Love and Romance

(third of the series)

Romance is the key to Love because it opens lovers to appreciate all the miracles of Love in a different manner. It brings people to the understanding of Oneness, a powerful connection that never before experienced in the world of separateness. In each others' arms, lovers find the meaning of life, and they begin to value the manifestation of things unseen. What used to be an abstract, like the reality of the Soul, becomes palpable in the presence of the object of affection. A beloved becomes the Soul of the lover, and his or her presence transforms subtle truths of joy and peace into the reality of physical intimacy.

This truth is lasting, as far as the awareness of Love exists in the consciousness of lovers. Every physical act is an act of Romance, such as the rituals of giving flowers and gifts; of kissing, cuddling, and intimate bonding; of songs, poems, movies, photos, paintings, and letters; these are all symbols and statements that celebrate Romance. Romance is as important as the flow of consciousness, the unconditioned and unseen reality of Love. Love is often the definition of Romance, but to see Romance as the physical form of Love is another story. With Romance, every positivity and goodness wells up because they are Love's way of becoming physical. Love remains nebulous in the realm of our consciousness without Romance as its expression between the lover and the beloved.

The main symptom of relationship failures is the thought that expression of Romance is enough to prove that Love exists. Our society's romantic culture limits our understanding of Love, and we have accepted that for us to experience Love, we must be in a romantic situation, or else we would remain lonely and deprived. So we are in search of a romantic partner, of a soul mate that we believe will fill our empty lives. We believe that falling in Love breaks the curse of loneliness we feel. The lover we will find is our savior, a hero that will bring us out of the pain and suffering of being unloved. Eventually, we become disenchanted, for this hero could not serve our ideals of perfection. Thus, we end up bitter, swearing never to be fooled again by Love.

Despite our limited views on Love, Love can never be boxed in by our assumptions. True Love, though formless, remains unyielding and unchanging. This Love cannot be found outside, nor in any ideal partner. We can never demand Love from someone. Romance may help us to discern Love, but Romance can never equal what Love can give and become. Love transcend the boundaries of labels, for it exists not only in romantic context, but in many possibilities of human relationships and interconnections.

Love simply is the person we call ourselves. I am Love. You are Love. Our purpose is to discover how Lovable and Loving we are, without a lover's approval or acceptance. To discern that I am Love, a being that is worthy of my respect and acknowledgment, allows me to become the truth that I am. In this process, we stop finding the physical evidence of Love on anything or anyone. We begin to see that Love is as touchable as our whole being. I appreciate myself, and therefore I begin to see that I need no thing or person to make me happy, for I am happiness incarnated.

Our recognition of the power of Love in our awareness leads us to find another being who has done the same. We find another complete person, whose Soul has unfolded in understanding that he or she is Love. We never more try to be filled by the presence of another. We are now, in fact, resonant with that presence. This discovery results into Romantic Love. Two lovers who discover that they are complete, Souls filled with the Love they have found within themselves, begin to connect with each other through Romance. This sacred union becomes Romantic Love.

to be continued