Hey cherie,
I'm drawn to musing about the subject of love year round - it fascinates me as perhaps the single most important thing in the world, in its myriad manifestations, directions, places and sentient beings with whom we connect,... but especially so around the holidays which for me are all about love, from the quotidian to the mystical, magical, and holy love. Well, wait a min, may not all love be regarded as holy in virtue of its connection with spiritual energy beyond ourselves?
Love precedes our existence, and if we're lucky, we'll be touched by love and share it with others, and it will certainly exist long after we cease to breathe. Perhaps we grasp and understand this, not in a rational sense defined by the deductive logic of our minds, but rather in a less tangible, though no less real, manner in our hearts and spirits, and naturally feel inspired to move in the direction of love?
French philosopher Simone Weil died too young (at 34 yrs) of tuberculosis, but she left us with a treasure trove of works from a life empathetically lived, and I'm drawn to connect with and explore this well-known phrase above about the nature of love as a direction rather than a state of being.
I believe that she held that love, if we perceive it as a state of the soul, a constant and inextricable element of our soul, may leave us disappointed, let down when we discover that it's neither inherent nor constant. But if we hold love to be a direction toward which we lean, toward which we move, to fulfill a desire for spiritual connection with one another and with an eternal being, we are not left feeling let down when our connection with love may fade, fizzle, or recede from time to time.
If we regard love as a direction to which we naturally lean or move toward, that seems sweeter, more hopeful. We move forward on a journey, an adventure, perhaps the supreme adventures of our lives, when we move toward love.
We may not feel as devastated when we sense love slip away, because we're secure in the belief that we hold the innate capacity to move in the direction of love, of connection. It's not as if we've lost something beautiful within us that we will never regain. The notion or belief that love is infinite and waiting for us to move in its direction is inherently hopeful and beautiful. I'd expect nothing less of love.
In Leonard's Cohen's exquisite song "Suzanne", the lyrics "there are children in the morning, they are leaning out for love and they will lean that way forever..." the poet beautifully express this notion of love as a direction to lean toward, to reach for. May we all be as children and lean out for love forever.
Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza at this time of year focus on moving in the direction of love, peace, and connection in a magical, mystical and spiritual way, and in a way which celebrates children and the eternal child in each of us. For me, that's everything and it's what I wish for you all to celebrate forever.
The photos above are from last Christmas. Our daughter Claire bought his/her matching Naughty and Nice red outfits for Sugar (our dog) and Luna (our cat). As you move your hand up and down the sparkly letters on the back, it says either Naughty or Nice. Pets instinctively move in the direction of love, and it looks like Luna might be leaping into love here! Why not? Simone doesn't specify whether one might crawl, walk, run, leap, fly,... in the direction of love, just that one "moves" toward love. We're each free to move however we please.
In the photo on the right, Luna couldn't resist climbing our Christmas tree, just high enough to bring down a faux fur coat ornament and a Nutcracker mouse ornament, just what you might expect a tree climbing feline to go for? No pondering about moving in the direction of love, just do it girlfriend! As you might know, Luna is very sadly no longer with us. She passed away in June of FIP, though her spirit of love, joy and connection remains strong in our household - she'll be with us always.
We're celebrating this year with our beloved 7 month old frisky as they come white and gray kitten Ivy shown above with Claire as Ivy leans toward love with her right paw over Claire's arm.
Love is infinite. It's energy all around us, and I hope with all my heart that this holiday season you move in the direction of abundant love. May you discover an intimate soulful connection with love, joy and bliss, and share this love with others, always.
Warmest holiday hugs,
Raulla xoxo
