“Love is the capacity to take care, to protect, to nourish. If you are not capable of generating that kind of energy toward yourself — if you are not capable of taking care of yourself, of nourishing yourself, of protecting yourself — it is very difficult to take care of another person.”- Thích Nhất Hạnh

“If love appears, boundaries will disappear.” – Osho

“What you love, you empower and what you fear, you empower and what you empower, you attract ~ unknown

“At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was naked and you clothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.’ Hungry not only for bread – but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing – but naked for human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks – but homeless because of rejection.” ~Mother Teresa

“The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them”― Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island

“Perhaps the biggest mistake I made in the past was that I believed love was about finding the right person. In reality, love is about becoming the right person. Don’t look for the person you want to spend your life with. Become the person you want to spend your life with.”

1. Purify the Heart Center

Pure love manifests in life through the Heart Center. Repressed stresses, emotions, doubts, and fears all distort or block the flow of pure love.

Your first practice is to purify the Heart Center so your life is filled with and guided by love. To do this, try the following meditation:

Sit quietly, close your eyes, and simply be aware of your breathing.

Now move your attention to your Heart Center in the middle of your chest.

Be aware of the breath here. Not focusing or concentrating, just simple awareness.

You may become aware of a soft light or warmth in this area, just continue breathing with it, resting your awareness in your Heart Center.

Allow any repressed emotions, fears, doubts, or desires to spontaneously rise up. Simply notice them without judgment or evaluation and let them go. They no longer serve you.

Do this for 5-10 minutes every day as is comfortable.

2. Awaken the Qualities of the Heart

At the end of the above exercise or separately, awaken or activate the qualities of your heart that may have been lying dormant with the following meditation:

Still with your eyes closed and your awareness in your Heart Center, silently repeat each of the following words. Repeat each one 2-3 times, pause for a few seconds between each repetition before moving to the next:

Peace

Harmony

Laughter

Love

Don’t try to evaluate the meanings of the words, just repeat them and let them settle back into the silent field of Infinite Organizing Power.

Allow these qualities to grow in your life. Let them radiate from your heart.

3. Ask for What You Want From Love

Love has many other qualities. It is healing, nurturing, and nourishing—bringing a renewing sparkle to your life. Love is also fearless, powerful, and invincible, allowing you to feel safe and secure. Love is also compassionate and harmonious, and dissolves all your doubts and worries.

This practice is to ask for what you want from love. Which quality is important to you right now? Choose from one of the above qualities you were repeating, or something else, then try this meditation:

Sit quietly, close your eyes, bring your awareness into your Heart Center, and simply ask for what you want from love.

Plant the seed of your intention. It could be just one word or a short sentence but be bold (wimpy desires produce wimpy results).

Now let go, detach from the outcome, and let love organize it for you.

4. Listen to Love

Pure love holds the message of truth. Its voice is always there whispering to you; you just need to learn to listen. When you don’t listen to love, you can have:

Doubts about yourself and others

Your expectations and hopes not met

Regrets

Confusion about your feelings