Happy St. Valentine’s Day—or maybe not? For many, the annual celebration of love is not so much a time to rejoice as a painful reminder of what’s missing. Seeing all those lavish cards, boxes of chocolate, roses, and frilly hearts can bring feelings of loss and lack and serve to remind you how far away you feel from that mysterious thing called love. 

Maybe you suffered an early heartbreak and have never healed. Maybe you were betrayed in a love relationship and swore off the whole notion of loving and being loved. Maybe you never saw opportunity come knocking. Whatever your story, it’s never too late to re-examine your love quotient and make sure your heart is open and ready to give and receive. Your happiness and your health depend on it.

Having a healthy relationship with love goes way beyond the presence or absence of romance. The basic energy of the universe is unconditional love, and it is the strongest force there is. Plain and simple, tapping into it is a remedy on this physical plane for our hearts, minds, and bodies. Its capacity for healing supersedes the physical laws of nature, because it created nature and is much grander than the limitations of the material world. As such, it is the stuff that miracles are made of.

Everyone here is traveling the path to higher consciousness, on a mission to shift from lower-self qualities—mainly about physical existence and survival—to the higher-self qualities that stem from the energy of love that your soul intended for you to develop in this lifetime. The mantra of the lower self is, “It’s all about me,” and the hope is to shift to that of the higher self—“We’re all one.” The higher self cares about and does what is good for others. There is no higher vibration than love.

The seat of love is the heart chakra, the bridge between the three lower chakras that connect you to the earth and the three upper chakras that connect you to the Infinite. Here the link is formed between self and others: giving and receiving, unconditional love, gratitude, and the willingness to be vulnerable and open. The heart chakra in perfect balance embraces forgiveness and surrender—the ability to “let go and let God.” 
Love has the power to heal all the wounds you may have suffered—if you allow it to flow. 

Here are 5 ways to open your heart chakra to the healing power of love:

1.    Do what you love, and you’ll be rewarded in kind. When you’re connected to your reason for being here, your life purpose, you’ll feel fulfilled, knowing that your life makes a difference to others. You’re living your life purpose when you’re fully engaged—mind, body, and soul—and doing what you feel that you were born to do—whatever you love to do and excel at. 
2.    Be open to loving service. Find a way to make a contribution. Spend some time working at your local food pantry. Stop by and chat with someone who’s housebound through illness or infirmity. Call a friend who’s going through a rough patch. It doesn’t matter how many people you touch through your service, just spread your light in whatever arena you are called to serve.
3.    Seek to soften the rigid walls you have erected around your heart. Stay connected to Source and you’ll move past the fear-based need to protect yourself. Through meditation and prayer, or whatever spiritual practices keep you connected to a power greater than yourself, stay focused on living in the light of a loving Universe. 
4.    Dig out the roots of your consciousness where you buried any hope of experiencing real love. Loving and being loved is your right. Ask which attributes you could improve in yourself—altruism, compassion, forgiveness, hope, trust, harmony? If you think you need to be perfect to be loved, how could you begin to love yourself just as you are? What does self-acceptance look like to you? Practice self-care, self-love, self-forgiveness by focusing on gratitude. 
5.    Let a pet help you experience unconditional love. One of the best ways to open a closed heart is through giving and receiving love with a pet. With their tremendous capacity for unconditional love, pets can help you reopen your heart chakra. Animals always know what you need and how to help you. The love between you and your pet will open your heart and also begin the healing process for you in any human-relationship trauma you’ve experienced.

This Valentine’s Day try thinking about love in a new light.  Give and you will receive the gift of a healthy and happy heart!

To open and heal your heart chakra, discover the Secrets of Chakra Wisdom – the chakras hold the key to all you desire.