Our Longing for Love
I am writing this from a cottage on Lake Huron, where I have just participated in a four-day retreat.
I feel so grateful to be surrounded by such beauty while also exploring the beauty within my soul. I am still feeling the energy of the retreat and feel inspired to share a few reflections.
The focus of our retreat was love—not romantic love, but essential love. A quality of our true nature. Soft, sweet, gentle, and tender. And at the same time, a powerful force that is indestructible.
What struck me most about the retreat was what we were not trying to do. We were not trying to find love, create bliss, fix ourselves, or arrive at some special spiritual state. Instead, we were invited to simply be here, in the present moment, with whatever was arising.
This may sound simple, but it is not always easy.
So often we believe that peace, love, and happiness exist somewhere outside of us or sometime in the future. We spend so much energy searching, striving, and trying to become something different from what we are.
But what if love is already here?
What if it is not something we need to find, but something we can return to?
What if love is the very essence of who we are?
Throughout the retreat, we explored our relationship with love in many different ways. We looked at the barriers, conditioning, beliefs, and protective strategies that can make it difficult to experience the love that is already present within us.
As I sat with my own experience and listened to others share theirs, I noticed something remarkable. There was no efforting. No trying. No fixing. Yet, somehow, my heart began to open. My soul relaxed. Walls softened. Layers of protection gently dissolved, revealing a deeper sense of presence, connection, and love.
There is something profoundly healing about being real, sharing our truth, and being witnessed in a safe and supportive space.
During our breaks and in the evenings, I spent time walking along the beach—my happy place. It felt like the perfect companion to the retreat. I wandered barefoot in the sand, breathing in the fresh air, gazing out at the vastness of the lake, and watching the waves roll in and out.
On my first walk, I looked down and found a heart-shaped rock.
I smiled.
Of course I did.
It felt like a gentle reminder from the Divine.
Love is everywhere.
And our true nature is love.
Perhaps the spiritual journey is not about becoming someone new.
Perhaps it is about returning home to who we have always been.
If you feel inspired to deepen your connection with your own heart, I invite you to join me for Bloom From Within. Together, we will explore how to release stress, soften the barriers that keep us disconnected, and return home to the love and wisdom within.
Love,
Diane