The post Death – You Gotta Love It: Rethinking the Greatest Mystery of All first appeared on My Love Link - Love.
]]>Death – You Gotta Love It
Rethinking the Greatest Mystery of All
By Tony Ærcyus Christie
(www.tonymchristie.com)
Death. It is the one certainty every human being shares, yet it remains the one subject most of us avoid. We whisper it, we soften it, we replace it with gentler phrases — passing, crossing over, no longer with us. And yet, beneath the language, the truth remains unchanged: we do not understand death, and because we do not understand it, we fear it.
In Death -You Gotta Love It, Tony Ærcyus Christie invites readers into a radically different relationship with this most misunderstood of human experiences. Rather than treating death as an ending, a tragedy, or something to be resisted at all costs, Christie reframes it as something far more profound — a transition, a continuation, and even, astonishingly, a gift.
This is not a book about dying.
It is a book about living — and how our perception of death shapes every moment of our lives.
From the very first pages, Christie challenges the deeply ingrained cultural narratives that have conditioned us to see death as dark, final, and fearful. In a striking and unexpected opening, death itself is given a voice — not as a grim reaper cloaked in shadow, but as a compassionate presence, misunderstood and misrepresented by human imagination. It is a bold literary choice, and one that immediately signals the book’s central mission: to dismantle fear and replace it with understanding.
At the heart of Christie’s philosophy is a simple yet transformative idea: life and death are not opposites. They are part of the same continuum. Birth is not the beginning, and death is not the end. Instead, both are gateways — points of transition in an ongoing journey of consciousness.
This perspective invites the reader to consider a deeper question: what if we are not merely physical beings moving toward an inevitable end, but conscious entities temporarily inhabiting a physical form? If that is the case, then death is not something that happens to us, but something we move through.
Throughout the book, Christie explores this concept with a blend of spiritual insight, philosophical reflection, and accessible language. He draws on ideas that will resonate with readers of metaphysical and mind-body-spirit literature — including the nature of consciousness, the possibility of life beyond the body, and the notion that our existence may extend far beyond a single lifetime.
Yet what sets Death – You Gotta Love It apart is not simply its exploration of these ideas, but its practical application. This is not abstract theory. It is a guide — a framework for transforming how we relate to death in a way that profoundly alters how we live.
Central to this transformation is Christie’s concept of the “Five Stages of Loving Death”: Allowance, Peace, Gratitude, Love, and Celebration. Moving beyond the traditional models of grief and acceptance, these stages offer a pathway from fear to empowerment. They invite us not merely to accept death as inevitable, but to integrate it into our understanding of life in a way that enriches our experience of both.
Allowance begins with openness — the willingness to face death without denial or resistance. From there, a sense of Peace emerges, as the mind begins to quiet its anxieties and confront mortality with clarity. Gratitude follows, bringing with it a deep appreciation for the finite nature of life and the preciousness of each moment. Love then transforms our relationship with death entirely, allowing us to see it not as an enemy, but as a companion in our journey. And finally, Celebration represents the ultimate shift — an embrace of death as an integral and meaningful part of existence.
This progression is both gentle and profound, offering readers a way to move beyond fear without dismissing the very real emotions that death evokes. It acknowledges grief, uncertainty, and the unknown, while simultaneously providing a new lens through which to view them.
One of the most compelling aspects of the book is its exploration of fear itself. Christie argues that much of our fear of death is not rooted in the reality of death, but in the stories we have been told about it. Cultural conditioning, media portrayals, and inherited beliefs all contribute to a collective anxiety that is rarely questioned.
By bringing these fears into the open, Death -You Gotta Love It encourages readers to examine their own beliefs and consider whether they are truly aligned with their deeper understanding of life. In doing so, it opens the door to a more conscious and intentional way of being.
The book also delves into the idea that understanding death can enhance our experience of life. When we are no longer driven by the fear of an ending, we are free to engage more fully with the present moment. We become less attached to outcomes, less burdened by anxiety, and more open to the richness of experience.
In this sense, death becomes a teacher — one that guides us toward greater authenticity, presence, and connection. It reminds us that time is not infinite, and that this very limitation is what gives life its meaning.
Christie’s writing is both compassionate and thought-provoking, striking a careful balance between challenging the reader and offering reassurance. He does not claim to have all the answers, nor does he impose a single belief system. Instead, he invites exploration — encouraging readers to question, reflect, and ultimately arrive at their own understanding.
For those who have experienced loss, the book offers comfort without sentimentality. It acknowledges the pain of grief while gently suggesting that what we perceive as loss may, in a broader context, be transformation. For those who fear death, it provides a pathway toward easing that fear through knowledge and perspective. And for those who are simply curious about the nature of existence, it offers a compelling and accessible entry point into some of life’s most profound questions.
What makes Death -You Gotta Love It particularly relevant today is its challenge to a society that often avoids conversations about mortality altogether. In a world driven by distraction and the pursuit of permanence — youth, success, accumulation — death is frequently treated as an inconvenience, something to be postponed or ignored.
Christie argues that this avoidance does not protect us; it diminishes us. By refusing to engage with the reality of death, we lose an opportunity to deepen our understanding of life. We remain disconnected from one of the most fundamental aspects of our existence.
This book seeks to change that. It invites readers to bring death back into the conversation — not as something morbid or depressing, but as something natural, meaningful, and even beautiful.
Ultimately, Death -You Gotta Love It is not about convincing the reader of a particular belief. It is about offering a new way of seeing — one that has the potential to transform not only how we approach death, but how we experience life itself.
It asks us to consider a possibility that may feel both unsettling and liberating: that death is not the end of the story, but the continuation of it in a form we have yet to fully understand.
And in that possibility lies a profound shift.
Because if death is not something to fear, then what becomes possible in life?
For readers willing to explore that question, this book offers not just answers, but a journey — one that begins with curiosity and may end, quite unexpectedly, in love and peace.
Death – You Gotta Love It: Choosing Love over Fear in Life’s Greatest Transition by Tony Ærcyus Christie is available from wherever books are sold. Pre-order today for an August 1st, 2026, release.
BOOK LINK: https://amzn.to/3OFjc8C
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]]>The post St. Catherine of Siena’s Love for the Eucharist first appeared on My Love Link - Love.
]]>A Reflection from “How to Be His” by Fr. Ignatius Schweitzer and Fr. Jesse Maingot with Dan Burke
And we are put on earth a little space,
That we may learn to bear the beams of love.—William Blake
St. Catherine of Siena envisions the Eucharist as a bright, burning Sun in our midst, blazing with an intensity beyond the sun in the sky. Ponder this as you come before our Eucharistic Lord in the chapel. It is a bit of a miracle that you are not scorched and burned up coming so close to the divine Sun. It is the gift of the veil of faith in this life that William Blake’s words above so eloquently capture. The God of all majesty became a little baby and a little Host for us, that we might draw near to Him and grow in intimate love of Him through the veil of faith before He is manifested in full splendor in Heaven and we are blessedly consumed by those blazing beams of love for all eternity.
God is a blazing fire for St. Catherine. It is not hard therefore to understand why she resorts to the image of the sun to describe the Trinity. She sees the sun’s brightness as a metaphor for the Father, while the sun’s color suggests something of the Son, and the sun’s heat corresponds to the Holy Spirit. Like all images of the Trinity, the image is limited and inexact, but St. Catherine uses it to grapple with the mystery of God as three-in-one. God draws close to us in Jesus and the Eucharist so that we now have the bright, shining sun blazing forth in the chapel with us. Catherine hears God the Father say of Jesus, “His body is indeed a sun, for it is one thing with me, the true Sun.”
In contemplative prayer in the presence of the Eucharist, we open our souls to the sun like spring flowers to receive life, light, and the warmth of love from this sun. Catherine hears from God that we ourselves then take on the qualities of the sun: “I told you that those who were perfect took on the qualities of the sun. They gave the light and warmth of loving charity to their neighbors, and because of this warmth they bore fruit and caused virtue to spring up in the souls of their subjects.” We come into the presence of the Sun, soaking in God’s rays of love, and we leave the chapel, as is commonly said, sunburned. Drawing close to the Sun, we are also made bright, full of light, and burning with charity.
The Sienese saint sees in the Eucharistic heart of Jesus a most sublime glory. A few days ago we explored the gaze of Jesus on us with St. Manuel. St. Catherine helps us, however, develop an awareness of the potential of our own gaze. How do we best gaze upon the Lord in the Eucharist? St. Catherine guides us forward. Catherine says in a letter, “Contemplate the truth in the abyss of divine charity.” Try to see everything more in the light of God’s love. Over time we can come to see God’s love smiling through all things. We grow in this as we gaze upon our Eucharistic Lord. Catherine gives this a more personalist tenor in another letter: “Gaze into the eye of the divine charity with which God looked on his creatures before he created us. And so He still looks on us…. I want you to be engulfed and set on fire in Him, constantly gazing into the gentle eye of His charity, for then you will love what He loves, and hate what he hates.”
We gaze into the eye of divine charity precisely as we gaze with faith upon the person of Jesus in the Eucharist. We look into the eyes of our Lord, and we see His love burning for us and for others. These are the eyes of Jesus that John the Beloved gazed into and described as “like a flame of fire” (Rev. 1:14). And these are the same eyes we get to gaze into as we perceive the personal presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Gazing into the gentle eye of His charity, we will begin to see and love like He does. The Eucharist is like a blazing sun, an immense fire of love, not simply as an abstract reality but as the personal presence of Jesus with His gaze full of a personal love for us.
It is as if God continues to plead with us through St. Catherine: “O dearest daughter, open wide your mind’s eye and look into the abyss of my charity. There is not a person whose heart would not melt in love to see, among all the other blessings I have given you, the blessing you receive in this sacrament. And how, dearest daughter, should you and others look upon this mystery and touch it?” Catherine is introducing us here to what we could call a spirituality of the Eucharistic gaze. How do we do it? What is it like to gaze into the eyes of Jesus in the Eucharist, into the eyes of divine love?
Catherine notes that with our bodily eyes we just see simple bread, but the eyes of faith look more deeply and perceive the living Lord, true God and true man. The soul develops a sort of instinct of faith, a sensitivity of soul through the perception of faith and connaturality of charity. It is worth quoting St. Catherine at length in her own words:
What tastes and sees and touches this sacrament? The soul’s sensitivity. How does she see it? With her mind’s eye, so long as it has the pupil of holy faith. . . . How is this sacrament touched? With the hand of love. . . . The hand of love touches through faith, confirming as it were what the soul sees and knows spiritually through faith. How is this sacrament tasted? With holy desire. The body tastes only the flavor of bread, but the soul tastes me, God and human. . . . So you see, you must receive this sacrament not only with your bodily senses but with your spiritual sensitivity, by disposing your soul to see and receive and taste this sacrament with affectionate love.
We dispose our souls to see and taste the Lord with faith and affectionate love through our habitual practice of adoration. We cultivate all this through recognizing the personal presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, speaking to Him as a friend and listening in silence. Yes, God is a deep Sea of Love, a blazing Sun of Fire, but He is these things as the personal God. We gaze at Him who gazes at us. His eyes are like a flame of fire (Rev. 1:14). As one might lose himself in the eyes of a beloved, so we lose ourselves gazing into the Sacrament of Love and the gentle eye of divine charity. Our eyes too can become aflame with fire.
Let Us Pray: O God, You are a consuming fire! Stir up in me the desire to draw forth from Your Eucharistic heart all the graces I need to grow in holiness. Help me gaze on You with greater devotion and perception. Help us to discover in Your Eucharistic gaze a sea of love and peace. Enlighten me, Lord, to look into the depths of Your heart. With a simple gaze of love, let me be so fascinated by You to be drawn out of myself into a life completely lived for You and others.
Today’s Reflection
Was there a particular line or idea from the writings of St. Catherine that caught your attention?
Do you see the Eucharist “with the pupils of holy faith”?
How is this different from looking with physical eyes?
This article on St. Catherine of Siena’s love for the Eucharist is adapted from the book How to Be His by Fr. Ignatius Schweitzer and Fr. Jesse Maingot with Dan Burke which is available from Sophia Institute Press.
Art for this post on a reflection from How to Be His: cover used with permission; Photo used in accordance with Fair Use practices.
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]]>The post The Truth About Saint Joseph: Fr. Maurice Meschler first appeared on My Love Link - Love.
]]>Saint Joseph, as foster father of Jesus and head of the Holy Family, had an exalted and most responsible vocation — namely, to open the way for the redemption of the world and to prepare” for it by the introduction, education, and guidance of the youth of the God-Man. In this work, Saint Joseph cooperated as the instrument of the Holy Spirit. The latter was the guide; Saint Joseph obeyed and carried out the enterprises. It is attractive, instructive, and edifying to consider how the saint corresponded to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We find in this connection two classes of circumstances in the life of the saint in which his conduct may be a model for us.
Under the first set of circumstances God desires something of us and leaves to us the choice, not revealing His purpose clearly to us, but remaining silent. Saint Joseph probably found himself placed in such circumstances in regard to his espousals with Mary, and afterward in his perplexity as to whether he could take Mary as his wife, and again, on the return from Egypt, when he hesitated about choosing Bethlehem or Nazareth as the domicile of the Holy Family. In such a case, the only thing to be done is to seek advice from a fellow man, or to consult one’s own prudence and conscientiousness, or finally, from the circumstances them- selves, to discern God’s will. Thus may the saint have determined to espouse Mary through the advice obtained from the priests and heads of families. In the torturing perplexity regarding the virginity of his spouse, he consulted his conscience and his good and noble human heart without any regard to the voice of pas- sion, until God Himself manifested His will through an angel. Finally, in his choice of Nazareth as the permanent dwelling place of the Holy Family, he was guided by his own prudence, which judged Archelaus to be as unreliable as Herod, his father. And in this decision the saint was afterward confirmed by God Himself.
In the second set of circumstances, God, indeed, makes known His will and points out the goal but leaves to us the choice and application of the means to reach it. The only thing for one to do in this case is to put aside all attachment to one’s own will by conquering oneself, and without fear or hesitation to embrace and carry out God’s will with full confidence. Such was Saint Joseph’s position when God commanded him to take the Child and fly into Egypt. The purpose was clear, but the means to carry it out were left to Joseph’s ingenuity. And he did carry out the command with determination, courage, and perseverance. How unselfish and adaptable must have been the man whom the bare intimation of God’s will took from one part of the world to the other, as docile as a lamb, which allows itself to be led with a cord! Shall not Joseph in his obedience be likened to the swift cloud upon which the Lord desires to appear in Egypt (Isa. 19:1)?
Saint Joseph, then, seems to have been raised by God to be a patron in moments when a difficult choice is to be made, especially in the choice of one’s vocation in life, a matter of paramount importance to all. If at times a single choice may be fraught with important and serious consequences, how much more the decision that settles one’s career for life, as in the case of a vocation or choice of a state of life? In this matter we must follow the example of Saint Joseph and trust in his help.
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This article is adapted from a chapter in The Truth About Saint Joseph, by Fr. Maurice Meschler, which is available — and on sale now for only $5!–from Sophia Institute Press.
Art for this post on the St. Joseph: Cover and featured image used with permission.
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]]>The post Contemplation as Second Conversion – Spiritual Direction first appeared on My Love Link - Love.
]]>The call to contemplation is, in many respects, a call to second conversion. During our first conversion, we leave behind those aspects of our life that are incompatible with a life of grace. During this second conversion- which often coincides with the awakening of contemplative prayer in the soul- we are invited to let go of our reliance on purely sensory experiences of God. Contemplation draws us into an intimacy with God that transcends the senses and therefore lies beyond words, ideas and images.
Discursive mediation- where one engages their mind and heart and reflects on the words and actions of Jesus, primarily in the Gospels- provides a necessary and firm foundation, rooting us in the truth of who God is and our purpose in this world. It is the grace contemplation, however, that allows us to encounter more deeply the One who stands behind those words and actions.
As beautiful and profound as this transformation may be, the change in one’s experience of God- and thus in one’s relationship with Him- can appear terrifying to a soul that has known the love and mercy of Jesus Christ and whose only desire is to return that love. When one is no longer able to meditate upon the things of God or feel, on a sensory level, His nearness in prayer, it is natural to assume that either God has abandoned them or that one’s own heart has grown lukewarm. The soul then experiences a kind of spiritual anxiety and begins to examine itself and their prayer continuously, convinced that if it can uncover the source of this apparent problem, it will be able to fix itself and return to the familiar path of consolation and meditation.
Yet as long as a soul has not abandoned prayer and continues to strive to love their neighbor, it may rest assured that something far deeper than what can be perceived by the senses is taking place. For the person experiencing this grace, reliance on sense perception- both in daily life and in prayer- gradually diminishes. From the apparent ruins of this collapse, a deeper faith, hope, and love are born, purifying the soul and enabling it to love more fully.
Needless to say, the gift of contemplation demands a faith and a trust that extend beyond what the senses can provide. It ushers the soul into a deeper and more fertile land, where God is no longer mediated primarily through the imagination, but encountered as the living reality to whom the soul surrenders itself.
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Image: Unsplash+
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]]>The post Truth, Beauty, and Goodness: Which Draws You? first appeared on My Love Link - Love.
]]>Have you ever stopped to consider what attracts you to the Catholic Church? What forms of prayer or worship are most fruitful for you? Towards which ministries are you most drawn? We can answer these questions more deeply when we examine them under a philosophical principle referred to as the transcendentals.
Transcendentals are eternal attributes of being, namely: Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. Every being in creation possesses each of these attributes to some degree or another. Their source is God, who possesses each attribute in its ultimate perfection. God IS truth. God IS beauty. God IS goodness. Humans, since they are made in the image and likeness of God, not only have the attributes as a reflection of Him, but are also aware of these transcendentals and are drawn to them because the desire to seek out God is written in the human heart. Upon reflection, you will likely find that one of the transcendentals moves you toward God more so than the others.
A Truth person will be attracted to the Catholic faith because of the truth of her teachings. This person likes to have knowledge about doctrines and God. If you are a Truth person, you probably have a love of informational reading, and you approach the Faith intellectually. The logic of the Church and the genius of her teachings, how the Old Testament prefigures the New Testament, and other intellectual attributes of the Faith, draw you closer and closer to God.
Beauty people are attracted to God and the Faith through beautiful things. These people tend to see and experience God in nature and creation. They see God in a sunset or on a hike in the woods. They are moved by religious art, music, stained glass, and Latin chant. The Catholic liturgy, with all of its smells and bells, stirs the Beauty person’s heart to ascend to God in all the splendor the liturgy has to offer.
A Goodness person is attracted to the Faith for its sense of community and the good works it does for the world. These people are drawn to more social activities in the Church because of the friendships they provide. They are also more apt to commit themselves to service projects or sign up to help with activities.
Now, as I stated before, God possesses all of these attributes in their perfection and therefore evenly, as does His Church. This is why we have a beautiful gold monstrance for the Blessed Sacrament, listen to the priest preach truth in his homily, and donate food to St. Vincent de Paul for the poor. However, in our imperfect humanity, we will find imbalance as we drift toward one of these more than the others. It is important to understand how you best relate to God so that you can use your primary transcendental to draw closer and closer to God, while you work on exploring the other two transcendentals more deeply in order to better balance your appreciation for all of the attributes.
It is also important to realize that others around you may be drawn to God and their faith in a way that is different from you. You will want to know your spouse’s, children’s, and friends’ primary transcendentals so you can help facilitate meaningful encounters for them with God. You can also help them recognize those encounters in a way that will be most productive for them while you continue on your mission to become an intentional disciple. If you are a parent or catechist of younger children, you will want to make sure you incorporate elements of truth, beauty, and goodness in every lesson.
Spend some time this week thinking about which one of the transcendentals draws you most strongly into the Church. Spend time asking your family or friends which of the transcendentals appeals most to them. Perhaps you will learn something new about those around you while developing a sense of how to share God more effectively with them.
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This post was originally published on Catholic Heart Ablaze and is reprinted here with permission.
Image: Unsplash+
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]]>The post Priests Need Your Prayers – Spiritual Direction first appeared on My Love Link - Love.
]]>The Blessed Trinity is not despotic– God is not a tyrant. Quite the opposite! The Blessed Trinity has chosen to govern the creation with the unique assistance and participation of all those who have been made sons and daughters in Christ. God has willed it to be like this. He has chosen from the beginning of all time to weave within His divine providence your prayer and my prayer.
Prayer makes a difference, and it can truly contribute to the sanctification of those we pray for and for ourselves. As I write this, I am reminded of the viral video of the power of one Hail Mary shared by Fr. Joe Feedy on YouTube. A man was jogging past a house and stopped to pray a Hail Mary for the woman being taken out into the ambulance. In the hospital, the woman, aware that she was dying, had a visitation of Jesus, who revealed on the palm of his hand the face of a stranger. Jesus said to the woman that the man’s prayer saved your life.
What was his prayer? One Hail Mary! Could we ever fully grasp the power of humble and loving prayer?
Priesthood today is wounded and in the ambulance. Men chosen by God to be His priests face so many temptations and trials and need support in so many ways.
Above all, the most powerful support is prayer backed with sacrifice. A powerful image of this for us to hold in our hearts is Moses in Exodus in the midst of a great battle: “But Moses’ hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat upon it, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the going down of the sun (Exod 17:12).” Priests need the prayers of their own brother priests and the prayers of the lay faithful to hold up their priestly vocation of sacramental ministry, mediation and intercession.
One particular form of prayerful support that is uniquely powerful for the priesthood today is the Holy Mass and Eucharistic adoration outside of Mass. Preparing sacrifices in daily life to bring to the altar in Holy Mass is a source of untold blessings for the priesthood. This is why it is so important to remember our priests in our personal prayers at Holy Mass. The Holy Mass is the greatest act of worship and adoration we can offer God for his priests. It is the source of the greatest blessings possible. Imagine: if one Hail Mary saved that woman’s life, how much more will Holy Mass devoutly offered benefit his priests?
The next most powerful prayerful support we can offer for our priests is Eucharistic adoration. Why is this? Pope Benedict XVI gives us the answer: “The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself.”[1] When we offer the sacrifice of our time to go to adore the Lord in the tabernacle for his priests, we are instruments of the power of Christ’s Cross and Resurrection for them.
Speaking of the transformational effects of Eucharistic Adoration, Pope St. John Paul II wrote these very striking words to the bishop of Liège:
“Through adoration the Christian mysteriously contributes to the radical transformation of the world and to the sowing of the Gospel. Anyone who prays to the Savior draws the whole world with him and raises it to God.”[2]
In Eucharistic Adoration we literally draw up to our Lord the lives of all priests, especially those we pray for in particular. Through this intercession we call down upon their lives the precious blood of the lamb. Our prayer can truly sanctify them by God’s grace.
In a similar vein Peter Kreeft offers us one of the most riveting quotes of the power of Eucharistic adoration. I invite you to read it in light of prayerful support for priests. Kreeft writes:
“Restoration of adoration of the Sacrament will heal our Church, and thus our nation, and thus our world. It is one of Satan’s most destructive lies that sitting alone in a dark church adoring Christ is irrelevant, impractical, a withdrawal from vital contemporary needs. Adoration touches everyone and everything in the world because it touches the Creator, who touches everything and everyone in the world from within, in fact, from their very center. When we adore, we plunge into the center of the hurricane, “the still point of the turning world”; we plug into infinite dynamism and power. Adoration is more powerful for construction than nuclear bombs for destruction.”[3]
Are you and I willing to touch the hearts of our priests by touching God who touches them from within?
[1] SC, n. 66
[2] John Paul II, Letter to the Bishop of Liège for the 750th Anniversary of the “Corpus Domini” Festival, May 28 1996, translated passages at “St. Pope John Paul II: Quotes on the Importance of Eucharistic Adoration,” St. Francis, T.C., MI, https://stfrancisadoration.org/pope_john_paul_ii.htm.
[3] Peter Kreeft, The Angel and the Ants: Bringing Heaven Closer to Your Daily Life (Servant Publications, 1994), 92
Image courtesy of Unsplash.
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]]>The post Gemstone Allies When Your Root Chakra Feels Wobbly first appeared on My Love Link - Love.
]]>When the world feels unstable, your Root Chakra feels it first. It’s the part of you that wants to know you are safe, held, and allowed to exist. Right now, with constant headlines and collective uncertainty, many of us are living in our minds while our bodies quietly carry the weight. This is where the Root Chakra calls you back home, into your body, into the present moment, and into the Earth beneath your feet.
What The Root Chakra Really Is
More than just “red and grounding”
The Root Chakra doesn’t only care whether you have a roof over your head. It holds the memory of how safe you have ever felt in your body. It stores early experiences, family patterns, and even ancestral stories about survival, scarcity, and belonging. When your Root Chakra is activated, you’re not just responding to what’s happening today. You’re also reacting through layers of old imprinting about what it took to stay alive and accepted in your lineage.
This Chakra is constantly asking three questions. Am I safe? Do I belong? Is it okay to be here as myself? When the answer feels like a shaky yes or a quiet no, the Root Chakra tightens. You might feel this as hypervigilance, chronic tension, or the sense that the other shoe could drop at any moment. Many people in our community are empathic and spiritually open, which can make the Root Chakra even more sensitive. You often feel the weight of collective fear on top of your own nervous system.
A healthy Root Chakra isn’t about feeling positive all the time. It’s about having enough inner stability to stay present with what’s real. When the Root Chakra is fed, your nervous system can settle after activation instead of staying stuck on high alert. You can tell the difference between an actual threat in the present and an old pattern being stirred from the past. You can make grounded decisions about money, home, and boundaries instead of reacting in panic. The Root Chakra gives you the capacity to live in a chaotic world without abandoning your body or your truth.
How Root Chakra Imbalance Shows Up
Signs your foundation is asking for support
When the Root Chakra is out of balance, it often shows up in ways you might not immediately recognize as energetic. You might find yourself doomscrolling late at night, hoping one more article will bring a sense of control. You might feel a tight belly, clenched jaw, or restless sleep even when you’re exhausted. Money fears may loop in your mind. Your home might feel cluttered or unsettled instead of nourishing. You may escape into the Third Eye Chakra and Crown Chakra, spending more time in other realms than in your own body. All of this is your Root Chakra asking for real support.
Why Quick Grounding Doesn’t Always Work
Beyond “thinking” your way into safety
Many people try to fix a Root Chakra imbalance by thinking more. They create new plans, track the news, and mentally run through every worst-case scenario. Others reach for any red stone and hope that it’s enough. True Root Chakra healing is quieter and more consistent. It’s not a one-time ritual. It asks you to come back into your body, into your breath, and into relationship with the Earth every day. The right stones can help you do this, especially when you understand how and why they work.
Stones That Truly Support The Root Chakra
Black tourmaline, red jasper, shungite
Black tourmaline is one of my favorite Root Chakra stones. It’s a powerful ally for protection and grounding. When your nervous system feels stretched thin, black tourmaline helps you feel contained again, like your energy finally has healthy walls. Keep a piece by your front door, near your bed, or next to your phone or computer. When the world feels like too much, hold it in your hand and imagine excess energy draining down into the Earth, where it can become strength.
Red jasper is a stabilizer for body and spirit. Its energy is slow, steady, and reassuring, like a heartbeat. Red jasper reminds your Root Chakra that there’s time and you don’t have to fix everything at once. Carry it in your pocket on stressful days. Place it at your lower back when you rest, or hold it during meditation. Let it teach your body what it feels like to relax into the present moment.
Shungite is a deep cleanser for your field. It’s ancient and wise, and it knows how to pull out what’s not yours to carry. Many people keep shungite near electronics, not only to support with EMFs but also to address the energetic clutter that comes with constant digital connection. Place shungite on your desk, under your chair, or near your television. When you feel scattered or overstimulated, sit with it and imagine it drawing out static, fear, and tension, leaving you clearer and more grounded.
Stones That Anchor And Restore
Smoky Quartz, Kambaba Jasper, Almandine Garnet
Smoky quartz is the gentle transmuter of the Root Chakra family. It doesn’t pretend hard things aren’t happening. It helps you move with them. Smoky quartz takes stress and emotional weight and slowly shifts it into something your system can manage. It’s beautiful at your feet in meditation or as a small generator in the center of your home. After a heavy news day or an intense conversation, sit with smoky quartz and breathe down into it, trusting it to partner with you in releasing what you no longer wish to hold alone.
Kambaba jasper carries profound Earth wisdom. Its swirling green and black patterns feel like ancient forests and old stones that remember a deeper rhythm. This stone is especially supportive when you feel disconnected from nature or from your own instincts. Work with kambaba jasper when you want to rebuild trust in life. Place it on your lower belly. Hold it while you journal about safety, home, and belonging, or add it to a simple grid near your bed for steady, soothing support.
Almandine garnet brings life force back into the body. It’s a Root and Earth Star Chakra ally that helps you feel present, vital, and strong. When fear or uncertainty has drained your energy, almandine garnet can help restore courage and a sense of inner power. Wear it in jewelry, carry a small piece in your pocket, or hold it over your Root Chakra as you visualize a warm, deep red light building from within. It reminds you that your body is not just a place that absorbs stress. It is a source of resilience and strength.
A Simple Root Chakra Ritual For Uncertain Times
Ten breaths back into your body
You don’t need a complicated ritual to begin Root Chakra healing. You can start with something simple and powerful. Choose one of these stones and sit where your feet can touch the floor. Place the stone at the base of your spine, between your thighs, or at your feet. Close your eyes and take ten slow breaths. On each inhale, say to yourself, “I am here.” On each exhale, say, “I am safe in this moment.” Let your awareness drop out of your head and into the place where your body meets the Earth. When you’re complete, thank your stone and drink water or tea to bring this work fully into your body.
Going Deeper With SG Gemology
Learning the language of stone and chakra
If this kind of Root Chakra work calls to you, there is a much deeper path available. Understanding why these stones feel the way they do, from their geological structure to their mineral composition, opens an entirely new level of practice. This is the heart of my Gemology Certification Program. Over the next several months, we will explore stones as both sacred tools and natural wonders. You learn how crystal structure, formation, and origin shape the way a stone works with each chakra. You discover how to design grids and body layouts that support real, lasting healing for yourself and others. You become fluent in the language of crystals in a way that is mystical, grounded, and trustworthy.
When your Root Chakra is tended, the rest of your energy system has a stable place to land. The world may stay loud, but you don’t have to lose yourself in the noise. You’re allowed to create stability inside yourself. You’re allowed to choose practices and stones that bring you back into your body and back onto the Earth. My blessing for you is simple. May your Root Chakra remember that you belong here. May your body feel like home. May every stone that finds you become a steady friend on your path.
And so it is.
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]]>The post The Catholic Roots of Emotional Intelligence first appeared on My Love Link - Love.
]]>This is part 2 of a series. Read part 1 here.
Long before emotional intelligence became a buzzword in psychology, leadership training, and self‑help literature, the Catholic Church was already forming people in the wisdom of the heart. The language may be new, but the reality it names is ancient. At its core, emotional intelligence is the capacity to recognize, understand, and rightly order our interior life so that we may love God and neighbor more fully. In that sense, emotional intelligence is not an optional skill for modern disciples. Rather, it is woven into the fabric of the Catholic spiritual tradition. Sacred Scripture affirms this integration of heart and holiness. The psalmist prays, “My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Ps 84:2). The life of faith is not meant to bypass the emotions, but to bring them into harmony with truth and grace.
Jesus as the Model of Emotional Wisdom
The Gospels reveal Jesus as fully human and fully divine, the Word Incarnate. His emotional life is neither suppressed nor disordered, but strikes a perfect balance. At the tomb of His friend Lazarus, we are told simply and powerfully, “Jesus wept” (Jn 11:35). These tears are not signs of weakness or lack of faith, but of love. Those who saw them remarked, “See how he loved him” (Jn 11:36).
Throughout Scripture, Jesus is repeatedly described as being “moved with compassion” (Mk 1:41; Mt 9:36). He does not distance Himself from suffering but He enters into it. Yet His emotions never eclipse His mission. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He acknowledges His anguish—“My soul is sorrowful even to death” (Mt 26:38) while still surrendering His will to the Father.
In Christ, we see what emotional maturity looks like when it is wholly integrated with reason and grace. His emotions serve truth and love. This is precisely what emotional intelligence looks to describe and what Christian discipleship has always needed.
The Church’s Teaching on the Passions
Catholic tradition refers to emotions as the passions, and it teaches something both freeing and challenging about them: emotions are morally neutral. The Catechism states, “In themselves passions are neither good nor evil. They are morally qualified only to the extent that they effectively engage reason and will” (CCC 1767).
Far from dismissing the emotional life, the Church recognizes its dignity and purpose. “The passions are natural components of the human psyche,” the Catechism explains; “they form the passageway and ensure the connection between the life of the senses and the life of the mind” (CCC 1764). Emotions become morally meaningful when they are taken up into the virtues and guided by reason and grace.
When emotions are ignored or indulged without discernment, they can distort judgment and fracture relationships. But when they are acknowledged and rightly ordered, they become powerful allies in the pursuit of holiness. Emotional awareness allows us to notice what is stirring within us—fear, anger, joy, desire—and to bring those movements honestly before God in humility and trust.
Virtue and Emotional Formation
The moral life of the Church is grounded not merely in rules, but in virtue, and virtue is inseparable from emotional formation. The Catechism teaches that the human virtues “govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith” (CCC 1804).
For this we must exercise prudence, temperance, and fortitude. Prudence requires clarity of perception, including awareness of our interior responses. Temperance depends on recognizing our desires and learning to order them rightly. Fortitude strengthens us to remain faithful when emotions pull us toward comfort or avoidance. None of these virtues can flourish without emotional awareness since we cannot govern what we refuse to acknowledge.
Wisdom from the Saints
The saints are among the Church’s greatest teachers of emotional and spiritual integration. St. Ignatius of Loyola gave careful attention to interior movements, teaching that consolation is “every increase of hope, faith, and charity, and all interior joy that attracts to heavenly things” (Spiritual Exercises, no. 316). By learning to discern these movements, souls grow in freedom and wisdom.
St. Francis de Sales wrote tenderly about strong emotions, counseling patience rather than self‑condemnation: “Have patience with all things, but first with yourself” (Introduction to the Devout Life). His gentleness reflects a deep understanding of the human heart and God’s mercy.
St. Catherine of Siena, a Doctor of the Church, insisted that holiness begins with honesty before God. “Self‑knowledge is the way to humility,” she taught, calling souls to enter the “cell of self‑knowledge” where truth and love meet (The Dialogue). For St. Catherine, knowing oneself rightly was inseparable from knowing God.
Ancient Wisdom, Modern Language
Emotional intelligence, then, is best understood not as a secular import into the spiritual life, but as a contemporary way of articulating what the Church has long known about the human heart. It names the skills and dispositions that allow us to live integrated lives, where faith is not confined to intellect or will, but permeates our emotions as well.
To grow in emotional intelligence is to grow in discipleship. It allows grace to heal not only our actions, but our reactions, not only our choices, but our inner patterns of response. As we learn to listen to our hearts with honesty and compassion, we become more capable of listening to God and to one another.Emotional intelligence is not itself an end, but a means of becoming wholehearted disciples. It guides us in knowing ourselves (self-awareness), choosing ourselves (behavior), and giving ourselves (discipleship). By learning and practicing it, we become men and women whose minds, hearts, and lives are united in love and in the service of Christ.
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Image: Jesus Wept, James Tissot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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]]>The post Prayer Reveals Who We Are first appeared on My Love Link - Love.
]]>In genuine prayer, we encounter a reality that lies deeper than our passing thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Often- sometimes without even realizing it- we allow these inner movements and the narrative they create to tell us who we really are. When anxiety arises, we tend to identify ourselves as anxious. When fear or insecurity appears, we identify ourselves as fearful or insecure. Naturally, then, these inner movements and our experiences of them begin to shape our self-understanding. Without prayer, we risk mistaking a small portion of our inner life for the whole portrait of who we are.
Prayer, gently- and at times forcefully- interrupts this confusion. In prayer, we do not deny our emotions or repress our thoughts, nor do we pretend that they are insignificant. Rather, in prayer all of our inner movements are placed within a larger and truer context: the truth that our deepest identity consists in being sons and daughters of God, regardless of what our inner experiences may suggest. Through fidelity to daily prayer and by coming before God as we truly are, we slowly discover that there is far more to us than what we feel at any given moment. Beneath whatever turbulence may exist in our hearts and minds lies a deeply consoling truth: we are rooted in God and loved by Him, regardless of how we feel.
The saints and mystics teach us that prayer reveals not only who God is, but who we truly are. St. Paul expressed this when he says, “You are no longer strangers and sojourners but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” (Eph 2:19). This profound insight by St. Paul was not learned in a classroom or discovered in a book. It was the conclusion wrought through a lived relationship- born in the depths of prayer- where God reveals both His identity and ours.
What prayer ultimately teaches us, then, is that we belong to God. Our thoughts, feelings, and emotions are real, but they do not disclose our deepest identity. At best, they form only part of the picture. In prayer, the other part is revealed: that we are sons and daughters of God, known and loved by Him. Seeing ourselves through this fuller vision that prayer reveals, we begin to recognize that we are not fear or anxiety, but beloved members of God’s own family.
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Image: Unsplash
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]]>The post Spiritual Benefits of Journaling – Spiritual Direction first appeared on My Love Link - Love.
]]>When most people think of a rich spiritual life, they might envision clouds, angelic music, hours of deep silence, and hearing God tell them exactly what to do next. In reality, our spiritual lives often mirror our ordinary lives. Stolen pockets of time before the world and our house wakes up, snippets of prayers while driving, cooking, or working are interspersed with those planned times of sitting with God.
When we do have those times of sitting with him, we want to remember what he says, how we feel, and what strikes us the most. The best way to do all of those is to keep a prayer journal.
“Oh, I don’t like to journal.” “It’s faster for me to process in my head and not write it down.” “I have terrible handwriting.” “It seems silly, girly, so touchy-feely, pointless.” “What if someone reads it?” I have heard all of this. I may have said one or two of those myself.
Journaling is a discipline. It is a tool. It is a gift. It is worth the effort.
Why is it worth the effort?
When we write we can synthesize information, remember what happened in prayer and over time, and see our history and growth. And, we have notes for our spiritual direction appointments!
In just thirty minutes of prayer there is quite a bit of mental activity. First, you are reading scripture or a spiritual book, then you sit with it, turn over what struck you a few times in your mind, ask some questions, and then sit, waiting on a response. That is what you journal about.
I always–okay, most of the time–write the date and scripture passage or book title and page of what I am praying with that day.
Then after a slow reading of the passage, I go back and write down what strikes me, want I want to pray with, a sentence that answers today’s need. Whatever it is, I write it down so I can remember it. And, if necessary, go back to it. Sure, do I want to believe if the phrase or word is so powerful I’ll recall it? Too many times, I have thought that and been wrong; I stand up from my prayer chair, and the thought is gone. Write it down.
Then sit with what I have read and written. Not adding my thoughts yet simply sitting and allowing it to soak into my soul. My soul is where I will converse with God.
After a time, I come back to my journal and write – thoughts, new ideas, how does this apply to my life today, what did God say, a wound revealed, a sin discovered, God’s grace or healing. Whatever has happened I note it.
All those things do not happen each and every prayer time. Sometimes all I write is what struck me and then some thoughts about it. There is nothing earth shattering. It may not even seem particularly holy. But it is there, a reminder that I was present to God and he to me.
What do I do with these notes?
These notes, your journal entries, can be used in many ways, if you go back to them. It is good practice to have a day to review your prayer times. Once a week is ideal or at least once a month to prepare for spiritual direction time. Go back and notice if certain words or themes show up a few times, or note the questions you raised but did not come to a conclusion about. Is there a word from God that you have been avoiding? Some people have color coding for different areas, I usually star or circle a comment.
Sometimes your journal reveals that you have not been praying as often as you thought you were. This could explain why you feel a bit out of sorts or far from God. Or you may see that you have prayed as often as you planned.
Your journal will reflect back to you where you have struggled, what you talked to God about, and what he revealed to you. Did you act on those revelations?
You will read what you have learned about yourself and how you handled demanding situations. The notes will show you God’s grace. These journals become your history with God. So often we ask, in challenging times, where is God? Our journals show us where he was and what he did and how we were able to move forward.
Try Not to Censor Yourself
In order for your journal to be of benefit, you need to be honest in your writing. Write from your prayer experience. In a sense, it is an extension of your prayer time. If your prayer was dry or felt meaningless, write that. God knows you and will not be shocked or surprised by your thoughts.
The purpose of the journal is not to draft a prize-winning book. It is to put into words your feelings and thoughts, God’s words to you, and sometimes what action needs to be taken or habit that needs to change.By writing it down we help remember what has happened. And when we remember, we can put our prayer into practice. It is when we put our prayer into practice that we can be a light in the world.
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