One of the practices I’ve taken on even more actively these days is imagining that I am an open and always-available channel for the energy of universal love to flow through me as I move around in the course of my daily life activities. When I use the word “love”, I’m not referring to the personal kind but, instead, to my sense that the most potent healing energy in the universe is Love with a capital “L”.
It seems to me that this particular kind of “subtle activism” can be an addition to whatever else I, or we, may do to help heal our distressed world, our human family, and all our other earth kin. Imagining the energy of love flowing through me throughout the day doesn’t ask anything of me other than to bring my awareness to the process as often as I choose to do so. And, I feel somewhat confident in saying that choosing to be a channel for the healing quality of love probably doesn’t have a downside when we don’t personalize it…when we realize that we are, indeed, simply open channels for this universal energy to flow through us and into our world.
For years, I’ve had a practice of blessing everything around me. This particular practice became much more an ongoing part of my life when I went through seminary and was ordained as an Interfaith (now called Interspiritual) Minister back in 2003. In recent years, I’ve found that taking classes with David Spangler through his Lorian Association has helped me focus even more fully on these ways of moving through the world.
One practice that has deepened for me in recent years has been enhanced by these class experiences. I’ll describe it here and ask you to try it on for size and see if it’s something you would feel comfortable doing. Or, you might discover another way to do it that works better for you. Also, this is my version of the practice and doesn’t match exactly the ways David and other Lorian teachers may offer it. The beautiful thing about these kinds of practices is that it’s perfectly okay to adapt them to your own style, your own belief system, and your own sensibilities.
- Wherever you may be right now, notice what happens when you settle into an awareness, first, of the support you receive from your body. It is your body that allows you to be here…
- Next, notice the support of the surface under you and take a moment to become aware of how your body receives that support. Support is a reciprocal process—it is offered and then accepted…
- Now, notice the space around you. If you are indoors, notice the walls that enfold the space holding you right now, and also notice everything that is in the space with you. If it feels all right to you, take a moment to send love and appreciation to all that supports you in the space around you right now…
- If it feels all right for you to do so, take a moment to feel how everything around you sends its love and appreciation back to you…
- Next, imagine that there is a source of universal love that pours into and through you all the time. You might imagine it entering through the top of your head and flowing out through your heart area, or there may be another way that makes more sense to you…
- Notice that your whole body-mind being fills up with this love as it pours into and through you. There is always more than enough. This flow of universal love is ceaseless and infinite—it can never run out…
- Now, imagine that you are outdoors, perhaps going to the grocery store or going to someplace where you can have some time in nature…
- As you imagine moving around in your outdoor life, continue to sense the love pouring into and through you, touching everything you encounter along the way…
- Notice the quality of your experience as you do this and how it feels to fill yourself and your world with love.
Anyone who knows me won’t be surprised to know that I get particular pleasure from imagining this universal love flowing through me and into all the trees, other plants, rocks, birds, turtles, insects, and all others who inhabit Central Park. That said, I also enjoy paying attention to this flow of love when walking down the street, going into the grocery store, sitting in my living room.
One of the things I’ve noticed since getting more focused about doing this practice regularly is the presence of an underlying sense of well-being. I have a feeling that the frequency of this universal love works on me in ways I don’t recognize consciously, but I do feel its impact on the quality of my inner life and a greater sense of connection to everything around me in my “outer” life.
As you explore this particular practice, take time to notice the sensations that arise in your body as you do it. Also notice the quality of your internal dialogue, that self-talk that is our personal ongoing flow of self-hypnosis. Be sure to allow mixed feelings, as they are a natural part of trying on practices.
As with all these practices, this is just one more opportunity to bring awareness to how you move through the world. I’ve said many times that where we focus our attention and awareness has an enormous impact on the quality of our inner life, even when we encounter big challenges along the way in the course of everyday living.
Please remember to bring along curiosity as your constant companion and to pat gently on the head whatever judgments may arise (and you know they probably will), allowing these judgments to simply move on through without your having to do anything in particular about them.