— Etymonline.com

Love (synonyms): appreciation, devotion, emotion, yearning, passion, respect, tenderness, treasure, embrace, (my own; non-negotiable).

— Dictionary.com

The version of love that we have been sold is a lie, a condition, a belief system passed down from those who have suffered before us. Is love a who, a what, a how, a when, or a where? There is a hefty price to pay when we hold onto anything other than love. Do not confuse love with objective fancy, idealism, or attainment of, but in becoming love, it frees its conjurer. Love’s opposite is disease to our body and to our consciousness. If you are not a believer, just spend a brief moment in love’s opposition and watch what manifests and demonstrates itself. Intentional pain and suffering will continue for another generation if we hide from the source version of love, ourselves.

If we are always in a state of fear and insecurity, can we truly understand love or give it away?

The genesis of love can only originate from one source, and return to one source, its sender. The concept of love is achieved only through surrender. To let go of all we think we know and allow ourselves to be guided not from an objective perspective, then we can begin anew and see our

own reflection in approval.

“Happiness can only come from inside you and is the result of your love. When you are aware that no one else can make you happy, and that happiness is the result of your love, this becomes the greatest mastery of the Toltec: The mastery of love.”

— Don Miguel Ruiz

We can experience only ourselves, nothing more, nothing less. Why do we hide from the engagement with self-love? The reflection cannot change if the image stays the same. The conversation is the place where we live and dwell, and the door that stays open, inviting us back home. The conversation is the safest place we can visit in our lifetime, yet when we are spoken to from it, we do not realize that we are aware of its voice for an intention to be played out. Pay close attention to this conversation, and with courage know that you are never alone.

What is love, and how do you know when you are in its presence?