Anyone else feeling the love tonight...?

Love is a recurrent theme on the Philosophy and Metaphysics section in ATS and tonight is no exception. Two very fine threads authored by messiahs YouAreDreaming and smithjustinb are currently at the close to the top of my list.

But before I get everyone down here to western Australia for a massive group hug/navel gazing session, I want to know:


what is love?


according to you....

One hears many statements regarding the true nature of love. Is it all just brain chemistry, or is it the meaning of life?

What I'm really wanting is your personal definition of what love is. If all you believe is that love is hormones, fair enough. But if you say love is all, or love is God, or without love life is meaningless can you please elaborate. What I'm trying to do here is dissect what the true nature of love really is. Sounds kinda tricky but I guess I want to attempt to make this intangible thing tangible, at least on a philosophical/metaphysical level.

I have my own theory but I thought I'd wait for a few answers to filter through before posting to avoid biasing anyone one else's answers.

EDIT: I am editing my initial post to clarify in peoples mind just exactly what I'm getting at by posting my own opinion on what love is

Love is Attraction pure and simple.

The meaning of life according to me is experience. In the beginning a there was nothing but an awareness. It was the infinitely everything and nothing all at once. But how can one know one's self if nothing else exists, if you are everything and nothing all at once? In order to experience everything inside one needs to understand everything on the outside. But one cannot do that if one is everything.

So this awareness began to divide itself into smaller separate parts (aka the Big Bang). Firstly quantum particles to understand what it is to just be. More complex forms arose - atoms, electrons, molecules, matter. And now we have an understanding of movement and energy. Eventually simple life arose, and now we understand stimuli and response. Animals - basal emotions such as fear, lust, hunger, contentment. And finally higher life forms such as humans and all the complexities that go along with them.

Now as everything is still one and the same, there is an attraction to everything else. And this attraction is love. Nothing more nothing less. But this attraction, this love, is what eventually will lead us back to the source. When each separate soul has finally experienced its little part of the puzzle it will follow the path of love, its own in built attraction to everything else, back to the source, and the veil will be lifted. And once again everything will become one again....

Now this is very simplifyed but like I said I don't want to bias anyones answer too much with my own views yet. I will happily go into more details if you wish


Love and light people, the stage is now yours.....

reply to post by 1littlewolf


Love doesn't sit there like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all of the time, made new.

~ Ursula K. Le Guin

Love is insanity...

I was in love, with the girl of my life, it took control of everything in my mind, nothing else maters and life is beutifull.
We had two kids, house , boat and a completly normal life with everything in between.

I came home one night, and there she was in bed, naked....With another guy next to her....

At that moment, love became very different, it went beoynd insanity.
It will eat you alive, draining your brain for common sense, and darkness will slowly cower everything you do.

But love is something else to, because i had freinds who love me, and when they saw what i was going trough, they stepped in, and guided me back to reality, without the love from those freinds, life would have been completly lame.

Now i love my cat and my children(teenagers), and the easy life we live.
I now know what love is, but i would never be able to make you understand, how i see it....It's a personel thing, that is imposible to describe.

I do have some left over love, and will spread it in this thread, take care

Is anyone getting tired of all these constant posts about love? It's starting to get annoying

reply to post by 1littlewolf

There are definately a few Love related threads at the moment but I think that is a good thing. WA hey, I'm on the East coast maybe we can meet in the middle somewhere for hugs later.

I had written this in another thread and thought it would fit here as well.

I remember when I was quite young my father said " The person who finds the true meaning of love will be the wealthiest person in the world". Not sure where he got it from but it has stuck with me for my whole life. Love is definately hard to put a finger on, it's selfless and eternal, if you find that you are not in love with someone or thing anymore then was it truly love? You have to wonder whether some have never really experienced real, true love.

Some will say love is just a chemical reaction in the brain that creates a sense of well being, happiness and attachment. I feel there is more to it than that. Firstly Love needs to be pulled away from Lust and attachment as it tarnishes what Love is. Love is about sharing yourself with another who shares themself with you equally, serving each others needs is a way we share love. Its about not being first and always making sure the one you love is equally as happy as you, two becoming one comes to mind, like in marriage.
I agree that chemicals make up some of the feeling of love but those chemicals require a trigger and retrigger for them to take place, this is achieved by the interactions between the lovers. It is as simple as what is said or done that causes these chemicals to be released, even after these chemical reactions become less frequent over time the feeling of true love can still remain for many people, unfortunately this can be one sided and this is where love dies and breakups occur. This happens because one of the parties is addicted to the love chemicals that are released and so they see it as they have fallen out of love, when really they have just experienced less of the chemical romance that they once did with their partner. So we end up with love addicts jumping onto single scenes that are trying to recapture that chemical rush but like Heroin and other drugs, the first time is always the best and they keep trying to find it, over and over.
I believe the chemical rush that we feel is Lust and once it dies, well you know what happens. The trick to Love is to respect one another, respect in such a way that regardless of when the chemical romance is over you can come out of it as one union that is strong regardless of what is thrown your way. Love is something that needs to be worked on all the time.
Children are a good example, parents (mostly) give their children unconditional love, maybe because they see themselves in their child. I do feel that the love chemicals between children and parents is a little different than the chemical romance that makes up lust.

By no means is this a complete topic on love but I hope it can spark some responses that are productive and can add some more info towards the thread.

Peace

Originally posted by Ray1850
Is anyone getting tired of all these constant posts about love? It's starting to get annoying

I guess we're not all feeling it then.... Maybe there is such thing as too much love...?

reply to post by Rellix


thanks for your replly Rellix. Not only thought provoking but also a lot of good advice. and interesting you that you have kept things purely within the realms of the physical world. Do you feel love plays a role in ones spirituality?

reply to post by 1littlewolf


[color=cyan]
Love is a combination of Trust Honor and Respect. When flowing in sequence together it can eliminate any lower energy due to its power of not FORCING you into its frequency. Many can acknowledge it and not interact with it as well as just completley fear it due to it bringing common grounds to social situations where some may feel above rank of others. Love brings fariness and balance to unbalanced situations. To 1 it spans all levels of life. From one species acknowledging anothers weaknesses like humans supporting an endangered species or supporting the plant life in a region torn down by forestation. LOVE is like a UNIVERSAL FREQUENCY ABLE TO TOUCH ALL LEVELS OF LIFE , SEEMS TO BE DESIGNED SO THAT THE CREATORS CREATIONS CAN SOMEHOW LIVE AS 1 TOGETHER IF THEY ACKNOWLEDGE ITS EXISTANCE. Its like the dark matter to universal existance. You may not fully understand it but you can feel its power and influences.

So to ADD I feel the LOVE and do my best to add to its collective influences to support universal existance of MANY.

Be well

LOVE LIGHT ETERNIA*******
NAMASTE

I think Mianeye's post is very insightful to why it is important for us to define this word and not just throw it around as a feel good type of thing. I too fell in love with a woman and left with a broken heart. And it wouldn't be fair to say she broke my heart because I realized that my attachment to an expectation of how life is supposed to be was my main reason for feeling broken hearted. To me, the word love is nothing more than a means to describe my attachment to something or someone. That doesn't mean I see it as a bad thing altogether, but I do feel clarifying this has helped me greatly in clarifying my perspective on reality. Now I am much more inclined to feel compassion for all beings rather than love for a certain someone or something. To me, compassion doesn't entail an attachment, rather a respect, and a acknowledgment that we are interconnected on all levels. But in the end, these are just words contrived by the human mind to describe something, and that is why I feel it is important to clarify the meaning we give to them so we are not just using them to parrot what others are saying it means.

Peace.

reply to post by LifeIsEnergy


Thanks once again for a very insightful reply.

As ATSs resident enlightenment guru I find it interesting you mentioned nothing about enlightent in your response, and have kept things purely in the realms of the physical plane. Do feel love has any role to play in ones spiritual awakening, or just another attachment in the material world. Does love play any role in overcoming the ego?

reply to post by 1littlewolf


Yes I believe that love is part of the spiritual realm but then fear is also. The positive is love that is abundant and the negative is the fear that is abundant, its a duality. In the spiritual realm it is greatly compounded and shared freely to either free you (positive) or to (negative) control you.
This is easily transferred to the physical world but it isn't as intense. Once you have experienced the love from the spiritual you come to realize that love in the physical is not as real as you first thought. This also gives you a good indication or measurement of whether you are in a loving relationship or not. The physical chemical romance we experience is really false and points to lust and we try to capture that good feeling by using drugs and alcohol, etc. Another thing we miss is that we are creating relationships with people all the time, sometimes we call them different things or labels such as "best friend", "acquaintance" or "friend" just to name a few. Do we feel a chemical romance with them, yes but hardly what we feel when seeking out a partner that we lust for. You need to realize that these chemical reactions for friendships are there to make you want to be friends because when you are around them you feel good. Eventually though a divine love for them comes through and takes over from the chemicals, this is what creates long or life time relationships. Its also the interactions that bring through this divine love and keeps it flowing in the right direction - the same for a partner/marriage relationship.
The other point I'd like to make is that in the spiritual realm that divine love never diminishes, its like the first hit that never stops hitting (eternal), it is pure and untainted, unlike the love we feel here in the physical.

Peace

Originally posted by Ray1850
Is anyone getting tired of all these constant posts about love? It's starting to get annoying

NOT at all I am sick and tired of Wars, fear, lack control and people not letting their light shine, sick and tired of those who run on automatic pilot since being brainwashed in school and at home so that the natural love and joy we all have as the basis of our mind/soul is covered with layers and layers of conditioning, fear, conformity and social self governance.

If you realized its the natural state you could not get tired of it.

Its because we have told and conditioned that FEAR conflict, lack, daily grind, conformity stiff upper lip and all that that we now think that is normal, and therefore people feel as you do towards the natural state, as we spend very little time in it.

The human mind likes what is known predictable and the norm even if it harms us or is negative.

TPTB and all that know this.

This is why we see the kids acting as they do in London.

.......................................................................................

Very Timely

Excellent thread f+ lost of stars all round

I love the (lol excuse pun) contributions.

I just posted a thread with some resources to love yourself and others more by this guy, have a look all FREE:

Free Hypnosis Free Coaching Free Self Help By One of Worlds Leading Experts!

His view of love is:



Love to you all

Ediot to add first paragraph responce

So many fantastic comments, but unfortunately I'm meant to wake up in approximately 5 hours so I'm going to have to leave this love fest until tomorrow.

One question I'd like to pose before I go is:

What is the relationship between love on the physical plane e.g. between to people, and love on the spiritual plane e.g. love connects us all, God is love etc etc....

reply to post by 1littlewolf


[COLOR=CYAN]
In reference to Spiritual enlightenment, LOVE is what is the EYE opener to the spiritual advancement. For 1 must go thru many trials and tribulations in order for the Spirit to become more aware of just itself and what only matters to me me me. Love allows the spirit to acknowledge others in which you share these life/death phases of existance with. So by loving ALL you may have once not it shows your spirit has developed more became more aware that its not just you within existance but many and many must ALL acknowledge this in order to coexist in 3D and higher D as 1 or together. If 1 goes thru the life/death phases of existance full of hate then its All about them them them -EGO driven- somewhat lowering the chances for the spirit to SEE others and acknowledge others due to it all being about SELF. Segregating 1 from many who are ALL creations of the Creator. This to me is remaining spiritually SLEEP because even tho 1 may have been thru various cycles of life/death phases of existance they HAVE NOT LEARNED IN 3D SCHOOL to acknowledge there are others not just themselves who coexist with them and its not all about them as much as WE. So in reality LOVE basiclaly conquers the EGO by eliminating the its all about me or self image projection and replacing it with its US, ALL or WE so respect, honor me and then we can trust each other LOVE each other. So 1 doesnt feel its only an attachment to the material 3d world NOR ONLY HUMAN RELATED. As there may be species who are not existant within the 3d who still deserve acknowledged or loved, especially if some here on Earth current 3d are destined to become non 3d oriented and may need guides in these locations until becomming fully aware AGAIN. It would be odd not to love previously 3d located 1z who were of the same species OR NOT as you are currently but have spiritually advanced OR PASSED SCHOOL AND WENT TO HIGHER AWARNESS STATES OF EXISTANCE.

[/COLOR]

reply to post by 1littlewolf


Good question, although I am by no means "ATSs resident enlightenment guru".

"I want to love" "I love" or "I want to be enlightened" "I am enlightened" are concepts that directly stem from the ego. And since the ego cannot overcome the ego, just as fire cannot extinguish fire, what good will these concepts do in helping you overcome the ego? When you awaken to the realization that the ego is an illusion, a innocent mistake in identity, you also realize these concepts hold no bearing in reality. Why? Because there is no "I" to be enlightened, no "I" to spread love. In this sense, even by me saying "I" would rather have compassion for others than love for others, is completely false. In another sense, by me having "compassion" for others, does prepare the ego to be put into a state where it can be easily transcended, or seen to be an illusion. This may be partially why I see the concept of the word "love", as it is used by most people to describe an attachment to something, as a sort of a hindrance to awaking to reality as it is.

Peace.

Originally posted by LifeIsEnergy
reply to post by 1littlewolf

 

Good question, although I am by no means "ATSs resident enlightenment guru".

lol in the limited time I've spent on ATS you definitely seem to have the concept more fully fleshed out than any other poster I've seen so far

"I want to love" "I love" or "I want to be enlightened" "I am enlightened" are concepts that directly stem from the ego. And since the ego cannot overcome the ego, just as fire cannot extinguish fire, what good will these concepts do in helping you overcome the ego? When you awaken to the realization that the ego is an illusion, a innocent mistake in identity, you also realize these concepts hold no bearing in reality. Why? Because there is no "I" to be enlightened, no "I" to spread love. In this sense, even by me saying "I" would rather have compassion for others than love for others, is completely false. In another sense, by me having "compassion" for others, does prepare the ego to be put into a state where it can be easily transcended, or seen to be an illusion. This may be partially why I see the concept of the word "love", as it is used by most people to describe an attachment to something, as a sort of a hindrance to awaking to reality as it is.

Peace.

But saying or thinking "I love" is different to the feeling of love. In the fleeting moments when my mind has been awakened to the true nature of reality, the feeling I get is conquerable to the feeling I get when I tuck my baby girls into bed at night, or when my girl picks my dirty socks off the bedroom floor before casting me a withered smile and shaking her head. The word 'love' is rampant in much of the new age crap that abounds these days, and others who are far higher up the spiritual ladder than I also talk of love.

I'm not that well versed in eastern philosophy, but from what I have read the word 'love' isn't really mentioned much. Many great spiritual leaders of the west however, (such as Jesus) place great emphasis on love. Possibly this 'love' they speak of is the compassion you describe? But how do you explain the feeling I get when I am in a more awakened state being so similar to the feelings of love I have towards those whom I most hold dear?

reply to post by 1littlewolf


Ok, now I really see what you are saying, I think. That is interesting you likened it to the feeling you get from loving your kids or wife. I never thought of it like that. And although I am not married and do not have kids, I do know of this feeling. It brings about a sense of deep warmth and security, as if no problem in the world could possibly bother you. In that respect it is very similar. However, the immediate difference I can see here is that this form of love for others is fleeting, it is completely dependent on their being alive and loving you in the same or similar way. But, like with anything, people and thoughts are impermanent. And so when they die, or if unfortunately for some reason they grow to not love you anymore like they used to, then a great amount of sorrow arises within you. Then this feeling of warmth and security vanishes.

But the feeling of warmth and security that "awakening" to the true nature of reality brings is not dependent on anything but maybe your being conscious, and so it cannot be taken away from you by anything. When you realize, not just conceptually but deep down in the core of your being, that everything in reality is interconnected, when you realize deep down in the core of you being that everything is inherently empty, then a deep feeling of tranquility, warmth and security arise within you. So in this regard it is similar because it shares similar feelings, and yet it is not because one is dependent on certain fleeting circumstances and one is not.

I guess in the end I would say that "awakening" can bring about this feeling of love, but love cannot necessarily bring about "awakening". Maybe I am wrong in saying this, I very well could be. But I think many "spiritual gurus" tend to simply tell you the end result of "awakening" without ever really giving you a path to it. They might say, "love is the path to awakening and awakening is love." Or as Jesus said, "Love your brother as you love yourself." But he also said, "Know thyself and know God." And I think this is more helpful because how are you to know anything without looking? And in that 'looking' you become awakened and thus love arises within you. Again, I could be wrong, but it seems that simply telling someone to love other people doesn't really arm them with the deeper understanding of why they should love other people, it is almost just blind faith that can be pulled from them at any moment. But when they do understand why they should love other people, by 'looking' deeply for themselves at the nature of reality, then nothing can take this feeling away from them, not even death or hatred, because it is not dependent on anything but their realization of what reality truly is.

Hope that made some sense, and again, I could be completely wrong.

Peace.

reply to post by 1littlewolf


Love between two people is not flawless and can sometimes leave you confused along with many other feelings. Love from God is all encompassing and doesn't leave you confused at all, it helps you to understand what pure love is.
Pure love to me encompasses the feelings that may come but it allows understanding, compassion, empathy or any other feeling to be addressed easier through knowledge. The knowledge that your child is yours allows you to have many positive feelings but also that knowledge would now extend to other children and other situations that present themselves in your life.

I have to ask what sparked your questions that led to you starting this thread? The reason I ask is it may give a better understanding towards what answers you are seeking. What are you looking for or thinking about?

reply to post by LifeIsEnergy


Definitely made a lot of sense and you raised many good points. The word love is bandied around to such an extent that it tends to lose much of its meaning. Many confuse it for lust, or contentment. Or put it down to simple brain chemistry. i love sushi. But how does this love compare to loving a woman, or a child, or all of mankind. Hence the reason I started this thread in the 1st place. The other 'love' threads didn't quite approach the topic in the way I was interested in. Just 'loving' everyone is not going to lead you to anything but heartache.
The very fact that the new age love message is so espoused by the majority leads me to think there must be some element of truth in it and I guess I'm attempting to figure out what exactly that truth is.

Take my example above. When I tuck my little ones in at night, I sometimes just sit there and watch them sleep. Yes it is but a fleeting moment, but just those few moments could be can seem like an eternity. If I could I would be there all night, just watching, but life moves on and one has tasks that need doing. Maybe it merely a triggers something in my higher self I don't know. But in their little face I see the universe, and the absolute connectivity of everything. Thinking deeper about it I have absolutely no doubt this feeling is one and the same with any guru's mountaintop epiphany. And you have to admit that those epiphanies/realizations are too very fleeting. The difference is that while I may walk away from the mountain top with a feeling of lifelong content and realisation, my kids will wake up the next morning, start screaming and breaking stuff leading to feelings far from contentment lol.

But whether it be a universal realisation after meditation or trials and tribulations, or seeing the whole of creation in a sleeping child’s face; the feelings I think are the same. Both are fleeting. You are no doubt well aware of the following analogy: Before enlightenment: chop wood carry water. After enlightenment: chop wood carry water. I guess it's all about the mindset one takes away from the experience. And some 'love' experiences I guess are more conducive to lifelong realisation to the true nature of all than others.

But whether this 'higher love' is potentially a catalyst toward realisation, or whether it’s the end result, at this moment I cannot say.....

Thank you for the question, I feel that Love is Unconditional. To expand on this:

Love is of The Cristos for The Father and One-another.
Love is the Mindfulness of the Buhhda of all things.
Love is being the "pivot" of the Dao, looking 360 degrees while being nonjudgmental.

To Love Unconditionally One has to be in the NOW moment. This means One may not carry anything from the past, while not looking to influence the "Free Will" of a being to shape the future.

It is so hard for we each have EGO...

Regards and Nameste,

-Chung