The Universal Energy of Love

Today is Mother’s Day, a celebration in honor of the women who raised us. But within this tribute to that most personal of relationships, we can also sense the pulse of the universal. For love is a universal energy, ever-present, humming just below the surface of our existence.

If we are lucky, the women who raise us are clear channels through which such love flows freely and in abundance. Through their ability to manifest love in the particulars of our own small lives, such mothers impart trust in a universal loving presence. Thus they do much to shape a vibrant spirituality in their offspring.

In other mothers, however, the pathway for love has become twisted, emaciated, or clogged with debris. Children of such mothers often have to work harder to find their way to a loving spiritual connection.

Of course, most mothers do not live at either of these extremes. Just like all things human, mothers tend to be a blend of light and shadow, strength and weakness. Whatever model of love we experienced as children, we carry that example into the families we create and into all the significant relationships of our lives. This includes our relationship with the Divine.

As adults, our task is to clear our own channels. If we want them to run freely, we may need to modify what was given us~~perhaps only a little, maybe quite a lot. Whether our job is large or small, though, we have the resources available to assist us. Spirit is ever at the ready to help us heal.

In addition to the specific spiritual practices of prayer, meditation, and communal worship, you might find any of the following helpful in this endeavor.

• Imagine a loving energy filling your heart center for several minutes each day. You might envision this as a light of whatever color you find healing. Sense it pulsing and growing stronger with each breath. 
• Commit to a steady practice of loving~kindness meditation.
• Devise an affirmation that embodies your specific intent, such as “I open willingly and gratefully to Love.” Repeat it often. 
• Place images of the Divine Feminine throughout your living space, such as pictures or statues of the Blessed Mother or Kuan Yin. You might add pictures of your own mother and other women who taught you love. Offer prayers for the healing of your heart as you feel love’s blessings flowing through you. 
• People your life with those who offer a healthy model of love. Value these relationships, and absorb their glow.
• Choose activities that enrich and nourish your heart. Make wise choices concerning books and movies. Spend time in nature. 

This Mother’s Day we will, of course, honor the specific women who birthed us, and all women who were instrumental in shaping us, then and now. Without their profound influence, we would not be the unique persons we are today.

 
But we can honor, too, the universal force of love itself. We can commit to opening to that love more fully. And we can do our part in extending love’s flow, to our own children and to all those we come in contact with, as we walk this earth. 

I’d like to close by honoring my own mother. You are woven through me like a thread in a complex tapestry. Each time I love, you breathe again. Each time I pull back from love, I touch you also. Your channel was so clear, and ran more purely and steadily than most. Your lessons resonate in me still, and I am grateful for them all.

So, to all who mother~~in any way~~blessings to you, and Happy Mother’s Day!

Loanne Marie

For another take on Mother's Day, particularly relevant if your relationship with your own mother was difficult, see Mom Quilt.