Spiritual Love

Spiritual love is a position of standing with one hand extended into the universe and one hand extended into the world, letting ourselves be a conduit for passing energy. ~Christina Baldwin

Christina Baldwin wrote this quote in her inspirational book, “Life’s Companion”. It is a book that encourages five essential qualities of a spiritual life: reflection, silence, forgiveness, trust, and acceptance. She offers thought inspiring quotes and writing exercise to encourage the spiritual writer in each of us.

I found this quote so beautiful and timely as we are preparing for the year ahead. We cannot grow without spiritual love for the world, universe, and ourselves. Learning how to do this takes time and practice.

Reflection is important because it allows us to learn from the past. As we take time to reflect, we can think about how we reacted in certain situations. Was it positive? Negative? We can then decide how we want to handle situations when they arise again. Keeping a journal is a great way to reflect that allows us to keep a written record of our experiences.

Silence. We can learn many things in the silence. When our minds are quiet, that is when we hear our soul speaking to us. Quieting the mind takes practice and patience but is so beneficial. It’s a great way to help find inner peace or help soothe yourself in a stressful situation.

Learning to forgive ourselves and others goes a long way in our quest for peace and spiritual love. Forgiveness can open you up to growth, possibility, and healing.

Learning to trust ourselves and others takes time. Trust can be a hard gift to give and is even harder to get back once it’s been broken. Truly trusting someone is one of the biggest testaments of love there is. You are fully giving yourself to that person when you trust them. And if that person is you, you have mastered one of the components necessary for a spiritual life.

Acceptance is sometimes the hardest of these qualities. Sometimes in life, learning to accept a situation for what it is can take a lot of effort. Accepting something doesn’t necessarily mean agreement, it does, however, allow us to make space for it in that moment. Acceptance means you understand you can’t change what something is in that moment-not forever. This can help you find inner peace and calm in situations you’ve been struggling.

As you go into the new year, spend time growing and nurturing your spiritual love. Work on your inner peace and make your world a more beautiful place.