see the goodness when your nerves are frayed. All I know is that your heart often hurts, and this makes me sad.

I want you to explore the wonder of the world and escape the sticky mess of your misery. If I could, I would move mountains for you and raise you high into the sky. I would show you there is love inside your soul that makes your eyes glow. I would teach you to use this inner light to see through the darkness of the night If I could, I would introduce you to your spirit and ask her to tell you what things you should cherish. I would ask her to hold you close and guide you with an open hand and ask her to give you some love and hug you with every ounce of her essence. I want you to live with harmony and feel happy I want you to know peace and explore the delightfulness of serenity. And ultimately at the end of every day I want to set you free.

Giving someone love doesn’t mean giving them more attention than anyone else. It means allocating the amount and the kind they need. It is an expression of truth and honesty that is free of self-obsession and compulsion. It is more than the desire to fill a lonely void. It is a complex matrix of goodness and self-preservation that illuminates the life of two lives.

If our “love” is born from the need of desperate emotional greed everyone will see and feel the fruit you offer is corrupted at the source of the tree. This will lead others to stray from the energy you are willing to give, because they will instinctively know your energy is sour and spoiled. Love must be pure and free and powered by confidence and strength if you seek to be loved in the way you need.

Click Below to Read Part 1