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

Love reveals itself in many forms, and we experience it on many levels. Generally, if we’re loved, then we feel safe. Likewise, if we’re in a loving environment, we feel nurtured. We tend to cherish our animals, our creative work, the Earth, and being out in nature — or, in fact, anything that makes our heart and soul sing. Love can soothe, comfort, uplift, and heal us.

Our soul cares for us and wants nothing in return — its love is unconditional. No matter what we’ve done or others have done to us, it’s the heart center that’s affected. In order to give and receive love, we have to open this part of us. We’re a being of light, energy, and compassion; therefore, these are the forces that we must bring into our heart center. When it’s open and the blockages have been cleared, healing can begin in all areas of our life. When this happens, we’ll be in a better place to happily and healthfully lend our gifts and talents to others. As we heal, we’ll create and accomplish our life purpose of being all that we can be, offering a valued service to humanity. This is the totality of our creative existence.

Relationships of the Soul
 
Relationships are mirror images of our own life — the way we feel and treat ourselves, as well as how we react and respond to different situations and people around us. All relationships (whether they’re on an emotional, physical, mental, or spiritual level) are part of the learning process and enlightenment of the soul. No matter which category one falls into, it acts as a teaching tool for us to understand the lessons that our soul needs to master. It can help us understand, change, or enhance our individual qualities.
 
Every relationship is an opportunity for soul growth. Different types of relationships have an uncanny way of showing us what we need to work on in our lives. At times, they reveal our vulnerabilities and insecurities or our need for attention, approval, and acceptance. Equally, they can identify where we may be stuck in a rut or where we lack love, peace, healing, or joy in our lives.
 
Working as a psychic medium, I’ve come to appreciate and look at people on a soul level. This helps me express love through my heart and experience the interaction as a soul. When I’m faced with difficult people, I always attempt to connect with them on a soul level. In other words, I try to make a soul-to-soul connection. Trust me, I know sometimes it’s not that easy, but I look at them from a Divine perspective. I try to understand them through my own soul, my heart center, by tapping into and using my intuition. I view them as a Divine soul instead of what my eyes see or the reaction that’s my conscious response. This enables me to see the real person and the good I know is inside all of us. Occasionally, that Divinity, that goodness that I know is there, may be buried. Often it’s suffocated by years of torment, negative behavior, mental conditioning, or unhealthy relationships.
 
Please remember that not all relationships have to be one-on-one with just a single individual. They can be with a group, an organization, a pet, or even an incident or situation. Write down in your journal the relationships you’ve had in the past, and see if they’ve guided you in the direction of where you are now or did they lead you away from your purpose? On another page, write down all the relationships that are happening in your life right now. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What am I learning from this relationship?
 
• What qualities am I developing?
 
• Is this relationship for my highest good?
 
• How can I make this relationship better?
 
• Are we learning from each other?
 
• What have I discovered, or am still discovering, about myself through this relationship?
 
• Are the people in my life empowering and encouraging me to be all I can be?

Within every relationship, there’s an encoded lesson we’ve hopefully learned, or still need to learn. Some relationships are simply there for us to experience love; others could be showing us what we don’t want in our next one. In this way, when it’s time to develop a connection with someone else, we’ll be more aware and have the ability to manifest the type of relationship we want…one that serves our highest purpose. Whatever the case, when we learn to open our heart and view it through the eyes of our soul, we’ll discover an even better relationship that’s waiting for us: the relationship of our soul-self.

John Holland is an internationally renowned psychic medium and author who has spent more than 20 years developing his abilities. He can be heard on HayHouseRadio.com® on Mondays!