by Sarah Grow
Scripture ~ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13
Spiritual Focus ~ “Creation as the place of salvation means that the health and well-being of all creatures and parts of creation is what salvation is all about—it is God’s place and our place, the one and only place.” from The Body of God by Sallie McFague, American feminist theologian
Breath prayer ~ Inhale, Love within me; Exhale, Love around me
Devotion ~ We are human beings, spiritual beings, and energetic beings. A yoga practice helps us to become aware of energy within and around us. The practice of pranayama, or breath control, allows us to regulate our energy. Some yoga traditions teach that the energy pulsing along the spine extends down into the earth and reaches eight inches above the crown of the head. In other words, our energy is not contained by our physical body, but extends beyond it and connects with other energy sources around us. Perhaps you are able to feel someone else’s energy. You might have observed or experienced a human connection or “boundary-blurred” relationship between twins, between a mother and child, or in an intense caregiving situation. That energetic connection can also be sensed with the more-than-human world such as a pet, a plant, or a place—even our planet. Consider the sun’s warmth, a tree’s shade, or a river’s power. These are all examples of energy freely given and shared.
Our scripture puts it simply: the law is fulfilled in Love, a love that includes your neighbor as yourself, that is, your neighbor as an extension of yourself. This Love blurs the boundary between ourselves and everyone and everything around us. The universal self views creation—all creatures and parts of creation—as inextricably connected in this Love. Energy flows from one being to another whether or not we are aware of it. Like yoga, intentionally loving your neighbor as yourself requires attention, effort, and practice. We are called and challenged to continuously blur the boundaries between ourselves and whoever and whatever surrounds us to connect everything in this Love.
Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes of Unfoldinglight refers to this love as our superpower, reminding us of the origin of this Love in Christ. “Love is how you stay connected with the world. Love is the only connection. This is power that can’t be taken from you. This is your salvation, your joy.”
