Love expressed by the soul is unconditional, unlike love expressed by the self which is conditional. Love from soul is gold, while love from the self is fool's gold. A simple acid test can determine whether love comes from the soul or the self. The test is how do we feel when someone we love engages sexually with someone else. If our love is from the soul, we are happy for them and for whomever they were intimate, as how can we not be happy with the thought of people enjoying themselves. If our love issues from the self, we are angry, jealous, sad or have other unpleasant states of mind....

Love is love. From where it issues is of little immediate matter as love is love. However, over time, love that flows from the self is temporary; at times running dry as it transitions into other emotional expressions. Love that flows from the soul is eternal, as the only emotional expression of the soul is love. Moreover, love from the self is conditional, while love from the soul is unconditional. Love from the self is proclaimed with "I love you." Love from the soul is expressed as "We love you." "We" are the gods. Those who don't recognize everyone is god cannot love unconditionally....

"I am what I am." -- God, Exodus 3:14, The Bible   One day, as Moses was tending his flock he encountered a "burning bush" whose flames were not devouring its branches. The burning bush was the manifestation of God; everchanging and eternal. When Moses asked God: "What is your name?",  God said (depending on translation): "I am who I am" or "I will be what I will be". In the now, God is a "who". In the time after (and presumably before) the now, God is a "what". Encapsulating all times, we can paraphrase God: "I am what I am".   In the now, God is a nameless "who", implying God is not one person/thing or another but every thing. As "what", God is an unspecified transcendental potential of infinite manifestations. God also self-identifies as "I am"; implying God is being, not a being. God is flow of the Everything.   IAWIA Acronyms: "I WHY" (IA-WIA, first vowel pronounced and second vowel silent). "A-WAY" (first vowel silent and second vowel pronounced).   I WHY Why do I exist? Or, more broadly, why does the universe exist? Reasons/explanations imply cause and effect which in turn imply the universe is comprised of many independent things. However, all things are interdependent, as the "universe" is "all things turned into one". Reasons/explanations are as illusionary as the independence of things. Simply, the universe just is.   A WAY The written word for God is YHWH which may be pronounced as "A WAY". "A WAY" can be likened to the Tao ("the Way"). As the Way, YHWH is the underlying natural order of the universe, an eternal and ineffable force that flows through all things. YHWH is a nameless cosmic force that binds and releases all things; the energy of action and existence. Aligning oneself with the "A WAY", one realizes harmony and balance; as all the pieces of the universe come together as one peace....

Religions are like sheep. Their wool warms and protects us. Their bodies provide us sustenance. But, beware of wolves in sheep's clothing. They may make us feel comfortable and safe, but their only interest is to sustain themselves....

There is a nameless place; before time begins; before we are born; before things become the now; a place of infinite possibilities. While no one ever speaks badly of this nameless place, we often curse people and things that come from it. By doing so, we are not encouraging that place to send us something we will cherish....

We don't need to worry about the future as that will be what it will be. However, we need to worry about the past, what we remember and how we remember it, as that will frame how we experience the present....

The luckiest are those who recognize they have been lucky, for they will recognize other lucky opportunities that come their way.  ...

"Art as Experience." We experience art suddenly, through our eyes ("wow, oh, hmmm"); and slowly, with our mind (words, thoughts and comparisons). It's a unique experience for each of us and a unique experience from one moment to the next; otherwise, our eyes are closed....