Love Is The Healing Force

I grew up in a Christian family. In fact, it was going to seminary, and exploring world religions, that eventually led me to practice metaphysics and intuitive consulting as a full-time profession. Being trained and ordained in a Christian organization has also given me a unique perspective on alternative spirituality and metaphysics.

Jesus is, in fact, one of the spiritual guides I connect with when I work with people. This has made me realize that Jesus, the central figure in Christianity, is often misunderstood by many people. In the many years of connecting with Jesus, I am confident that he never had the intention to create a formal, organized religion. In fact, often the religious attributes attached to Jesus are far more complex than his original core message.

Jesus taught very simple strategies for life. I think sometimes these strategies are considered too simple by some people. When asked, Jesus was able to sum up his teachings in three simple statements. Someone inquired about an authentic spiritual path and Jesus gave two commandments and then gave a third statement, “In these two commandments rest all of the law and the prophets.”

This third statement is quite profound. He was stating that every spiritual text that had ever been written, or would ever be written, could be summed up in two commandments. This means that in Jesus’ perspective, if a person simply abided by these two commandments, they would be fulfilling the fundamental guidelines associated with religious and spiritual practice.

If you are interested in Jesus’ teachings, or interested in following the path he taught, then the good news is that you are already following the second ‘commandment.’ I have been living on this planet long enough to recognize that every person is already following this second commandment, which says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

He who is filled with love is filled with God himself ~ Saint Augustine

Does this mean everyone is loving? No, that’s not what the commandment says. It says, “as yourself!” The truth is that most people are not too fond of themselves. There are many people on this planet who simply don’t love themselves. Most people expend a lot of time and energy criticizing themselves, or judging themselves, and others.

One Jesus quote that I hear many people use, even if they have not been exposed to the religion of Christianity, is “Judge not lest ye be judged.” This is the same principle as, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This principle is also known as reciprocity or karma, which simply means whatever you give out comes back to you multiplied.

When a person criticizes themselves, or judges themselves, it usually means that they also become very critical and judgmental of others. This is because one of the primary spiritual principles found in nearly every religious and spiritual teaching is that we are all connected at a very fundamental level.

Criticism and judgments against others is simply a reflection of what is happening in our mind toward themselves. It works both ways: what we believe about ourselves on the conscious, or the subconscious level, will play out in all our interactions with others.

Another popular metaphysical concept that reflects this principle is known as the Law of Attraction. People that are critical of themselves and others, will draw experiences into their lives to match this, and give them the opportunity to be more critical and judgmental.

Some people try and fix this quandary of criticism and judgment without understanding the ‘commandment’ of Jesus. I have worked with people that seem to be on a hamster wheel, trying the same things repeatedly, without really getting anywhere. This is because self-love, and love for humanity can only truly come from one place. I have found that a focused intention on the first commandment is the easiest way to resolve the complexities of loving the self and loving others.

You can never love another person unless you are equally involved in the beautiful but difficult spiritual work of learning to love yourself ~ John O’Donohue

So, what is the first commandment? Jesus said, “Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.” It is important to understand that this is not a dogmatic religious statement. Jesus was not saying, “Love the Christian deity.” We understand this through his final statement when he indicates that practicing the two love commandments automatically fulfills the first commandment.

Now the question arises, “How do I love God?” In the tradition of metaphysics, it is taught that God is the Source of all, God is Life, and God is Love. Metaphysics provides many different descriptions of God, but these three are suitable for this discussion.

The best way to “love God” is therefore to begin to understand that God is the Source of you. When Jesus said, “heart, soul, strength, and mind,” he was stating that to love God you must align with God with all your faculties. You came from the Source and you are already the perfect expression of this Source.

The Source that you came from is also your life. The Source is all of Life, and the Source is expressing life through you. This means that you are a miracle. There is nothing wrong with you and nothing missing from you. Realizing this dissipates all fear, and other forms of stress.

The most precious thing in your life is your breath and you will have enough breath until you leave the planet. How much more then can we trust that everything else can and will be provided? When we understand that the Source is our Life, we can relax that everything else we need will be provided, and the Universe is in order, harmony and perfect balance.

This Life is also Love. I have had people say that if there was a God then there wouldn’t be so many problems on the planet. But the problems on planet Earth do not stem from a lack of Divine influence; it stems from a lack of understanding! Humans have self-induced these problems.

Your giving and searching for ways to give is love in action. This is the evidence of Spirit at work ~ Marshall Vian Summers

Take hunger for instance. Organizations, like the World Hunger Education Service and the World Economic Forum, state that there is enough food produced on the planet to feed all of us. Hunger is therefore not created through a lack of food… but due to a lack of love!

To love our neighbor as yourself, it is imperative to align our mental, emotional, and physical attention with the Source, with the understanding that you are a miracle. You are amazing. You are on a wonderful journey of discovery. Stop trying to fix yourself. You were after all ‘created in the image of God.’ Begin to see yourself for who you truly are, and learn to love what you see.

Love is the healing force. It has the power to heal the whole planet. However, this can only take place when we choose on an individual level to see who we really are. Once we do, we will begin to see who other people really are. When this occurs, miracles happen naturally.