Unconditional Love

Tonite at my yoga class we were talking about relationships, and how relationships improve if one can come from a place of true unconditional love.  If someone can find the peace, self-worth, and happiness within themselves to be happy... truly happy... they would not need the approval or love of others in order to feel loved; and in turn they could give love endlessly and unconditionally without expecting anything in return.  How wonderful this would be, if we had such peace and love within our hearts that we could just love our partners without expecting or needing something in return.  Just like the next woman, I can struggle with feeling unappreciated.  Sometimes I find myself thinking; "My marriage would be better if HE only _______."  Fill in the blank in any way; Appreciated Me, Talked To Me, Touched Me, Spent Time With Me.  These are expectations we hold of our lovers and friends... we love them, yet we feel unhappy or unloved if they don't do these things for us.  In reality, the love has to come from inside of each of us.  No matter how much your lover, partner, or friend does for you... if you don't love yourself you will never be able to find that feeling of peace and happiness.  So we must begin with loving ourselves, and then be able to love others without expectations or conditions.

After our yoga practice, we decided to meditate on this concept some more.  We asked The Archangel Raguel to guide us in our meditation; to show us HOW to Love Unconditionally.

As the meditation began, I found myself walking through a beautiful forest with Raguel.  The warm sun was shining and everything was green with life... tall trees, green grass, colorful flowers surrounded us.  I could hear the birds, crickets, and frogs.  I could see the rustle in the leaves of the squirrels, lizards, insects, and birds all co-existing in the forest with the trees and plants.  I could feel how in this Eco-system, everything worked together... even the poisonous plants or insects played a crucial role in the cycle of life here... and the feeling of peace and love was overwhelming.  As the Angel and I walked through the forest, I asked him "How do I love others unconditionally?"  He smiled at me and we walked up to a large tree in the middle of the forest.  Archangel Raguel said "Be like this tree."

I immediately saw the answer and knew what the Angel was telling me... and it was so simple and so beautiful, and I spent the rest of the meditation watching the life of this tree... feeling what it was to BE this tree, and exploring the many possibilities of the answer I had received.

Ask yourself, How does a tree show unconditional love?  Let yourself feel and think what it is like to be a tree in a forest with all the creatures who co-exist in your habitat with you.

These are the things I felt and learned;

• A tree is perfectly happy being a tree.  It does not aspire to be anything other than a tree.  It just tries to be the best tree it can be.  It is happy being a tree.
• A tree does not need someone to tell it that it is a beautiful tree in order to be a beautiful tree.  It does not need to be told that it is loved by the forest... it knows it is a part of the forest and therefore it is loved.  It also knows happiness without being told by someone else that it is worthy.
• Many creatures in the forest co-exist with this tree.  It provides shade for the animals, a place for nests for the birds and branches for the squirrels.  It provides oxygen from it's leaves and nutrients for the soil with it's roots.  It provides food for the animals who eat it's bark or leaves.  And the tree never says, "You owe me."  It does not ask for anything in return from the bird who has nested in it.  Yes, the bird helps keep the insects off of the tree... but the tree would not be angry or have it's feelings hurt if the bird did not eat the bugs.  The insects that make their home in the soil around the tree's trunk also help provide nutrients in the soil which help the tree grow; but if the insects didn't do this would the tree be angry and ask them to leave?  No.  The tree does not feel angry at the sky when it does not rain.  A fox sleeps under the tree's shade and then leaves.  Does the tree feel it has been used?  No. The tree is simply a tree... giving and loving and asking for nothing in return.
• And the miracle is... the tree does not ask for anything, does not expect or demand anything from the forest around it.... yet somehow all it needs is given to it.  Freely, from other creatures who also have no expectations of the tree or each other.  If there is not enough rain this year, the tree does not curse at the sky.  The tree simply has to dig deeper into the ground to find water... it has to work harder to be a better tree.  And even in a drought, the tree is still happy... just being a tree!

Archangel Raguel told me to be like a tree in order to find how to give Unconditional Love.  The answer is so simple and so beautiful.  Love yourself, be happy being you.  Love, love and love others without any expectations or demands.  Be like the tree!