By Dennis Merritt Jones, DD
Love Is Not Seasonal
“What you seek is seeking you. Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
— Rumi
February is often called the “month of love” because it invites us to say “I love you” more openly. Yet love itself is not bound to any season. It is we who narrow our awareness of its presence. Across centuries, poets, mystics, philosophers, and everyday people have tried to understand its mystery – where it comes from, why it heals, and why it can sometimes feel just out of reach. Still, the truth is both simple and profound: as a universal principle of life, genuine love is never scarce or withholding. What can feel limited, at times, is our willingness to offer it – or to receive it.
Many of us carry quiet beliefs, hidden in the softer shadows of the mind, suggesting we are unlovable, incapable of loving fully, or unworthy of love itself. These beliefs are not innate; we did not arrive in the world carrying them. They were learned, absorbed, or passed down – often without our consent. Over time, if left unquestioned, they can harden into inner walls that obscure our true nature. Beneath them, untouched and patient, lives the deeper self that arrived with us at birth – whole, radiant, and deeply able to love – waiting to be recognized and welcomed home.
The poet and mystic Rumi reminds us that love is not something we need to chase; it has been seeking us all along. Our task is not pursuit, but release – gently loosening the stories that send us searching “out there” for what already lives within. By design, we are vessels of love, divine conduits meant to give and receive it freely. When we slow down enough to remember this, love finds space to meet us, seeping into the quiet places of the heart and mind.
This Invitation Is Not Limited To Romantic Love
The ancient Greeks named different expressions of love: Eros, the spark of passion and intimacy; Philia, the steady warmth of friendship and belonging; and Agape, the boundless love flowing to and from the Divine. Each has its own texture, yet all arise from the same healing force. Regardless of our relationship status, we are always in relationship with ourselves – and with life itself. This makes every day an opportunity to practice love in action. When love feels like it is MIA, the most compassionate place to look is not outward, but inward, among the beliefs we hold
most closely.
Actualizing the Experience of Love
1. Step outside, if possible, and stand in the sunlight. Take a few slow, intentional breaths.
2. Feel the warmth of the sun offering itself freely, without judgment or condition.
Notice how it shines equally on flowers and weeds alike.
3. This is the nature of unconditional love. Imagine that same light as love, shining just as generously upon you. Can you receive it as easily as you receive the sun?
4. If it feels right, begin with yourself.
Meet your own gaze in a mirror with gentleness and sense that beneath the layers of self-judgment, love is already present – looking back at you.
The Takeaway: Mindfulness allows us, today and every day, to steep ourselves in the energy of love and let it move through us naturally. There is no shortage of love; we are already immersed in its essence. To pause, breathe, and simply “be” in love is not a small act – it is how we heal ourselves and, quietly, the world.
It all begins with the remembrance that love is not seasonal – it’s always a good day to love! Peace, Dennis Merritt Jones, DD