Poemander

Love is not to be confused with affection, while affection too comes from love. However, the word 'love' is so misused that at this point it is practically impossible to ascribe a meaning to it and not to be misunderstood, yet, I'll give it a go.

Love is everything that exists. It is the most basic and the finest state of being, in short, it is the general principle of the Universe. As for the state of being, I would rather use the word 'contentment' because in this sense the word explains it clearer. The state of contentment is when everything is in place, nothing is lacking and nothing is excessive, it is a complete picture – no change is necessary; everything is in agreement and everything is balanced without the need to balance it. It is impossible not to be in love or be way from love as love is the essence that holds the world in place including ourselves. Existence springs from love because the intent to exist is born in love. In the state of non-being there too is love, only the intent is latent.

Love is not that which opposes hatred, all human emotions are born as the reactions to universal love. The opposite of love is fear with the main difference that fear is illusory and love is real. You may ask how can hatred, greed or jealousy be a product of love? Quite simple, those are the latencies, a pockets of undeveloped love which begets expansion, not stagnation. This happens because of attachments to the object of love rather then love itself. Object is transitory, but love is permanent.

You'll be surprised, but love dwells in selfishness, or more correctly, self-love, which is blown to the size of pure altruism. In love everything is self, far and near there are no strangers. Love between people is only the opening dimension, it is symbolic to bringing in the two halves into one whole together. Beyond this love doesn't stop it expands until everything is enveloped in one whole.

Love too is outside of time, it is always in present, therefore, always eternal. For anything that is totally in the present there is no account-keeping, thus the other meaning of love is “to keep no accounts”. What is given is given, no credits, no pre-planning. Whatever is taken is taken, no indebtedness, no afterthought.