“I love you” – three words, many connotations….  We are love; we are beings of eternal love and yet the love relationship is invariably ensconced within joy, misunderstanding, loss, pain, hope, happiness, salvation and 100 other adjectives I could use!  A journey of such extremes of emotional experience that can take us from euphoria to desperation and yet it is one which facilitates some of the deepest growth and self-awareness of our human experience.  In this article we will explore the deeper spiritual implications of the love relationship.

Relationship Counselling

In my therapy work at Pathway Therapies as a counsellor, hypnotherapist, past life regression, inner child and reiki healer, the topic of relationships presents in many guises; however, at the heart of each person’s experience are the common ingredients we are all familiar with when we open our hearts to another.

We can feel such exhilaration in knowing love in our lives and yet we can equally touch on the pain of loss, loneliness and disappointment if the relationship runs its course.  Change permeates every fibre of our lives and is an inevitable thread which weaves the fabric of our individual and collective stories.  Loss can feel as if part of oneself is missing; resulting in feelings of failure, guilt and confusion.

Relationship endings are inevitable and most of us have grown up believing that such endings are failures; wrong turns taken and mistakes made.  What of the growth that comes from the experiences we have when we open our hearts?  Is it not a ‘failure’ to deny ourselves the growth potential from this most dynamic of relationship which is the ‘love relationship’?  As the eminent spiritual author Jeff Brown so eloquently puts it “The real victory is growing through the experience, clarifying and healing our issues, converting the unresolved material into the transformation at its heart. Relational success is not a tangible outcome- it’s a process of awakening. If the experience grew you, if it prepared you for a more heartfelt and awakened life, it was a true victory.”

Many who share the belief that we manifest to us the people, situations and experiences most needed to facilitate emotional and spiritual growth, will be able to seek solace from this and keep it as an anchor amid the choppy seas of heartache and loss; a journey where emotional pain can so easily cloud the inner knowing of the heart and soul…….the heart and soul that is aligned with the ‘bigger picture’ surrounding what we have chosen to learn and comprehend through our life experiences.  Invariably we choose relationships in order to face and heal an aspect of our higher consciousness through the ‘mirror’ the other is holding up to us.

The mirror enables the possibility of attainment of the wisdom that is created though bringing that which is hidden from conscious awareness into the light of clarity.  Powerful stuff indeed!  The resonance that we invariably feel with our love partner is undeniably a powerful conduit for our unhealed aspects; often deeply hidden away or consciously unknown, to be understood, released and completed.  This is love; the appreciation and honouring of the divine perfection of the other, no matter the outward armour which invariably adorns the human vessel.

Our very being yearns for growth and self-realisation; to unlock our innate wisdom.  Our relationships serve as powerful vehicles to lead us to such awareness.  Some journeys last for a moment, others for a lifetime, but there is absolute perfection in each of them.  There is therefore no ‘failure’, no ‘mistake’ or reason to torture the self with such notions that serve only to add fuel to the damaging legacy society’s inference that relationships are meant to last a lifetime, can lead to.

No matter a person’s spiritual, philosophical or personal perspective, there can be no doubt that relationships represent a tremendously important aspect of human growth.  When embraced for the journey of mutual and individual exploration that love relationships inherently are, it is truly freeing and heart-warming to recognise that each relationship is akin to polishing one facet of a beautiful, multi-faceted diamond; enabling it to shine more brightly.

Understanding and awareness of relationships can lead to more conscious navigation and an honouring of the journey we embark on each time we open our hearts. From both a personal and professional aspect I have developed strategies that empower clients through these journeys of the heart and the therapies I offer create an integrative package, tailor made for each person.

Words by: Katja Leslie, Pathway Therapies, Crowborough
www.pathwaytherapies.co.uk