HAPPY VALENTINE, My Dear Heart…

Shrines near Tanah Lot Temple - Unknown Sources

Borobodur - Unknown Sources

Shambhala Mountain Center, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, Fall 2005  -  Photo by Davis Willi

In Germany where I was born and raised, Valentine’s Day has only recently been introduced.  
When I moved to the U.S., I observed that Valentine’s Day is predominantly considered a day of
romantic love.  I thought how meaningful it would be to include and honor all loving relationships
on that day.  From the time we are born, we share affectionate moments with so many people:  
our parents, peers, partners, children, and strangers.  Many of us also experience a love for
nature, knowledge, music, art, foreign cultures and travel, and for the many other beautiful things
that give us this feeling of exuberance, of invigoration, and of love of life.

But perhaps most importantly, Valentine’s Day could be considered the day of self-love.  When
have you last consciously praised yourself for a job well-done?  Instead, don’t we tend to belittle
and make fun of ourselves in social settings?  How grateful are we on a daily or weekly basis for
who we are, for our talents, our energy, our good intentions, our contributions?  Are we a
constant source of joy and satisfaction to ourselves?  

One way of cherishing ourselves is what I have called to Celebrate the Beauty of Living™.  
Let's find a few minutes on a daily basis to appreciate aspects of ourselves which we truly adore
and for which we are sincerely grateful.  I recommend that you buy an attractive ring binder or
create a new folder in your PC.  Contemplate and write down the life-giving aspects of your Being
in regard to your body, mind, emotions, creativity, intuition, and your connection to a higher,
more comprehensive reality.  Learn to talk out loud to yourself as if you were admiring and praising
your child, lover, student, or colleague.  

• Our Body:  It is very beneficial - especially when we are diseased - to become aware of
  the "ease" which is so predominant in our physiology consisting of uncountable processes
  aimed at bodily rejuvenation and well-being miraculously taking place every second of our
  lives.  
  

• Our Mind:  Have you ever thought of praising the millions of thoughts inexplicably emerging
  in your head on a daily basis?  Where/what is their source?  How much fulfillment have they
  been bringing us?  How many of them have been solving our problems and providing us with
  stunning new insights?  
  

• Our Emotions:  How amazing is the myriad of emotional expressions of which we humans
  are capable in the course of a single day?  How deeply are we able to feel?  Let’s be
  thankful for the way our emotions have been enriching our lives, adding tremendous value to
  our existence.
  

• Our Creativity:  One does not have to be an artist to be highly creative.  Some of the
  most creative people I know are scientists and engineers.  How does creativity express
  itself in your daily work and life?  What are its life-giving, enjoyable attributes?  
  

• Our Intuition:  What role does our intuition play in our lives?  How often has it guided us to
  new heights?  What satisfaction and freedom does it bestow on us?  
  

• Our Connection to Source or our Spirituality:  How much do we cherish that we are
  embedded in the powers of nature that are creating and maintaining the universe?  What
  could we do to nurture and nourish this sublime connection?  Let us celebrate that we are
  the leading edge of creation, perfect and becoming, each in our own way, at our own pace,
  and at our own unique station in the evolution of the life force as it expresses itself
  incessantly in the infinite variety found in this beautiful home we call Earth!
  

We are the leading edge of existence itself which expresses itself through us.  We are divinely
loved, and if we could learn to love ourselves, the love circle would be closed and our gain would
be immeasurable.  In addition to being in love with other people and with life - on this Valentine’s
Day let’s make a true and lasting gift to ourselves:  Let us deeply fall in love with ourselves.  You
will find the inspiration exhilarating that is rushing forth from the Universe in response to this pure
intent.  Everyone with whom we come in contact will greatly benefit from the transformation
taking place in ourselves when we start loving ourselves.  It will take the meaning of Valentine’s
Day to a new level.  It will give rise to a new awakening in us.  

And in this sense, I wish all of us a most enchanting Valentine’s Day.