Celebrating Divine Love This Valentine's Day

The Snow Goose need not bathe
to make itself white.
Neither need you do anything
but be yourself.
Lao Tse

Whether you are with your loved one this Valentine's Day, or on your own, you can be celebrating Divine Love. So what is Divine Love? What makes it any different from regular old love? And how can you celebrate it?

When I first gave personal consultations, I kept a stack of The Game of Life And How To Play It books by Florence Scovel-Shinn to give to each person I saw. The first edition was published in 1925. Florence Scovel-Shinn (1871-1940) was an American artist and book illustrator who became a spiritual teacher in her middle years. Under 100 pages long, The Game of Life is packed with wisdom and the "winning rules for success and happiness".

One of the sayings from the book goes:

Divine Love now dissolves and dissipates every wrong condition
in my mind, body and affairs.
Divine Love is the most powerful chemical in the universe
and dissolves everything which is not of itself.

Around 14th February, I am aware of a sense of spring happening. The days are growing longer. It is as if my own sap is rising. New growth, expansion, greater light is coming to the northern hemisphere. I also like to think of a re-awakening of love as we emerge from the darker reaches of winter.

Whether you are with a loved one and close family, or on your own, you can attune to more of your own Divine Love. How would you recognize it?

Divine Love is an aspect of your human spirit, indefatigable, always present and available to be called upon. Divine Love takes you above your mundane concerns to a sense of rightness about who you are, and what is happening with you; a world of greater vision, perfection and peace. It is the energy of love at its finest and most pure.

In that field of Divine Love, we feel embraced, tender and safe. We know that our needs are heard, and solutions are available. An energy of flow and connectedness is evident. We feel at one with ourselves and all of life around us. Divine Love is characterized by openness, giving and receiving.

Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.
Mary Baker Eddy

One of the greatest expressions of Divine Love I have come to understand is that of forgiving. No emotional issue can ever be too entrenched for the pure love of forgiving to heal and release. This energy is so fine that it can penetrate the densest of human emotions and bring about joyous freedom and vitality.

There are two parts I suggest to celebrating Divine Love this Valentine's Day. The first is to attune to the highest quality of loving within you. Find a place, if you can, where you can be quiet. You might start with some deep breathing to relax and become aware of your inner world. Take some time to meditate and contemplate Divine Love. Listen to your own sense of Divine Love present within you. Be aware of your heart beating in the stillness. Imagine yourself perfectly surrounded and protected by this special presence. Let any cares or concerns be dissolved. Smile, and be aware of your joy.

The beauty of this process is one of coming into the fullness of your own vitality, peace and presence. You take yourself beyond neediness. Anything you receive now comes as a bonus, an additional blessing.

Divine Love floods my consciousness with health,
and every cell in my body is filled with light.
Florence Scovel-Shinn

The second part of celebrating Divine Love is to express it. You may wish to communicate this love to those special and precious to you, using your creativity, through written or spoken words, by touch, producing art in some form that is meaningful or memorable in some way.

On your own, you might take your joy into nature with a walk, a song or dance. Do not underestimate the presence of your Divine Love and the impact it has. By your perception of the goodness you see, you communicate the love that you are. How you see your world, the love in you recognizes love in many forms around you. Listen to your intuition. You may feel moved to connect with one or more others. The Divine Love we extend to another has a way of being amplified for us.

Being at peace, connected to your inner Beauty, you may touch into the miracle of the Being that you are. This gift, expressed into the world, can help to awaken others to their own Divine Love.

Where there is great love there are always miracles.
Willa Cather

As Valentine's Day draws to a close, you might like to take a few moments to reflect with gratitude on all that has taken place for you. Know that Divine Love can be celebrated any day you choose.

Divine Love is given to everyone,
just as the sun shines on everyone.
John-Roger

Have you found an unusual Valentine's gift for a loved one? What is the best Valentine you have ever received? How could you express Divine Love in a new way this year?

Please feel free to leave a comment below, or contact me at anne@annenaylor.com