Welcome,
Beautiful soul.
I am Gabriella,
And this is the second talk in a series of talks on relationships.
Today we'll explore the space between love and longing.
That electric,
Intoxicating feeling known as limerence.
Perhaps you've felt it before,
The butterflies,
The obsession,
The highs and lows that sweep you off your feet.
But behind it often lies something deeper,
An unmet longing for connection,
Safety and self-worth.
Before we begin,
Gently close down your eyes.
Take a deep breath through the nose,
And exhale slowly through the mouth.
Let your body soften into this moment.
Limerence is that all-consuming infatuation when another person becomes the mirror through which you seek to find yourself.
It's not bad or wrong,
It's simply an invitation,
A portal into your own heart.
When we fall into limerence,
We're often meeting an unmet part of ourselves,
The part that longs to be seen,
Held,
Chosen.
The fantasy of the other becomes a projection of our own unloved essence.
Take a slow breath in,
And exhale gently.
Notice where you might still be chasing love outside of yourself.
We'll take a few grounded breaths to bring your energy back home.
Inhale deeply through the nose for the count of four.
Hold for two.
Exhale through the mouth for six.
And repeat this three times,
Inhaling for the count of four.
Hold for two.
Exhaling out the mouth for the count of six.
And one more time,
Inhaling for the count of four.
Hold for two.
And exhaling for the count of six through the mouth.
As you breathe,
Imagine drawing your energy back from all the people,
Places and fantasies you've scattered across time and space.
Feel yourself returning to your centre,
To your body,
To your heart.
Calling your energy back to you in this moment.
Now ask yourself softly,
What do I believe this person gives me that I don't already have within?
What am I truly longing for?
Attention?
Safety?
Validation?
Intimacy?
How can I begin to give that to myself today?
Taking a moment to let any answers rise gently to the surface.
There's no need to judge or analyse right now.
Just be a witness with compassion in your heart.
You might feel a wave of emotion,
Grief,
Tenderness or even relief.
Let that be okay.
You're meeting the truth of your own heart.
Limerence asks us to grow,
To shift from fantasy to embodiment.
True love isn't a chase,
It's a homecoming.
When you anchor into your own heart,
Relationships stop being about grasping or needing and become more about sharing and building something that's equal and fair and reciprocal in nature.
Breathe into your heart now.
Imagine a soft rose blooming there.
Warm,
Radiant and whole.
You are already the love you seek.
As you gently return to your day,
Remember this final thought.
Every moment of longing is simply your soul whispering,
Come home.
May you walk with tenderness,
With truth and with a love that begins within.
