This week we are starting our journey into a 4-part series on The Brahmaviharas, aka the Four Virtues. They are Metta (unconditional loving kindness), Karuna (compassion), Mudita (empathetic joy), and Upekka (equanimity). When we awaken these four virtues, or “boundless abodes” in our life, we will live with greater grace and ease. We will be living in more alignment, and with a deeper connection to source.

We’ll start with taking a deep dive into Metta, or unconditional loving kindness.

Metta is a remembering of the love that we have within. It begins and ends with compassion and loving kindness for yourself. Metta can be received and also given; it is a never-ending circle of love flowing out into the universe, and then being welcomed back to you by your open and gentle heart.

We begin a Metta practice with the people in our lives that are easy to love, and we radiate love out to them. And then we continue to broaden that circle – sending Metta to friends, acquaintances, people we don’t know well, and even those that we have grudges or grievances with.

Sending love out to our loved ones is easy, but as we begin to filter down the ladder of our relationships and connections with those around us, we may find this practice becomes a bit more challenging. And this is where our Metta practice becomes a beautiful exploration.

We are conduits of energy and love. And when we can take that love and send it to someone who has caused us pain, or who we have continual strife with, or even just someone who is challenging to be around, we learn that the power of Metta is how it shares that loving energy right back to us. It’s impossible to feel the sting of a grudge or grievance when we are actively sending loving kindness to that person.

And then beyond the challenging people, we can radiate that loving kindness out to the whole planet – to people, places and animals that we will never see or interact with – and once we feel it radiating out, we can simultaneously feel it radiating back towards us.

As you venture into the upcoming holiday season, you may find even more opportunities to practice sharing Metta than you normally do. Embrace these opportunities, and see how it can shift you internally, even while in the midst of conflict.

Metta doesn’t need to be practiced as a meditation with our eyes closed – you can choose to do it anytime, anywhere, with anybody who is in your path. (I do it all the time when I get cut off by an aggressive driver on the road!)

Never forget the power of the heart, and of the kindness and love that is always available within.

You are beautiful and doing a great job! Don’t forget to LIKE & SUBSCRIBE to my channels to keep your ripple flowing in our community & support this content!!! Check out my Mind Shift membership too 🙂 Sending you expansive love, personal growth, and forgiveness. Be well.

Namaste. -davidji & Peaches the Buddha Princess