How to Live in Love

Those of us committed to our spiritual journeys and conscious awakening quite often hear and say “choose love, not fear”. The message is so clear; the vibration, resonance and energy of love is vital for our survival. We cannot continue to function from a place of fear, hate and scarcity as this energy is destroying our planet and ourselves. We all know this, but few know how to actually live this consistently day to day, moment to moment. I am a believer in this “love over fear” ideal, but my question is always HOW? How do I live in love ?

It is easy to be in and feel love for myself and my fellow human beings when I am feeling good and connected to Spirit and my life is going smoothly. It is not so easy when I am feeling unappreciated by my employer, misunderstood by my family and overwhelmed by financial responsibilities. Not to mention the despair I feel when another terrorist attack takes place somewhere, over 30% of the world is starving, and the media is screaming prejudiced and hate filled messages at us 24/7. Just saying live in love is not enough.

To live in love takes practice, and it must be practiced daily, not just an affirmation said once a day or in some type of ceremony once a week or month. Every month at The Sanctuary at Sedona, we celebrate the full moon with community in ceremony. This is not only a time to acknowledge and celebrate the sacredness and cycles of our lives, but also a time to share what spiritual practices help us in our everyday literal lives. This past full moon ceremony we shared our experiences on how to move stuck and wadded up energy that keeps us from being able to live in love, trust and openness. We would like to share some of the practices that our spirit family and The Sanctuary staff and practitioners offered as a way to move from a place of fear to one of love, and how to move from the head to the heart.

Practice Gratitude.

Keep a gratitude journal and each day write at least five things you are grateful for. You can also practice at least one anonymous random act of kindness a day.

Make a Prayer Offering. Set your Intention for the Day.

Go outside and offer a “gift” to Spirit and Mother Earth in thanks and gratitude for your life. Some examples of offerings are a flower, some herbs, incense or even your breath. This is also a time to set your intentions for the day. We like to keep our intentions very general and open so we don’t limit ourselves! For instance, we ask to “listen with Spirit’s ears, feel with Spirit’s heart and speak with Spirit’s words.”

Meditate.

Meditating twice a day for 20 minutes is ideal, but meditating for any amount of time will allow you to become more heart centered. Meditation can be anything from counting the inhalations and exhalations of your breath or repeating a mantra, prayer or poem.

Be in Nature.

Nature will nourish your soul. Take a walk, sit in your yard and watch the birds, hike – it doesn’t matter what activity you do, just be outside.

Do Your Own Personal Work.

There is no way around this! We must take that hero’s journey within. We must face our shadows and the fears that stalk us, change our limiting subconscious beliefs and release our disempowering stories. We have all heard, “As within, so without”, meaning the more we love ourselves the more we can be in a state or frequency of love and be able to love others.

Laugh!

Sometimes we take ourselves way too seriously. Be silly at least once a day. Watch, listen, or read something funny.

Love a Four Legged.

There is nothing like snuggling or playing with your animal companion.

Burn Incense or Resins to Cleanse Your Space and Lift Your Spirits.

Our favorites are sage, palo santo, sandalwood or copal, but explore and experiment and find the scent that you resonate with.

Be Creative.

Sing, dance, write, paint (I personally like to color with crayons!) and do it with no judgment and with absolute reckless abandon.

Be Around Positive, Uplifting People.

Choose friends that nurture and encourage you on your spiritual path. Find community to grow and share your journey with. There are so many types of spiritual/consciousness awakening groups available such as drum circles, tantra, meditation, yoga, Course of Miracles, Shamanic, Unity Church, spiritual book clubs, hiking – the list can go on and on – and if nothing grabs you, start your own group!

Namaste and blessings to all of you! Go out, and live in love!