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Hi!
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To Giulia, my eternal rainbow
The joy of affection
Augusto d. mello
Prologue: The one you were looking for
Everyone one meets,
is the one one needs to meet.
A lesson, a good challenge, a love story,
a potential healer, someone to heal;
a priceless friend,
one to bestow a gift or have a gift bestowed from,
a guide or one to be guided.
Everyone one meets,
is the one one needs to meet.
Breathe deeply.
Be present.
The one who you were looking for
at this unique moment we call:
Now
is always
right next to you.
Interdependence
We are masters of cooperation,
beings of affection from the moment we are born;
who thrive, once warmly held and cared for,
and who struggle so much when affection is not present.
Affection creates strong emotional bonds
and a natural drive to cooperate.
Together
we laugh, cry, support and challenge one another;
and together we create!
We embrace our soft feet with shoes
and explore the wildest terrains of the world;
we fly with borrowed metallic wings
making the apparently impossible, possible.
Sharing affection in a safe environment is delicious;
it's delicious because it's our nature.
Look attentively with an open mind
and you might be surprised
of how common gentle affection is amongst us,
but in the news, that thrives in the unusual.
Without affection we would not survive,
let alone thrive
in this big, blue, beautiful ball,
we call Earth.
How valuable affection is
The value of affection
is the value of a gentle nod, a smile,
a caring and loving word,
the value of a good laugh,
a gentle touch of hands,
the value there is in forgiving others, and above all ourselves.
The value of allowing affection
to flourish in our hearts;
affection for all there is and all there isn't,
for all we are and all we are not.
It's the value of a big long cuddle
of a 5 year old child
as she covers us gently
with her favourite
blankey.
What affection is, how affection feels
Affection is better than chocolate.
Better than chocolate I assure you, it is.
Affection is a practice.
A practice that is easy, natural and sweet,
like a ripe mango off a tree
on the most beautiful afternoon
that may be.
How to practice affection
We are affection.
We just forgot that we are.
The heart of a new born baby
is the heart we were all born with.
Practicing affection is just
gently allowing ourselves to reconnect
with that heart of a new born baby,
whilst the mind matures
and our natural affectionate instincts
guide our actions.
Music
We are a fine tuned orchestra
of wondrous beauty,
capable of
playing a Cosmic Song
of pure happiness,
warmed up by
allowing affection in,
and played out beautifully
by allowing affection out
unconditionally.
Love, Affection's partner
If love was a light bulb
which can be bright, bringing fun and joy
to the darkest night;
affection would be electricity,
empowering, making sure it comes to life.
When together and together expressed,
they become pure bliss,
harmony and light.
However, at times, we expect one another
to fulfil our fantasies of what each other 'should be';
rather than celebrating and being surprised
by who we actually are.
Through our expectations, we can only see ourselves
and what we want.
An unconscious prison of mirrors.
In isolation, affection is not allowed in, or practiced.
Inevitably, the result is darkness and pain.
People who profoundly love one another,
profoundly hurt one another;
just because they haven't realised
that love without his partner, affection,
becomes bitter with loneliness.
Big cats
At times when we feel
threatened, hurt or challenged,
affection shrinks out of our hearts
and anger settles within.
We learnt in ancient times
that anger works well
to make us stronger for fighting;
it saved us in the past
from hungry big cats
with hungry big mouths
and hungry big teeth.
Now the big cats are in big natural reserves.
But we still get angry
if we feel threatened, hurt or challenged,
sometimes by the ones we love most.
Then many of us end up
acting as if we were facing
hungry big cats
of ancient times.
Dealing with anger
Humility
calms downs the mind, body and spirit.
When our heart gets hurt,
we fell threatened or challenged,
and anger comes, as it naturally does,
and it's okay to feel angry;
the angrier we get
the humbler we shall act,
the softer we ought to speak,
firm if necessary, but always kind.
Naturally, we will eventually realise
anger is just a cover up for emotional pain.
And it's okay to feel emotional pain.
We then might feel sadness,
And it's okay to be sad,
maybe we will experience fear,
And it's okay to be scared.
By embracing the reality of emotional pain
without struggle, defenceless;
the delusions brought up by anger start to dispel
and we start to gain real strength.
Rather than hardening, our heart softens
and the real healing process
has finally begun.
It's okay to be you
It's okay.
It's really okay.
It's okay to be okay or not.
And as much as it's okay to enjoy being okay,
it is equally okay to hate not to be okay.
Its really okay
to be you,
in all that you are,
in all you are not,
right here,
right now.
A powerful gift
Gently and kindly
empowering every breath you take
with affection towards oneself,
is one of the most
healing, powerful and wonderful
practices and gifts
you can give to yourself,
others and life itself.
Rainbow
If we turn our attention
defencelessly inwards
we might notice
that our inner and outer lives
radiate colours abundantly,
as a rainbow of infinite hues;
and what others can see
is just a glimpse
of who we are.
However, a tiny flash of pure light
is nonetheless as pure
as the light of a billion stars,
as pure as light always is.
Practising affection is
to embrace
and cherish
each other
by noticing and celebrating
the infinitely, exquisite
multicoloured light
we all share.
You are WOWSOME!
Whoever you are,
wherever you are,
whatever happened,
however you feel,
whatever your thoughts,
dreams and fantasies,
you are intense!!!
WOW!
You are WOWSOME !
Practicing affection is celebrating
each other's WOWSOMENESS!
Never be afraid to learn from the Masters
We live amongst masters of affection.
The ones that with a mere glimpse,
or the slightest touch
can instantly feed the “most starved of hearts”
with the pure nectar of affection.
They are unassuming and of pure humility.
One night, one of them skilfully taught me
what the ultimate practice of affection is.
It is simply, unconditionally allowing affection to guide us;
no agendas, no expectations, no judgments;
to the king or to the pauper
without distinction.
The master I met that night
rather than expecting me to kneel or bow,
showered me with pure, genuine affection.
Not concerned of who I was or was not.
I think he was homeless;
but that didn't matter to him,
It mattered perhaps only to the human
seated on the street smiling
holding the master's leash.
How to be affectionate to a cactus
Some people have had their hearts pricked.
More pricked than most.
And to avoid any more prickles
they protect their heart, guess what with?
Even more prickles; and that really hurts, themselves above all.
I affectionately call them cactus guys and gals.
I was once a cactus guy.
However, the more I practice affection
the more naturally affectionate I get.
And believe you me, as one gets more affectionate,
The cuddlier one gets as well
and the prickles start to fall as the heart gets softer.
It's just natural.
Affection and cuddles are the best remedy for 'cactusism'.
But how can a cactus be cuddled?
Mind you, cuddles can be done
not only with arms,
but with gentle hands and fingers between the prickles;
or cuddly words or cuddly actions or gestures.
Have you ever looked at someone
And felt cuddled by their eyes?
You see, we can cuddle with anything!
From head to toe.
I just love toe cuddling!
Affection in action
I was in a queue when a big angry guy
bounced in front of me with a hard push.
Naturally, anger set in within myself too,
how contagious it is!
But I’ve had decided to practice affection
and allowed myself to feel affection for him
even though he emotionally hurt me.
It felt different but not too difficult, really!
It actually was easy once I made the choice;
as anger and affection cannot coexist.
As I allowed affection to set in
the tension and anger gently melted away.
I looked at him affectionately, he looked really tired.
Following my instincts I reflected it:
- "It seems you had a hard day man", I gently said,
not trying 'to fix' him although it softened his emotions.
I just wanted to connect to someone I felt affection for.
He turned around and talked, and talked..
He was emotionally hurt, overworked and burned out.
I suggested him to take respite with the ones he loved most
and loved him back just the same.
We shook hands and he left peacefully.
Such a special moment which could had been so different.
It was incredibly healing for both of us.
How do I know how far I can go?
The more I live in affection
the happier I get,
the happier I naturally make others
without trying to make them happy.
The fresher the air feels as he cuddles me,
as I cuddle him back.
The water tastes delicious as she cuddles my tongue,
as I cuddle her back.
The more I see and feel the WOWSOMENESS
of this experience we call life,
as I naturally cuddle it
with all I am and am not
and feel life cuddling and embracing me back.
The more affectionate I get,
the more I see and connect
to my real essence
which resembles more and more
that long forgotten essence
of a newborn baby.
Pure Peace, pure Love, pure Joy.
Although the words
Love, and Peace and Joy
cannot describe
that which transcends concepts.
What next?
Affection is an ongoing practice;
a practice of allowing affection to take over;
followed by following our instincts.
As I practice affection regularly
it starts to become second nature.
As I practice more,
naturally it will grow simply into nature.
In time I am realising
my heart never actually grew older,
apart than in the deliriums of my mind.
We can choose now to be beings of affection
just by allowing affection to spurt like a fountain
of pure nectar,
always delicious, caring and fresh,
coloured by the infinite rainbow hues that we are.
Together we can gently heal one another
the end of emotional starvation.
And finally, feeling safe, accepted and celebrated,
we might realise ourselves
as manifestations of love unbounded,
enjoying every day more of the purest
Joy of Affection.
Everyone one meets,
is the one one needs to meet.
A lesson, a good challenge, a love story,
a potential healer, someone to heal;
a priceless friend,
one to bestow a gift or have a gift bestowed from,
a guide or one to be guided.
Everyone one meets,
is the one one needs to meet.
Breathe deeply.
Be present.
The one who you were looking for
at this unique moment we call:
Now
is always
right next to you.
Interdependence
We are masters of cooperation,
beings of affection from the moment we are born;
who thrive, once warmly held and cared for,
and who struggle so much when affection is not present.
Affection creates strong emotional bonds
and a natural drive to cooperate.
Together
we laugh, cry, support and challenge one another;
and together we create!
We embrace our soft feet with shoes
and explore the wildest terrains of the world;
we fly with borrowed metallic wings
making the apparently impossible, possible.
Sharing affection in a safe environment is delicious;
it's delicious because it's our nature.
Look attentively with an open mind
and you might be surprised
of how common gentle affection is amongst us,
but in the news, that thrives in the unusual.
Without affection we would not survive,
let alone thrive
in this big, blue, beautiful ball,
we call Earth.
How valuable affection is
The value of affection
is the value of a gentle nod, a smile,
a caring and loving word,
the value of a good laugh,
a gentle touch of hands,
the value there is in forgiving others, and above all ourselves.
The value of allowing affection
to flourish in our hearts;
affection for all there is and all there isn't,
for all we are and all we are not.
It's the value of a big long cuddle
of a 5 year old child
as she covers us gently
with her favourite
blankey.
What affection is, how affection feels
Affection is better than chocolate.
Better than chocolate I assure you, it is.
Affection is a practice.
A practice that is easy, natural and sweet,
like a ripe mango off a tree
on the most beautiful afternoon
that may be.
How to practice affection
We are affection.
We just forgot that we are.
The heart of a new born baby
is the heart we were all born with.
Practicing affection is just
gently allowing ourselves to reconnect
with that heart of a new born baby,
whilst the mind matures
and our natural affectionate instincts
guide our actions.
Music
We are a fine tuned orchestra
of wondrous beauty,
capable of
playing a Cosmic Song
of pure happiness,
warmed up by
allowing affection in,
and played out beautifully
by allowing affection out
unconditionally.
Love, Affection's partner
If love was a light bulb
which can be bright, bringing fun and joy
to the darkest night;
affection would be electricity,
empowering, making sure it comes to life.
When together and together expressed,
they become pure bliss,
harmony and light.
However, at times, we expect one another
to fulfil our fantasies of what each other 'should be';
rather than celebrating and being surprised
by who we actually are.
Through our expectations, we can only see ourselves
and what we want.
An unconscious prison of mirrors.
In isolation, affection is not allowed in, or practiced.
Inevitably, the result is darkness and pain.
People who profoundly love one another,
profoundly hurt one another;
just because they haven't realised
that love without his partner, affection,
becomes bitter with loneliness.
Big cats
At times when we feel
threatened, hurt or challenged,
affection shrinks out of our hearts
and anger settles within.
We learnt in ancient times
that anger works well
to make us stronger for fighting;
it saved us in the past
from hungry big cats
with hungry big mouths
and hungry big teeth.
Now the big cats are in big natural reserves.
But we still get angry
if we feel threatened, hurt or challenged,
sometimes by the ones we love most.
Then many of us end up
acting as if we were facing
hungry big cats
of ancient times.
Dealing with anger
Humility
calms downs the mind, body and spirit.
When our heart gets hurt,
we fell threatened or challenged,
and anger comes, as it naturally does,
and it's okay to feel angry;
the angrier we get
the humbler we shall act,
the softer we ought to speak,
firm if necessary, but always kind.
Naturally, we will eventually realise
anger is just a cover up for emotional pain.
And it's okay to feel emotional pain.
We then might feel sadness,
And it's okay to be sad,
maybe we will experience fear,
And it's okay to be scared.
By embracing the reality of emotional pain
without struggle, defenceless;
the delusions brought up by anger start to dispel
and we start to gain real strength.
Rather than hardening, our heart softens
and the real healing process
has finally begun.
It's okay to be you
It's okay.
It's really okay.
It's okay to be okay or not.
And as much as it's okay to enjoy being okay,
it is equally okay to hate not to be okay.
Its really okay
to be you,
in all that you are,
in all you are not,
right here,
right now.
A powerful gift
Gently and kindly
empowering every breath you take
with affection towards oneself,
is one of the most
healing, powerful and wonderful
practices and gifts
you can give to yourself,
others and life itself.
Rainbow
If we turn our attention
defencelessly inwards
we might notice
that our inner and outer lives
radiate colours abundantly,
as a rainbow of infinite hues;
and what others can see
is just a glimpse
of who we are.
However, a tiny flash of pure light
is nonetheless as pure
as the light of a billion stars,
as pure as light always is.
Practising affection is
to embrace
and cherish
each other
by noticing and celebrating
the infinitely, exquisite
multicoloured light
we all share.
You are WOWSOME!
Whoever you are,
wherever you are,
whatever happened,
however you feel,
whatever your thoughts,
dreams and fantasies,
you are intense!!!
WOW!
You are WOWSOME !
Practicing affection is celebrating
each other's WOWSOMENESS!
Never be afraid to learn from the Masters
We live amongst masters of affection.
The ones that with a mere glimpse,
or the slightest touch
can instantly feed the “most starved of hearts”
with the pure nectar of affection.
They are unassuming and of pure humility.
One night, one of them skilfully taught me
what the ultimate practice of affection is.
It is simply, unconditionally allowing affection to guide us;
no agendas, no expectations, no judgments;
to the king or to the pauper
without distinction.
The master I met that night
rather than expecting me to kneel or bow,
showered me with pure, genuine affection.
Not concerned of who I was or was not.
I think he was homeless;
but that didn't matter to him,
It mattered perhaps only to the human
seated on the street smiling
holding the master's leash.
How to be affectionate to a cactus
Some people have had their hearts pricked.
More pricked than most.
And to avoid any more prickles
they protect their heart, guess what with?
Even more prickles; and that really hurts, themselves above all.
I affectionately call them cactus guys and gals.
I was once a cactus guy.
However, the more I practice affection
the more naturally affectionate I get.
And believe you me, as one gets more affectionate,
The cuddlier one gets as well
and the prickles start to fall as the heart gets softer.
It's just natural.
Affection and cuddles are the best remedy for 'cactusism'.
But how can a cactus be cuddled?
Mind you, cuddles can be done
not only with arms,
but with gentle hands and fingers between the prickles;
or cuddly words or cuddly actions or gestures.
Have you ever looked at someone
And felt cuddled by their eyes?
You see, we can cuddle with anything!
From head to toe.
I just love toe cuddling!
Affection in action
I was in a queue when a big angry guy
bounced in front of me with a hard push.
Naturally, anger set in within myself too,
how contagious it is!
But I’ve had decided to practice affection
and allowed myself to feel affection for him
even though he emotionally hurt me.
It felt different but not too difficult, really!
It actually was easy once I made the choice;
as anger and affection cannot coexist.
As I allowed affection to set in
the tension and anger gently melted away.
I looked at him affectionately, he looked really tired.
Following my instincts I reflected it:
- "It seems you had a hard day man", I gently said,
not trying 'to fix' him although it softened his emotions.
I just wanted to connect to someone I felt affection for.
He turned around and talked, and talked..
He was emotionally hurt, overworked and burned out.
I suggested him to take respite with the ones he loved most
and loved him back just the same.
We shook hands and he left peacefully.
Such a special moment which could had been so different.
It was incredibly healing for both of us.
How do I know how far I can go?
The more I live in affection
the happier I get,
the happier I naturally make others
without trying to make them happy.
The fresher the air feels as he cuddles me,
as I cuddle him back.
The water tastes delicious as she cuddles my tongue,
as I cuddle her back.
The more I see and feel the WOWSOMENESS
of this experience we call life,
as I naturally cuddle it
with all I am and am not
and feel life cuddling and embracing me back.
The more affectionate I get,
the more I see and connect
to my real essence
which resembles more and more
that long forgotten essence
of a newborn baby.
Pure Peace, pure Love, pure Joy.
Although the words
Love, and Peace and Joy
cannot describe
that which transcends concepts.
What next?
Affection is an ongoing practice;
a practice of allowing affection to take over;
followed by following our instincts.
As I practice affection regularly
it starts to become second nature.
As I practice more,
naturally it will grow simply into nature.
In time I am realising
my heart never actually grew older,
apart than in the deliriums of my mind.
We can choose now to be beings of affection
just by allowing affection to spurt like a fountain
of pure nectar,
always delicious, caring and fresh,
coloured by the infinite rainbow hues that we are.
Together we can gently heal one another
the end of emotional starvation.
And finally, feeling safe, accepted and celebrated,
we might realise ourselves
as manifestations of love unbounded,
enjoying every day more of the purest
Joy of Affection.
ABOUT ME |
May your life be full of happiness, joy, peace of mind, laughter and many, many warm cuddles!
Augusto :) |