Universe is Calling for Radical Love
Meme by Saundra Porter Thomas
This past election awakened the shadows of our culture and in ourselves. I found myself at times in an unconscious state deep in anger and fear and then seeing this anger and fear in others. Alongside the awakening of the shadows another awakening happened to me again and again. When I would remember who I was at my core and returned to a state of mindfulness and acknowledged my Soul it would smile at me and say âdarling, I am showing these shadows for a reason. It is time for you to heal.â Â I saw that I was not the only one who was jolted into remembering who I was at my core because I saw evidence of consciousness rising in our culture. I think many of us heard our souls tell us it is time for healing.
We all have a lot of healing to do, individually and collectively. This healing process will take intention and deep, radical love. I think what our souls are trying to tell us through the rising up of our individual and collective shadows is that love can no longer be a luxury shown to only those close to us. Â I believe that right now, what the universe is calling for and the most important thing that we can do, is to utilize the energy of love with the intention to heal ourselves, our communities, our nation and the world. Â
There are many things that need to be healed. It appears that we have lost our respect for each other, our belief in human decency, and for many, faith in our democracy and the truths we have held to be self evident. Then of course there are all the isms. Â It seems that as nations and tribes we have used anger, violence, domination, false power, bullying and brute force to affect change in the world. Â But apart from a few masters that have lived on this earth, we have not tried love. Â And those masters that did use love to try to change the world, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jesus, Mother Teresa were pretty successful in their spheres. Â Why? Because they used a practice of radical love. It will take radical love to heal all that has been broken in the last several years. Â
What do I mean by radical love? Â It is to make the decision to accept love as the primary purpose of your life. It is standing up for the oppressed whoever that might be in your life. It is standing up to injustice for whoever you may see is being unjustly treated. It is moving past the fear to speak truth to power in whatever way that shows up in your life. It is being authentically and vulnerably yourself in all your relationships. Â It is seeing the Divine in all, whether it is apparent or not. Â It is feeling love for everyone. Â Not just those that agree with you, not just those that live in your home or street or community. Â Not just those who go to the same church as you. Â Not just those who are the same color or who grew up in the same culture as you. Â Love for everyone. Â Including those we see as unlovable.
Sounds like a tall order doesnât it? Â How do we do this? Â We commit to the practice of love. Â We make a conscious decision and promise that all of our actions come from a place of love. Â We enter into a mindful practice of love. Â If we commit to a practice of radical love, what would that look like? When we wake up in the morning, before we open our eyes, we ask to be one with the Divine which is love. Â We ask to be centered throughout the day so that we can mindfully respond to whatever task, conversation, meeting, appointment, whatever it is we are doing, be done with love and from love. We ask to be healed from our broken places and surrender all that needs to be surrendered. We turn the other cheek when we see the daggers of scorn or hatred coming our way and deflect those daggers with love. Â We look into the eyes of the clerk who is waiting on us and see the Divine in their soul. Â We donât turn our head as we walk by a street person, but we send them love in any way we can. Â We speak up when we hear hateful language. Â We give comfort and solace to those who need it. Â We open the doors to our homes and give what we can of ourselves to those in need. Â We send love to the person who cuts us off on the freeway. Â We stand in the truth of love. Â We monitor our thoughts so that when any thoughts of fear, anger, envy, or judgement appear, we let that go and shift our perception to love. Â We treat others beyond the Golden Rule, not as we wish to be treated but as they wish to be treated. Â We forgive when another responds to us from fear instead of love. Â We practice radical love as a greater expression of our Divinity.
I would venture to say that love is the most powerful energy in the world. Â Our nations and tribes may not understand this concept, but we as individuals certainly do. If we didnât understand this concept, we would not have evolved to this point and still be here as a species. It is now up to us to recall that love is the most powerful force in the world. It is now up to us to shift our own perspective from fear to love and be the change we wish to see. Â The world needs people to fearlessly lead the way in this shift. Â Let me tell you a story about someone whose life was dedicated to radical love and was fearless in her radical loving.
In 2012 I met a woman who taught me in real time what a life of radical love looks like. Â I met her for the first time in the custom picture framing store I own with my husband. She was one of those people who glowed and you are immediately drawn to. Her name was Evan. Evan had brought this print to be framed called a âLeap of Faithâ. Â This black and white print showed a white horse with a woman dressed in white on its back leaping into a black abyss. This print started a conversation about spirituality and we started to communicate from our essence, the center of our existence. I could feel my spirit soar with hers as our conversation continued. We immediately set a date to meet again. It was in that second meeting that I found out she was in stage 4 breast cancer and had been for a couple of years. Â You would never know it by looking at her and seeing her radiance. Â
She was, in her younger years, a radical. Â And in her elder years she continued her radicalness by practicing and living and being radical love. Â There were people in her life who thought she was too radical, too idealistic, and her ideas a about life and love too woo-woo. Â In fact there were some in her life who disowned her because of her beliefs and did not approve of her choices. She did not have an easy life but dealt with it all and with the people who disapproved of her and disowned her, with love. She told me that fear was what made those people disapprove of her. Â They feared her passion and her intense love. Â
She also had a great sphere of friends who gathered around her like bees to honey. Â When you were with her, you could feel her love enfolding you in its beauty. Â She was always up for adventure and squeezing every drop of happiness, fun and joy from life. Â I asked her once how she could be so full of radiance and joy, knowing what her prognosis was. Â Her response was, âPeople go through life living to die, I go through life dying to live and the best way to do that is through love.â Â
I was fortunate enough to have her in my life for two more years and was with her at her deathbed where she expressed her wish that her passing not be mourned but that her life be celebrated with love. Â Evan was honored at the celebration of her life by hundreds of friends committing to carrying on her practice of radical love. Â Everyone who Evan touched and especially those who knew her best are now actively involved in some form of practice that involves bringing forward the sense of oneness, unity and love that is so needed in the world. Â She touched an amazing amount of people and we are touching many more through our work. Â It is our hope that this will continue and grow. Â It all started with one woman, now imagine many people like her, like you and me, who take radical love out into our communities, and beyond into the world. Â
Transformation of ourselves and the world starts with people who see a better way. Â It starts with those who show their essence, their core of being to others without fear. Â It starts with those unafraid of looking at their own shadows and healing. It starts with those who share their dreams and hopes of a better world. Â It starts with those like us who have a deep longing and desire to be a force for good in the world. Â And this transformation is happening, one person at a time. And when enough of us practice radical love and more greatly express Divinity, there will be a tipping point, where the shadows we see rising now will be healed. Where diversity of life will be celebrated and honored. Â Where love will replace fear. Â Where we use love as a catalyst for growth and change, sustainability and world peace.
But it is up to us, it starts with us, who have been awakened, to make that commitment to radical love. Â To live a life of mindfulness and practice, where all our actions come from a place of love. To live life, dying to live. To shift our perception from fear to love. Â It takes work, it takes practice, it takes fearlessness, it takes heart and it takes thought. Â But once it becomes first nature it will become easier and our lives and the lives we touch will become richer. Â Our inner world and our outer world will see a transformation and we will heal from dysfunction to wholeness. Â We will experience oneness no matter our faith, color, culture or creed. Â
Radical love, this is what the universe is calling for right now. Â The signs are all there, the shadows have shown us what needs to be healed, now it is up to us. Â Once we make that commitment to living a life of radical love there is no turning back, fear will get out of the way and we will have answered the call of the universe.
















