*”The deeper a relationship becomes and the longer it exists, the more death enters and becomes a part of it. We may enter a partnership with the hope that it will fulfill us and end our need or loneliness. The reality, however, is that it inevitably leads to death. Even when love flourishes in a […]
According to Bert Hellinger, the creator of Family Constellations, jealousy is a feeling whose roots may lie deep within family history, often having nothing to do with the personality of the one experiencing it. If there is a connection, it is simply that this individual was born into a specific family system and has inherited […]
*”True love accepts and desires the other exactly as they are. This touches something very deep and allows love to flourish. When a woman treats her husband like a child, trying to change him or acting as if she knows what is best for him, he often takes a mistress. His mistress is his true […]
“When a wrong is committed against someone, they suffer helplessly. The more helpless the victim, the more severely we judge the offender. But the injured partner is rarely completely helpless after the harm has been done. They usually have the opportunity to act—either to end the relationship or to demand atonement from their partner, […]
According to Bert Hellinger, the creator of Family Constellations: *“In all our various relationships, our basic needs interact in complex ways: The need to belong, which is about bonding. The need to maintain a balance between giving and taking, which is about equilibrium. The need for the safety of social convention and predictability, which is […]
“Throughout long periods of my life and during numerous crises, I felt intense irritation. I couldn’t understand why people saw neither me nor the truth… I thought they were blind. But that was a lesson for me. Their blindness reflected something in me. I thought I had to become stronger and grow up, but that […]
According to Stephen Covey, interdependence is the pinnacle of human maturity and the foundation for a life successfully lived. This is because maturity is a continuum that begins with dependence, moves through independence, and arrives at interdependence.
“*The most important factor to bear in mind when we try to understand a relationship is the sad fact that people lie. They lie to themselves, to their family and friends, to their spouse and beloved, and often even to their God! They often see themselves, as well as the relationship they are in, through […]
“We must understand that evolution is achieved through conflict. Criticism, dispute, differences in opinions and ideas are catalysts. The essence of harmony does not mean the blissful ideal we imagine to exist in the ‘perfect relationship.’ Bliss is not growth. It comes at times, as a result of struggle. Harmony can coexist with the contradiction […]
Below is a translation of a discourse by Osho on human relationships, which comments on the seemingly paradoxical question of whether it is better to be alone or with someone else, if in both cases we are unhappy. The Question: I am afraid of loneliness. At the moment I am not in a relationship—something I […]
“Love allows our loved ones to be perfectly themselves, and not to be twisted to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.” Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island If this is your lesson from the “Lessons of Love,” look at it as an occasion to […]
“When we speak, the key to communication is not what we say but the attitude behind what we say. And because there is only one mind, we are all communicating telepathically all the time. Every time we choose whether to join or to separate, the person we’re talking to feels our choice regardless of our […]
