Love in the time of Corona

When we say that someone "found love", we usually refer to having found a partner. We tend to talk about love as something we get from, or give to, someone else; a friend, a parent, a child, a lover – or even God.

As if love is dependent on the other. 
I shared with you some posts ago that many times I have felt a longing to withdraw from the world. I didn´t plan to actually do it.
But in this moment, with the corona virus spreading around the world, it feels like that is the best thing to do; To use this moment as a meditation retreat by myself.


A time to stop
I am not in the Himalayas or in any monestary in the East. I was in the mountains of Brazil when this moment came, and I will probably stay here till it has calmed down.
It is not the time for travels, not even for organised meditation retreats together with other people. It is the time to stop. To be alone.

In the middle of the tragedy, there is a great opportunity.


Self-inquiry
"Who am I?" or "Self-Inquiry" was made famous by the Indian mystic Ramana Maharshi. The technique is simple; one question is repeated over and over again. Every time you hear it, is a new chance to allow the answer to come from deeper layers of yourself. The most well-known question to use in this technique, is "who am I?", but it can also be other questions.
I will share more about the technique itself in another post soon.

What I wanted to share about now, is love.

"if you love your own company, if you are your own best friend; then who can ever be lonely?"

A love-affair with yourself
As far as I am concerned, self-discovery is not about any specific technique. I experience life itself as a journey of self-discovery – where every situation and experience is a chance for us to grow and to explore ourselves. But the reason I felt to mention this technique now, is that it can be used as a doorway into a love-affair with yourself.

Imagine you are in love...
I am not talking about the airy-fairy, dreamy love where we fantasising the other into some idea we have of the perfect partner, and we get disappointed when we realise the other "does not live up to" our expectation.

I talk about love;

When you respect the other, when you want to get to know the other, explore the other – every side – in deeper and deeper layers. You are open, accepting – with no judgements, no idea about that the other should have been different.You don´t want to change the other.
The other is a mystery, that unfolds in front of your eyes.

It does not mean that the other is perfect, it just means that you accept the other, with all sides.

You simply love.


What happens if you explore yourself; with the same openness, curiosity and acceptance? If you meet yourself, with love?


Loneliness
In the West, one of the biggest challenges in the society, is loneliness. Now we are in a time when we are asked to not hug, to not visit each other, to not gather together. I imagine even more people might be facing loneliness.

But if you love your own company, if you are your own best friend; then who can ever be lonely?


Take care
We are saying it often; to be able to take care of others, you have to take care of yourself. To be able to love others, you have to first love yourself.

In this time of corona, these words are coming closer, becoming more real and more concrete. It is truly by being with ourselves, taking care of ourselves – that we take care of each other and of the whole. Even on the very practical and physical level.


We have a great opportunity now; to befriend ourselves – to find love in a place it is not dependent on outer circumstances or another person. We have the chance; to go in.

I love travels, I love adventures. But no adventure is more exciting and mysterious than this; to dive in, to explore my own being.

#meditation #coronaretreat #aloneness #loneliness #coronavirus #selfdiscovery #selfinquiry #ramanamaharshi #retreat #corona #silence #loveyourself #selflove