How Do I Love Thee?
Maybe I’m a bit early for Valentine’s day, but I’d like to flesh out a bit of our previous study of our four bodies (Physical, etheric, astral, ontic), as I wanted to introduce the idea of four different levels of love, as based on the differentiated words from the Greek : Eros (Physical body), Storge (Etheric Body), Philia (Astral body), and Agape (Ontic organization).
The Eros of the physical body level relates to physical love, or the same root as the word ‘erotic’. In the most general sense, this is the root of our life energy, and the nature of all things instinctual.
The next level relates to our etheric body, and is called Storge — this equates to the type of love between members of a family, or the type of love/friendship which young children engage in. It is tied to the functional flow of our etheric body, and how we are tied to others this way.
The third level, called Philia, relates to our astral body, and relates more to our desire function, which includes a love for things greater than our selves, such as social or political causes, or other ideals sought for humanity. The name of the city ‘Philadelphia’ is derived from this concept, and connected to their motto of “the City of brotherly love”. The type of friendships which teenagers form begins to be based more on this feeling rather than Storge.
The highest level, called Agape, relates to our highest member, which is our ontic organization, or our sense of self or inner consciousness. It is what you could call an unconditional love, or a higher spiritual love as sought in various religious or mystical pursuits.
The healthier one becomes, the more that our capacity for love expands and matures through all four of these modes. Part of the diagnostic approach of Heilkunst is looking at these functions as they develop through each patient’s treatment, or conversely, where they may be blocked, and what is needed to move them forward to the next stage.
I love you Jeff and Ally…thank you for showing us the path to health. You are stomping down the grass, moving the rocks (sometimes boulders) out of the way. It is a hard job. I am on a hard path myself. It takes one to know one.
Take a piece of my heart on your path and may our paths cross again someday very soon!!!