How Do I Love Thee?

Photo Credit: Becca Tapert

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight for the ends of being and ideal grace.” ~ Elizabeth Barret Browning

My last two blogs were explorations of the many definitions and perceptions we have on the nature of love. Despite my 2026 resolve to write my musings without ego deliberation, in the present moment, I’d planned today’s post to be a romantic fiction piece. I was wrong. That decision had me going in circles, the words landing on the page as uninspired drivel. I felt panicked when, at the end of yesterday’s writing session, I was still at a loss. Then I reminded myself that few humans care as much about my musings as I, and I let it go. I chose to trust and relax into the process. This morning, I awoke with inspiration, and the spark was then fuelled by the podcast I listened to, about discovering our true nature.  I smiled as I nodded along, seeing the connection between our true nature and true love. I knew what I wanted to write.

Valentine’s Day originated in 496 AD when Pope Gelasius I officially declared it a day to honour a martyred Roman Catholic priest. It became associated with romantic love much later, in the fourteenth century, influenced by poets like Geoffrey Chaucer. The commercialization of Valentine’s Day began in the nineteenth century, when Esther Howland initiated the trend of sending cards. These are significant shifts and encourage me to embrace how I’ve changed too.

As a young mother and a teacher, Valentine’s Day was about making cards and heart-shaped cookies and crafts. It was innocent, shallow, and perfect for where I was. When Mister came into my life, romantic love for a partner transformed into something much deeper than I’d known before. Ours is a complex interweaving of desire, attraction, appreciation, respect, and devotion. We express our love for one another in many ways, every day. It is unique to us, but it is rooted in what I believe to be a universal and eternal expression of true love, which is what I wish to write about in today’s musings.  I hope it gives you pause to ponder what true love means to you.

In her love poem, Elizabeth Barrett Browning opens with the question, “How do I love thee?” Indeed, the ways in which we express love are as varied and unique as every human who has ever lived. But this true love that I speak of is not of the human form. It doesn’t originate in our physical, mental, or emotional forms. It is a deeper love, from our soul’s centre. It is unconditional and unbending, without judgement or a need to fix, change or complete someone else. It has no expectations, narratives or stories. It is the love we feel when we perceive from our hearts. All actions informed by true love are kind, respectful, compassionate and forgiving.

I believe, and have shared my thoughts on this before, that there are two dimensions that aren’t parallel, but that intersect. The transcendent dimension is the realm of Divine Consciousness that is eternal and limitless; it is our being. The earthy dimension is the reality we experience through our sensory perceptions in our physical, mental, and emotional forms, it is our humanity. The intersection between the two dimensions is where we find awareness of our full identity as human beings. True love connects us to the deeper essence of ourselves and others, to the light of creation that shines through every living being. It is not superior or inferior—it simply is.

When we experience true love for ourselves and others, we are no longer attached to our outer forms. We aren’t in love with a perception of beauty or lack of thereof in the physical form. I don’t love Mister because of his magnetic blue eyes, or his intellect, or even his values. I appreciate those qualities, but what I love is something more. And so I come full circle, to the words of wisdom expressed back in the seventeenth century by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. “How do I love thee? I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.”

COMING UP…

Books & Projects:

·      In December 2025 I signed a contract with Austin Macauley Publishers for my manuscript, The Trials of Alex Anderson, a character-driven novel that explores the relationship between mental illness and trauma.  I am now on the road to publication, with an expected release date near the end of 2026. I’ll be posting regular updates here on  my blog and on social media, so stay tuned for exciting new developments.

·      The Rogue Scorpion is available online at Amazon, Chapters-Indigo, and Barnes & Noble. You can also find it at select Chapters-Indigo and El Hombre de la Mancha bookstores.

Reviews & Interviews:

·      You can read, listen, or watch a large selection of reviews and interviews on my website.

Events:

·      There are no events currently scheduled in my calendar.

YouTube Channel:

Watch The Rogue Scorpion trailer