On December 15, I sent out the following email to everyone that I knew:
All:
2010, for me, has been a very challenging, rewarding year on many different levels. I challenged myself to take a journey that asked me to give up almost everything I owned, trusting that God, the Universe, or whatever you wish to call the mysterious energy that created us, would take care of me and provide for me every step. It did.
I also learned that if it weren’t for my friends and family, I would not have been able to succeed in my undertaking. This taught me to be highly grateful to everyone in my life.
With just 15 days remaining in 2010, I am almost finished with my journey. All that is left is receiving responses to the questions I’ve posted on this site. I received my first response this morning and will post it later this evening.
If you or anyone you know is interested in participating, please visit (the page has been removed). It would mean a great deal to me.
Thanks, everyone! I hope 2011 brings much joy and happiness.
Chris
I received the first response to the Unconditional Love survey on December 15, 2010.
Thanks, Sparks! I greatly appreciate your response and wisdom.
Date of Reading: December 15, 2010
Participant’s Name: Sparks
Sparks’ Birthdate: 5/6/1960
1) Do you believe in Unconditional Love? If so, based on which religion or spiritual practice? I absolutely believe in Unconditional Love. It is the light of the way, based on all sane spiritual beliefs/paths/religions. I am a contemplative of the non-denominational Christian mystical bent, open to the interfaith way.
2) What does the concept of Unconditional Love mean to you personally? To me, unconditional Love is an extension of God in the world through another person. It is founded in perfection, the unseen in the seen, and is beyond all words of expression, beyond conceptualizing. Succinctly, we know it when we experience it, which in turn fuels us to extend it.
3) Does your faith teach Unconditional Love? If so, please share that teaching here. All faiths teach Unconditional Love (without it there is no faith) but it cannot be learned from a book or a mortal teacher: it lay within. The Holy Books, if carefully studied and adhered to, can assist in uncovering all that lay within, through strengthened beliefs, clarification, opening the mind, and igniting the reader to dig deeper. My core belief is that belief is the key to the experience: “As a man thinketh, so is he.”
4) Are you political? How do you practice Unconditional Love in your politics? I’m in stand-down mode politically. I may have entered a spiritual stage that requires me to embrace neutrality. Unconditional Love and politics in the same sentence? Yes, by suspending judgmental assumptions ~ by remaining above the battlefield of partisanship (where the answers are) ~ By recognizing that I do not know what’s best for zillions of peoples (humility) ~ By the simple recognition that only through God’s Hand can anything be transformed to everyone’s benefit.
5) Do you practice Unconditional Love in your everyday life? Love unfolds when I choose peace above all else. When the giving/receiving ceases to unfold I know that something is wrong. I then will my strength to surface, actively release my grievances, and meditate for calm to re-awaken what is dormant: the ability to extend love. Conversely, If I try to construe Unconditional Love for any reason other than love, I am trying to give what I do not have.
6) Have you ever experienced Unconditional Love from another human being? If so, please share your experience here. Absolutely… From my mother through her early maternal constancy. From the willingness of my best friend/roommate, to see the humor and value in my failures. From every co-worker who ever quietly stepped in to assist me. From everyone who ever glimpsed the best of me or sensed that it was there… From everyone who ever truly forgave me… From myself, for forgiving myself… When I’m spiritually vigilant, there comes a moment of Unconditional Love from everyone I come into contact with, the unseen in the seen.
Note: Great questionnaire at the perfect time. The questions cause us to question what we believe and reinforce what we want to manifest from our beliefs. Also, the order of questions 4 & 5 are correlatively astute. My compliments, Sparks.