February Blog - You're the One

♥ February Blog - You're The One! ♥

So its February and Valentine’s day. As everyone is going to be talking about love this month, I thought I’d take a closer look at St Valentines day and turn the shadow side of love sunnyside up.

As with so many other urban rituals, beneath all the glitzy wrapping paper is a fairly gruesome and mysterious tale. There may have been one, there may have been many Saint Valentine/s martyred for their faith and immortalised in the Catholic Hall of Fame. It’s possible that marrying Christian couples in secrecy sent him to his doom or he may have been no Cupid at all, just a simple man living a quiet life that didn’t fit with the politics of the time. He may have been stoned, beaten, beheaded or all three in Rome and his relics may be in Italy, Ireland, Prague or sunny Birmingham. Whoever or wherever, it’s quite odd to think that there’s a murder nestling amidst all the hearts and flowers. The murderous theme was famously copied by the mafia in 1929 who celebrated Valentine’s day with a bloody shoot-out.

Strange - or is it? Too often it seems that what starts off as ‘Love’ develops into a distorted dance which can become deadly. The obsession with an object of desire has driven many a drunk to drink, a stalker to stalk and a jilted, jealous lover to crimes of passion.

At the core of all this drama is a simple confusion of identity. The object of desire is confused with the source of all love. None other will do. The wide eyed lens which sees a wide vista of abundant sources of love in the world, of which romantic love is only one form, collapses to a pinpoint camera focused on one being alone. The inner radio gets wired to ‘You’re The One’ FM.

The One is a mystical name for the source of all existence. To confuse a human being with the source of all existence, to give them the power of God/dess in our life is a heavyweight projection. Some lovers will flourish under such a title, and will happily allow it to feed their ego until it implodes. Others will feel crippled, over-burdened and disintegrate under the pressure. When our lover becomes The One there is no end to the abuse we may feel it necessary to tolerate, sacrifices to offer on the altar of worship. Likewise there is no end to the jealousy, fear, control, manipulation and insecurity that can arise when our connection with The One is threatened.

The remedy lies in remembering that we are all actually The One and that our innate connection to the Oneness of all existence is present in every breath. Oneness - which is the feeling of union which arises when we give and receive love - is available in every waking moment. It is never lost so there is no searching required - no endeavour, no straining, no journey. It’s there whether we do our stretches in the morning or not, whether we weigh 6 or 16 stone, whether we earn tuppence or two grand in a day, whether we have one partner or twenty. We can forget and think we are separate from it or we can remember that we are all connected in a great, mysterious, interacting field of vibrant, expansive awareness. We can call it God, Krishna, Sophia, Chi, Tao, Quantum Field Theory, Allah, Goddess, Nature or Nothing whatsoever at all. Oneness will still be there, regardless.

Numerous spiritual practices have developed to prompt remembrance of Oneness. In Muslim cities, the call to prayer sings from minaret to minaret five times a day, a regular reminder of faith. Yogic practice cultivate awareness of the universal life force (prana), by daily breath control techniques (pranayama). To name but two examples. This is all wonderful stuff until some spiritual practitioners become fixated with their particular form of connecting and start insisting it is The One Way, to be defended and promoted at every opportunity. The result: war, violence and murder - St Valentine comes up against a Roman Emperor who thinks his way is The One Way and has his head chopped off.

So perhaps this is a less cute and more pertinent message of St Valentines Day, as we move into an era where global technologies make us increasingly aware of the multitude of different ways of going about life: that whichever One we are with right now, whatever One way we are practicing, that it is just A Way rather than The Only Way and as such is just a small reflection of a far greater mystery. To cling obsessively to One Way, One Person, One set of Rules creates separation and insanity ultimately. To practice own way gently, whilst maintaining an open hearted listening for all peoples of all ways with an awareness that we are all part of a never ending, ever changing dance of existence, is to take a graceful step towards peace in our time.

Peace within and peace without. Peace arises within when we remember that we are Oneness and Love and therefore have no need to become obsessed with any particular outward form. Peace arises without when we see that everyone else is busy being their own unique version of Oneness and can be respected, appreciated and accepted as such, even if it is radically different to our own. Infinite Peace arises when everyone remembers together; which is why people have always gathered together to celebrate the joys and the sorrows that play out in the great grand mystery of it all.
♥ Wishing you a wonderful celebration of the Lovely One that you are This Valentine’s Day ♥
♥ Love Katie x ♥ x ♥ x ♥

If you would like to share in some Vibrant Valentine's Celebrations please join me at the following events:
♥ February 12th - Into the Heart of Chant - Kirtan at Triyoga, Primrose Hill - 6.30-7.45pm, £12 - www.triyoga.co.uk
♥ February 15th - Divine Love Petals - Divine Heart Song with IIlumina & Love disco with Cate Mackenzie & the Love Fairies - Inspiral Lounge, 250 Camden High Street, Camden Lock N1 - www.inspiralled.net
♥ February 22nd - Miraculous Music on Radio Lightworker - Tune in for a sonic celebration of infinite vibration and love - www.radiolightworker.com
For full details please visit the Events Page on my Website - www.therosewindow.org