REMEMBER THE SUMMER OF LOVE?
Maybe it wasn’t perfect, (or was it?) but it was a full out movement and a breath of fresh air that came at a time when it was really needed. Let’s bring back the summer of love – okay – without the free sex and drugs. But the music was good and the underlying current of peace, love and happiness – “it’s all so groovy man,” and “far out”! Wouldn’t it be nice to see each other and life that way today?
It’s so easy to focus on the things that are “wrong” in the world. Group consciousness, or what the media and the majority of people in our communities and in the world are focusing on, along with what we could call “mob mentality”
– or how we are all being influenced to perceive things in a particular light – play a big role in this. The more we focus on (and keep each other focusing on) what’s wrong, us versus them, my (our) idea of what’s right and wrong versus yours or theirs, what’s accepted and what’s not; we hold each other apart and create many lines of separation. At the very least, we are seeing each other and life from a very narrow
and limited perspective.
What if we could see through the eyes of Source? What if we knew without a shadow of a doubt that this world was big enough for all possibilities, experiences, dreams, hopes and desires? What would it take for us to experience and perceive life and each other with the openness and spaciousness, acceptance and love that we all long for? Think about it. Isn’t that what we all really want? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could see each other as we see nature – with that kind of awe, mystery and wonder – (rather than judgment and criticism and fear)? Wouldn’t it be nice if we were less concerned about what someone else thinks of us (and worse, what we think of them) and spent more time looking at and for the beauty in life and in each other (and how to create more of it)? We think, I would love them if only they would do things this way, or think, believe and behave
this way The truth is we really don’t want everyone thinking and behaving in the same way, wanting the same things, believing in the same things. But what we do want is to be loved, appreciated and accepted. To have the kind of relationship with each other where we can talk about and ask about our differences with the attitude of, “far out” and “that’s really groovy man” – even if it’s “not our thing.”It’s been said that we make our own heaven or hell in (and of) our lives. To create heaven on earth, all we have to do is love. Love is the reason…the only reason. When you distill it all down, love (or the perceived lack of it) is at the heart of every motive, every question, every longing, every dream or desire. Love is the very nature of our being and that of every being. Love is the answer and the relief to every problem or concern, to all conflict, pain and suffering, to all new ideas, ventures and dreams, to all interactions, relationships and to all creations. When we love there is spaciousness in our hearts. We are more open to look at things we don’t understand. And no matter how foreign they may be, we can see them with a sense of awe and mystery…even appreciation. Just IMAGINE…all you need is love.
Raye Lynn Rath is the owner of The Yoga Institute in Houston and the Bay Area and co-owner of Sacred Art Yoga; Advanced Studies, Workshops and Retreats (with Becky Jordan). She welcomes beginning and seasoned students to her studio. Advanced Study programs, workshops, events and retreats are offered throughout the year. More information is available at her websites: www.yogainstitute.com and www.sacredartyoga.com.
