Lovingkindness, and Gifts to Open the Heart

Love gives us beauty, freshness, solidity, freedom, and peace. True love includes a feeling of deep joy that we are alive."

~How to Love, Thich Nhat Hanh

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"May all beings everywhere, whether near or far, whether known to me or unknown, be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free."

~from the Buddhist Metta or Lovingkindess Prayer

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We are each an embodied being at the center of an outward-rippling wave of love energy. All our love comes from within, an inner sanctuary of the heart, and expands outward until it reaches other beings.

Take notice of your inner state, are you feeling that love energy welling up inside of you, just waiting to be shared? How do we fill up this inner well of sweet compassion?

Part of this refilling process is the experience of coming home to ourselves, making a home in ourselves, nurturing that gentle open awareness that is key to understanding ourselves and opening to others. We might meditate on the vast spaciousness of the heart, and try to feel the expansive nature of love, its aspects of lightness and freedom. At the end of this article you will find the Buddhist Lovingkindness (Metta) prayer.

Another piece of the puzzle is to delight the senses, to fully be in our bodies and experience the joy of being alive. Treating ourselves to the small things that add up to a life that is more full of joy, comfort, and loving energy--A candle for scent and light, a mug for warming, heart-opening tea, sweet-scented soaps or calming incense...

As winter turns to spring, pay attention to how you are feeling, and the small ways you can treat yourself with more love everyday, and refill the cup until it "runneth over" with love for all the other beings around you, near and far.

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"Love is expansive. In the beginning of a relationship, your love may include only you and the other person. But if you practice true love, very soon that love will grow and include all of us."

~How to Love, Thich Nhat Hanh

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Gifts for opening the heart

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We have selected some items inspired by the ideal of a world-encompassing love, that starts from the center of our Self like a spring of water, that turns into a trickle, then a stream, and at last a mighty river running to the sea.

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"The river is flowing, Flowing and growing
The river is flowing
Down to the sea

Mother carry me
Your child I will always be
Mother carry me
Down to the sea"

~Song lyrics from a jam session at Deer Park Monastery.
Credit: Sun Bear, a Native American elder.

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Love Crystal Candle | Cedar + Lavender

"I allow love to fill my body and soul. Today I am love."

7oz crystal candle made with soy, burns for 50 hours. Cedar Lavender scented, with a Rose Quartz crystal heart.

Rose Quartz activates unconditional love, self-love, compassion and acceptance.

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My Pocket Meditations for Self-Compassion: Anytime Exercises for Self-Acceptance, Kindness, and Peace

"Give your inner critic a break and offer yourself kindness and acceptance instead with these 150 guided meditations and exercises.

Express compassion to yourself, make peace with your emotions, build resilience, practice body-positivity, accept love, and learn to appreciate yourself for exactly who you are.

Featuring meditations on self-appreciation, being body positive, accepting love, meeting your emotions, and more, to help you live with more self-awareness, kindness, and peace."

~Microcosm Publishing

Rose Quartz crystal-charged soap

This lovely soap is handmade at the appropriate moon times, in the Venus hour, infused with Rose Quartz crystal energy, Reiki energy and lots of love in Long Beach CA. The maker was inspired by the beauty of Rose Quartz, and wanted to create a soap with the same soothing and healing heart energy. Contains CBD oil for calming, and is made from all vegan ingredients. Use every day, or save for a special ritual soak, to call in the love!

Scent: Rose, with a sweet tropical floral twist.
4oz

Hearts Crystal Grid

Manifest your intentions, goals and dreams with a Crystal Grid. Harness the power of crystals and sacred geometry to bring about powerful transformation!

Sample Crystal Grid: Combined with Rose Quartz (center) and Rhodonite (darker pink, outer edge), this grid can be used to support heart-healing and heart-opening, call in love, and activate emotional security and comfort.

Rose Quartz

The essence of love, it is the most important crystal for opening the heart chakra to all forms of love—family, platonic, romantic. It restores trust and harmony in relationships, while bringing deep inner healing and reassurance. A soft pink stone of infinite peace, it encourages self-love,  self-trust and self-worth. It is especially healing to the emotional body, and soothes and heals in times of grief. Working with Rose Quartz makes you more receptive to love. It invites love vibes into your life and is like a warm, fuzzy hug. Visit Paradise Found in person or online, to find Rose Quartz crystals, bracelets, palm stones, and towers.

Auroshikha Rose Incense

Bring sacred scents into your home to raise the vibration and support energetic renewal. Aurashikha incense is made with high quality resins to cleanse and purify your space. Other scents by Aurashikha are available here. Rose incense is in-shop only!

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Cultivate the seeds of love in your Soul

The Buddhist Metta (Lovingkindness) Prayer

"The Buddhist Metta (Lovingkindness) Prayer is simple but profound. It starts by blessing oneself and gradually expands outward from there, eventually wishing good intentions for the entire world and all beings, even our enemies. There are many variations and translations of this prayer, but what follows is the essence of it; if we all said this prayer with sincerity at least once per week, the world could be a very different place:

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My heart fills with with loving kindness. I love myself. May I be happy. May I be well. May I be peaceful. May I be free.
May all beings in my vicinity be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all beings in my city be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all beings [in my state, in my country, on my continent, in my hemisphere, on planet Earth]

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May my parents be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all my friends be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all my enemies be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all beings in the Universe be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.

~Balance, Buddha Groove