iamzintle: 5. “mania” (obsessive love) mania love is a type of love that leads a partner
iamzintle: 5. “mania” (obsessive love) mania love is a type of love that leads a partner into a type of madness and obsessiveness. it occurs when there is an imbalance between eros and ludus. to those who experience mania, love itself is a means of rescuing themselves; a reinforcement of their own value as the sufferer of poor self-esteem. this person wants to love and be loved to find a sense of self-value. because of this, they can become possessive and jealous lovers, feeling as though they desperately “need” their partners. if the other partner fails to reciprocate with the same kind of mania love, many issues prevail. this is why mania can often lead to issues such as codependency.its catalyst is survival instinct6. “pragma” (enduring love)pragma is a love that has aged, matured and developed over time. it is beyond the physical, it has transcended the casual, and it is a unique harmony that has formed over time. you can find pragma in married couples who’ve been together for a long time, or in friendships that have endured for decades. unfortunately pragma is a type of love that is not easily found. we spend so much time and energy trying to find love and so little time in learning how to maintain it. unlike the other types of love, pragma is the result of effort on both sides. it’s the love between people who’ve learned to make compromises, have demonstrated patience and tolerance to make the relationship work.its catalyst is etheric (unconscious)7. “philautia” (self love)the Greeks understood that in order to care for others, we must first learn to care for ourselves. this form of self-love is not the unhealthy vanity and self-obsession that is focused on personal fame, gain and fortune as is the case with Narcissism. instead, philautia is self-love in its healthiest form. it shares the Buddhist philosophy of “self-compassion” which is the deep understanding that only once you have the strength to love yourself and feel comfortable in your own skin, will you be able to provide love to others. as Aristotle put it, “all friendly feelings for others are an extension of a man’s feelings for himself.”you cannot share what you do not have. if you do not love yourself, you cannot love anyone else either. the only way to truly be happy is to find that unconditional love for yourself. only once you learn to love and understand yourself, will you be ready to search for the spiritual freedom of the Self.its love catalyst is soul8.“agape” (selfless love) the highest and most radical type of love according to the Greeks is agape, or selfless unconditional love. this type of love is not the sentimental outpouring that often passes as love in our society. it has nothing to do with the condition-based type of love that our sex-obsessed culture tries to pass as love. agape is what some call spiritual love. it is an unconditional love, bigger than ourselves, a boundless compassion, an infinite empathy. it is what the Buddhists describe as “mettā” or “universal loving kindness.” it is the purest form of love that is free from desires and expectations, and loves regardless of the flaws and shortcomings of others. agape is the love that is felt for that which we intuitively know as the divine truth: the love that accepts, forgives and believes for our greater good.its catalyst is spirit -- source link