LoVe

The emotional fog brought on by being on the brink of unity and love has rendered us all temporarily blind at some point in life. We may only have one term for it, but the ancient Greeks established eight different types of love that we have all experienced at some point.

1. “Eros” or Erotic Love

The first kind of love is Eros, which is named after the Greek god of love and fertility. Eros represents the idea of sexual passion and desire.

Eros was viewed as terrifying by the ancient Greeks because it implies a "loss of control" due to the want to reproduce. Romantic and sexual feelings are sparked by the passionate and intense form of love known as Eros.

In the hearts of the spiritually enlightened, Eros is an idealistic love that may be exploited through spiritual sex to "recall knowledge of beauty," as Socrates phrased it. However, eros can be mishandled, exploited, and indulged in, which can result in rash actions and broken hearts.

Eros is a strong flame that goes out quickly. It is concentrated on the self-centered parts of love, i.e., personal infatuation and physical pleasure, and needs one of the deeper kinds of love below to fan its flame.

2. “Philia” or Affectionate Love

Friendship, often known as philia, is the second kind of love. Because it was regarded as a love between equals, the ancient Greeks regarded philia significantly more than eros.

Plato believed that love may exist without physical attraction, which is why the word platonic is used to indicate "without physical attraction." Philia is a form of affection shared by friends who have been through difficult experiences together.

Philia is a "dispassionate virtuous love," according to Aristotle, that is devoid of the intensity of sexual attraction. It frequently entails feelings of togetherness among teammates, loyalty among friends, and willingness to make sacrifices for your pack.

3. “Storge” or Familiar Love

While storge and philia are both forms of love without physical attraction, storge is more about family and familiarity. Storge is a natural love that frequently exists between parents and their kids and between kids and their parents.

There can be lifelong affection even among childhood pals who remain close even as adults. Storge is a strong type of love, but it can also get in the way of our spiritual progress, particularly if our family or friends don't agree with or support our path.

4. “Ludus” or Playful Love

Despite having some sensual eros, ludus is much more than that. The Greeks defined ludus as a playful type of love, such as the adoration shared by youthful lovers.

In long-term partnerships, playfulness is a crucial component that is frequently lost. But being playful is one of the keys to maintaining your love's innocent, innocent innocence alive, fascinating, and thrilling.

5. “Mania” or Obsessive Love

Mania love refers to a sort of love that drives a lover insane and obsessed. When eros and ludus are not balanced, it happens.

Love itself serves as a means of self-rescue for those who are maniacs because it serves to reinforce their value as low self-esteem. Such a person needs to love and be loved for a sense of self-worth. Due to this, they may develop possessive and extremely jealous romantic tendencies and believe they "need" their partners more than anything else.

Many problems arise when one partner does not respond to the other with the same level of maniacal love. This is why codependency problems, for instance, are frequently a result of mania.

6. “Pragma” or Enduring Love

Pragma is a love that has grown over the years, more experienced, and more evolved. It has beyond the casual and the physical, and it is a special harmony that has developed over time.

Long-term friendships and married couples who have been together for a long period are examples of pragmatism. Regrettably, pragma is a kind of love that is hard to come by. We devote so much time and effort to seeking love, but so little to learn how to keep it.

Pragma, in contrast to the other forms of love, is the product of work on both sides. It is the love between those who have mastered compromise, exhibited tolerance and patience, and made the relationship work.

7. “Philautia” or Self Love

The Greeks recognized that self-care is a necessary prerequisite for providing for others. In contrast to narcissism, this type of self-love is not based on pathological self-importance and concern with one's own notoriety, success, and riches.

Instead, philautia is the healthiest type of self-love. It adheres to the Buddhist doctrine of "self-compassion," which is the profound realization that you cannot love others until you have the capacity to love yourself and feel at ease in your own skin. "All friendly feelings for others are an extension of a man's feelings for himself," as Aristotle phrased it.

What you lack, you cannot share. You cannot love anyone else if you do not first love yourself. Finding that self-eternal love is the only way to live a happy life. Learning to love oneself frequently entails accepting all the characteristics you consider to be "unlovable." This is where shadow work comes into play.

8. “Agape” or Selfless Love

Agape, or selfless, unconditional love, is regarded by the Greeks as the highest and most fundamental form of love.

This kind of love is not the sentimental display that is frequently mistaken for love in our culture. The conditional kind of love that our sex-obsessed culture tries to pass off as love has nothing to do with it.

Some refer to agape as spiritual love. It is a love that extends beyond ourselves and is unendingly compassionate and empathetic. It is the purest form of love since it is devoid of expectations and aspirations, and it accepts others despite their flaws and shortcomings.

Agape is the love that is felt for what we inherently understand to be the divine truth: the love that accepts, pardons, and believes in what is best for us.

We may benefit from all the numerous kinds of love in our life because of the ancient Greeks. These distinctions teach us that, as our relationships develop, we must also cultivate ludus, stay away from mania, and seek greater depths through philia in order to genuinely enjoy eros. We will discover pragma in our soulmate or twin flame connections through these efforts.

Finally, we can see how incredible our human hearts truly are through the power of philautia and agape. The only thing in the cosmos that gets bigger the more it gives to others is our hearts.