The Mastery of Love

About six weeks ago, I finally read The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz.
My friend, sister of all things soulful, and succulent wild woman Anna recommended it to me. After seeing it on her coffee table for years, I cannot believe I have gone so long without reading it.
In all fairness, It is not anything I didn't know before. However the grace with which it is shared, and the fact that it is compounded into 100 or so pages makes it especially profound.
Ruiz is a member of a Toltec mystical tradition and was guided to share these teachings with the world.
The main themes are a focus on the duality of love and fear, which is something I have believed for a long time is the best way to view and understand our actions and our hearts.
Additionally, Ruiz makes the statement that we are ALL dreamers and artists. Though some of us may not realize it, or realities are our own doing and are a product of our thoughts. This doesn't encourage an overemphasis on control, or false arrogant notion that we can determine every aspect of life's course. Control is fear based.
Rather, this truth empowers the individual to live as the creator, the creation and the medium. Something, which in claiming my identity as an actress, has been quite inspiring.
In seeing our life as a dream which we paint with our views, thoughts, loves, joys, and sorrows, we are free to Create happiness and nourish the seeds of our buddhahood with the wisdom that they can grow into an infinite and unshakable buddhaheart.
This notion has been very meaningful for me of late. I am in the process of claiming my identity as an artist and creator. Along spiritual lines, but also incorporating external creativity as a strengthening manifestation of this. Artistry is something I have denied until now, and I finally realize that it because I didn't love myself enough, i didn't believe that anything I could create would be of value. What a waste low self esteem is, yet is is apart of my journey and I honor the knowledge.
Ruiz also introduces the concept that we are all innately perfect. Again something which has been discovered before, however what I loved is that he put it in the framework that we are all masters, and sometime masters of things which may seem negative. For example, in my life, I undoubtedly mastered self hatred. One can master anger, resentment, loneliness. And though we see those things as so negative, mastery of them is no less perfect, because one must master all of them before we can master Love, as the highest. Enlightenment, I believe could be seen as the mastery of love.
They say that there are something like 37 stages of bodhisattvahood. Perhaps each is a mastery of some of the good stuff. Self love, kindness, affection, grace, strength.
Right now I am practicing being a master of forgiveness. For something that is seen as so hard, I'm surprised at how easily it has come. I'm not there yet, so I'll tell you how it goes.

May you be a master of love and sweetness in your life,
Janey