The seven ancient Greek forms of love.
If you were ever wondering how you could create more love in your life,
Have you taken the chance to look at the seven ancient Greek forms of love?
You might discover that there is a lot more love present in your life than you were aware of.
And maybe you discover some new forms that you wish to create more of.
If today feels like a day where there is not that much love present,
I invite you to close your eyes and connect to your heart.
You do so by placing a hand on your heart,
Taking a deep inhale and then sighing it out loud.
Ahhhh.
Do that again.
Slow deep inhale.
Exhale with a sigh.
And a third one.
Slow deep inhale.
Exhale with a sigh.
Feel your physical space and the presence where you are.
Maybe your sitting bones on your meditation cushion or your bum on the couch or your feet on the ground while walking.
Feel the force of gravity.
Notice the air surrounding you and touching your skin.
Notice the pulse in your body.
And then trace that pulse back to your heartbeat.
Now listen a little deeper into that heartbeat.
Let's take a look at the seven forms of love.
There is Eros,
The romantic,
Passionate love.
It is often a very physical form of love.
In many relationships that one ebbs and flows.
Maybe there is an initial phase where it is stronger.
In most relationships that are only based on Eros don't quite last.
We can find a lot of intensity in Eros.
And it is the content of many movies and songs.
The second one is Filia.
It's an affectionate,
Friendly love.
It sees two as equal.
It is wanting the best for the other.
We can find this type of love in platonic friendships as well as in partnerships.
The third type is Storgia.
Unconditional,
Familial love.
It is a strong bond.
We often find it between a parent and a child,
Between family members.
It is based on care for another.
And it can be one directional.
A mother or a father love their child or may love their child independent of whether that child returns any of it.
I may love a sibling despite some things they do that I don't like.
It is a long-lasting,
Unconditional form of love.
The fourth type is Agape.
Agape is selfless,
Universal love.
It is empathetic,
Altruistic and spiritual.
In our daily life we can think of it in a pay-it-forward kind of way.
I may give so that others who come after me have it well.
And that in itself can be very rewarding,
The joy of giving.
The fifth type is Ludus.
It is a playful,
Flirtatious love.
It is a lot about fun,
About back and forth,
About a dance,
And there is no commitment to it.
It is very much in the moment.
It can be a quick energetic exchange.
It can be longer sessions of play.
It often comes with a sensation of butterflies.
And as long as that is clear on both sides,
That there is no commitment involved,
This playful,
Flirtatious love can be very rewarding.
It can give us a lot of joy in the moment.
The sixth form is Pragma,
Committed,
Long-lasting love.
This one is a deliberate choice.
It is companionship with a lot of patience and endurance.
It is an accepting and mature love.
It is a constant nurturing.
It is the stuff that many happy long-term marriages are built on.
When people have chosen to stay together,
To make it work with growth and evolution and joyful effort on both sides.
The seventh type is Philosia,
Self-love.
It is the healthy,
Necessary love of oneself that enables us to give and receive love.
We can differentiate that one from being obsessed with ourselves or narcissistic in some kind of way.
Philosia is that healthy part of you that puts on a candle at night and also reminds you to brush your teeth.
And taking good care of yourself and giving yourself that love that you deserve,
That nurture and care,
Gives you the capacity to also provide that for others and to allow yourself to receive.
Now place your hand back on your heart and take another deep inhale here.
Exhale with a sigh.
Now that you remember all the seven forms,
What is most present in your life?
Can you find some examples of all seven forms?
What of the forms that are present would you like to amplify?
And which of these forms do you crave?
And how are the sweet whispers of your soul guiding you?
Feel into what it would be like to have these forms of love amplified in your life.
Let that feeling well up.
Let it fill you.
Stay with that feeling.
Create an imprint in your memory of what that feeling is like.
And come back to that feeling.
Come back to that feeling often.
The more you practice this feeling,
The more you're invited to show up more in your life.
Where our attention goes,
Our energy flows.
If you like,
Take a few minutes to journal after closing your practice.
I send you many blessings.
