Extend love to your thoughts
What This is a powerful practice I learned from DavidPaul & Candace Doyle at the Voice for Love. I am a certified Spiritual Counselor and Minister and have been practicing and teaching Extending Love To My Thoughts since 2010.
Why This practice is unlike traditional forms of meditation where the goal is to empty your mind or simply watch your thoughts go by. In extending love to my thoughts I actively extend a quality of Love to whatever I become aware of. Through this process my mind is calmed, nourished and begins to rest. In this fresh and open space I can connect with my own Heart, the Holiness that is within me. Some call this Holy Spirit, some call it God, some just call it The Real Me. I know that here is where I find peace, joy and a great willingness to hear and follow the guidance that resides within my own heart. This is like prayer only with a direct connection to an answer of specific guidance. Even if that guidance is to “Be Still A Moment”.
Who You. Me. All of us can do this.
When~ Right now. When you feel annoyed, hurt, frazzled, tired or bored.
Where Right here. Right now. How~ Sit quietly and breathe. Close your eyes and take a few more, deep, cleansing breaths. Notice what you notice. Notice what you are feeling. Notice your body.
How Notice your thoughts and extend a quality or flavor of love to them.
What are Thoughts? This is what is happening in your own experience of you. Are you hot? Does your hand itch? Are you remembering that awful conversation you had with your teenager when you dropped her off at school this morning? Are you aware of tension, fearfulness or anger? Is there a loud noise outside your window? Is the refrigerator clicking? Whatever you become aware of we are going to call a thought. Now that you are aware of your thoughts you can extend love to them. You don’t have to extend love to all of the thoughts at once, just pick one.
~Love is always present.~
What are qualities of Love? The power & glory of ALL-OF-LOVE exists in each quality of LOVE Extending Love is easy because Love comes in infinite flavors, colors & qualities. Simply allow a single quality or facet of love to come into your awareness. (choose from the lists below if that helps).
- flavors- this is a taste of love; a hug, saying thank you or welcome, or imagining pouring great golden light onto your thought like pouring honey on your toast
- colors- this is what love can look like; warm, cool, light, dark. Red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo, violet. Remember colors are all present in Light. Extending a color is extending light in another form.
- qualities- this is what Love IS; kindness, gentleness, peace, forgiveness, quiet, acceptance
Feel a quality of love as you extend it. (Is it warm, soft, embracing, playful, happy, strong?)
See a quality of love as a light you are shining on the thought, a warm liquid you are pouring over the thought, or a blanket you are wrapping around it.
Hear your voice in your mind speaking lovingly or singing soothingly to the thought.
Imagine the thought as a baby in your arms or child in your lap as you extend a quality of love to it.
~Love is enough.~
Once you are quiet you can begin to notice thoughts (feelings, thoughts, sensations) you can also choose to extend a quality of love to the thought. You may simply welcome your thoughts. You might be willing to acknowledge the presence of the thought without any further judgment. You may allow a feeling of warmth and openness to beam out of your heart towards the thought. Any of these experiences will put you in touch with the reminder: I AM LOVE. In this way you gently remind yourself “Even though I am having this thought/feeling/sensation I am Love.” This takes the sting and judgment out of the experience leaving you with peace and openness and awareness of your own willingness to Love.
~Love is the truth about us.~
