This month we look at the meaning of love and what it means to love. Since this month is also the home of Valentine's Day, the holiday devoted to the idea of love, we thought we would look a bit closer at its relevance in our own lives.

The history of Valentine's Day is a bit sordid; it seems that its past is interwoven between the killing of various Christian martyrs named Valentine and a Roman fertility festival that would take place in the month of February. Then somehow these two ideas became linked to the idea of romance and the celebration of love, and thus began the mass production of embossed laced cards called Valentines.

It became, at least in the United States, that you would celebrate Valentine's Day by giving cards and presents to those you cared about. So in other words, Valentine's day is the celebration of the special relationship, as A Course in Miracles calls it, which is really the celebration of the guilt. Is it all starting to make sense now? You forget Valentine's day, you’re in trouble, you remember but not in the right way, you’re in trouble. The Course states, “In looking at the special relationship, it is necessary first to realize that it involves a great amount of pain. Anxiety, despair, guilt and attack all enter into it, broken into by periods in which they seem to be gone. All these must be understood for what they are. Whatever form they take, they are always an attack on the self to make the other guilty.”

Now knowing that the whole point of a special relationship is guilt and therefore has nothing to do with love, we can use Valentine's Day and any day to celebrate awakening to freedom. This doesn’t mean that we don’t have partners or the like, but it does mean that we don’t look to them for our happiness or to validate some form of human identity. We are now given the opportunity to offer and extend true love- to everyone, to God, to Our-One-Self. We are now free to turn to God for our happiness and identity.

The Course states, “This year is thus the time to make the easiest decision that ever confronted you, and also the only one. You will cross the bridge into reality simply because you will recognize that God is on the other side, and nothing at all is here. It is impossible not to make the natural decision as this is realized.” So let us now not put any more idols in front of God. This month, today, this instant, we can let go of all of our ideas and walk straight into the Light. The only thing we will lose is any idea of loss.

Take care this day and enjoy all the articles about letting go and depending entirely on our Creator. Meaning: depending entirely on love.

Updates:
Online 12step and Course Conference: We want to remind you of our Online Course in Miracles and 12 Step Conferences. It’s always a one day conference taking place on the first Saturday of every month. This month we had it on Saturday February 2nd and it is a real thrill to have Sara, Martina and Mariella join us. You can always get a CD of these advents if you email us. Please mark your calendars for the next Online Advent on Saturday March 1st at 10am Central Standard Time to 1:00pm. The event will take place at meetings.12stepmiracle.com. Look at our home page for more information about the upcoming conference.