The Power of Love
 
by John Holland
 excerpt Power of the Soul: Inside Wisdom For An Outside World

To feel the power of love in our lifetime can be one of the most beautiful, significant, and life-changing events that we experience as a soul…yet it’s so much more than just being able to say that we’ve cared for another person. Love isn’t meant to be a destination; rather, it’s about the journey. It’s the path we all hope to travel in this lifetime, the process of becoming the person we were meant to be — a person living and feeling from the heart and soul. When the energy of love is in our presence, we can sense it moving within us. Somehow, this emotion has a way of showing us we’re connected to something much larger than ourselves.
 
We’ve developed technologies to send people to the moon, wipe out certain diseases through medical and scientific achievements, and erect huge monuments and buildings. In addition, we now use the Internet to communicate with friends and family on the other side of the globe in a matter of seconds. We constantly embrace new advancements. We can be a wonderful race, with the capacity to do so much, yet some of us are incapable of the one thing that should come quite naturally to us — giving and receiving love. This inability can result from the fact we weren’t loved in the past or have been hurt and let down. It can also be caused by loneliness, insecurity, or the fear of being vulnerable.
 
Love is the foundation of our existence, and we’re just as capable of giving it as we are of receiving it. Love can be a beautiful emotion, but it’s also a form of energy that propels us through life. It’s truly the power of the soul, for when it’s received, it radiates through our heart center in a constant state of motion. Everything in our energetic system revolves around the heart center. We can liken this part of us to our own personal sun: Is it any wonder that when we see certain metaphysical drawings, they portray rays of light emanating from the center of the figure’s chest? It’s the location of our being — our very core — and is the place where our soul’s wisdom resides. I once read: “To be a master of the heart, one must live from the heart.” 
 
This special center represents unconditional love, compassion, joy, balance, relationships, and healing. It’s the link running from our mind, body, and soul to spirit. Of course, this center is associated with the human heart, so it’s quite likely we’ve heard some of the popular expressions that convey this sentiment, such as “That person has such an open heart!” “Why is he closing off his heart to me?” “I’m suffering from a broken heart” or the ever-popular “I love you with all my heart.”
 
The heart center can be filled with so much joy and happiness since our feelings flow through it. It’s also a repository for all past hurts, disappointments, and emotional scars. Have you ever meditated and started to get emotional or even begun to cry? The reason is that spiritual energy is reaching out and touching your heart center — it’s trying to move it, to help clear the blockages that have been stuck or held there so healing can begin. These blockages could have originated as recently as last week, or they may be from years and years ago.