Love VS Euphoria

[Lucyan28]

:love4:
Love: "It can refer to an emotion of a strong attraction and personal attachment.[1] It can also be a virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection." -from wikipedia.

:angel8:
Euphoria: "is medically recognized as a mental and emotional condition in which a person experiences intense feelings of well-being, elation, happiness, excitement and joy" -from wikipedia.


Just here wondering:

Which one of these beautiful feelings has given you a greater satisfaction?

Which one works better for the spiritual development?


Normally people would choose love, but... I'm weird, I prefer euphoria.

I have realized something while writing this.... :tongue:

[luntrusreality]

Euphoria is an emotional state and therefore comes and goes as an experience.
Love on the other hand is the basis for all experience because it is actually the same thing as realizing our true nature.

Love is just a difficult word to use because sometimes people confuse "wanting" with love or obsession for another person as a trophy or whater.

But true love is not personal and can happen at any moment when it is realized that we are actually one and this realization is not clouded by the illusion of separation.

It is sometimes easier to love nature or a baby or an animal as there is absolutely no sense of separation coming towards you from them. They just are a and that in you which knows that is just realizing itself so to speak.

Also love and true happiness are actually the same experience of what our true nature really is.

So I get that euphoria seems more exciting and theres nothing wrong with that, why not enjoy all the states and objects that we seem to experience as long as we don't look for them to give us lasting peace.

Love is ever present and only seems to be clouded by a mind made sense of separation.

Euphoria is a state and therefore (as states do) comes and goes.

Love is not state, true happiness and peace is not a state ->
Love, Beauty , Happiness, Peace are actually the same realization that seems to be "triggered" by different things and therefore the mind gives it names.

Love -> the realizaton with another human being
Beatuy -> appreciation of nature, art, etc.
Peace/Happiness -> the absence of worry and the knowing that nothing can ever be wrong

Those are not different states but just mindmade labels for consciousness knowing/loving itself.

[LadyMay]

Yes the wikipedia definition of love is wrong (or limited, to put more nicely), but then so is most people's along with their understanding.

[Ivy]

Love is an emotion that usually involves euphoria.

They are not 'wrong definitions', but spiritual people have gotten hold of the word love, Love and created it into a spiritual concept.

So here, what love is will told as if it is a fact and a whole lot of intellectual meaning put to it - and lots of people will agree because they know that is what love is too.

Words having double meanings often causes confusion, so why source/god/universe etc etc needed to be named after an emotion that causes enough confusion as it is, I have no idea lol.

To me they're both words that describe emotions and no emotion satisfies long term. It's the variety that life offers that I prefer.

[Lucyan28]

Yes the wikipedia definition of love is wrong (or limited, to put more nicely), but then so is most people's along with their understanding.

Yes of course they are wrong, but we know what we feel whenever we hear/read the word love :D

For a person who has recently broke up a relationship, the word love, triggers a lot of sad emotions. Do you think that the suffering, pain, sadness and tears are a complementary feelings of the love? I believe so.

Well I believe that Shakespeare's plays were one of the best approaches to describe love; nevertheless his delightful and tragic description about love may be wrong at some points. :wink:

[Lucyan28]

Love is an emotion that usually involves euphoria.

They are not 'wrong definitions', but spiritual people have gotten hold of the word love, Love and created it into a spiritual concept.

So here, what love is will told as if it is a fact and a whole lot of intellectual meaning put to it - and lots of people will agree because they know that is what love is too.

Words having double meanings often causes confusion, so why source/god/universe etc etc needed to be named after an emotion that causes enough confusion as it is, I have no idea lol.

To me they're both words that describe emotions and no emotion satisfies long term. It's the variety that life offers that I prefer.

Exactly Ivy, while writing the op I realized your point too: "Love is an emotion that usually involves euphoria."

The things that we love usually triggers euphoria.

I love euphoria, and I feel euphoria when I love. :smile:

I don't know why love has been taking by the spiritual community so far, as the higher frecuency of all spiritual stuff.

Maybe they are right :dog:

[LadyMay]

I think it's like Ivy said, love as emotion and love as consciousness are two different things, but obviously love as an emotion is a part of love as consciousness. So in that sense suffering, pain, sadness and tears are all a part of love, e.g. consciousness.

When one realises themselves as that consciousness a great love is often felt, though the definition would more accurately be the euphoria as wikipedia explained it, or the spiritual term 'bliss'. Because it's still an emotion, love is really what is experienced when an illusion realises itself as not separated from the whole.... not sure if I can explain that better...

For example, when you are in love with someone you experience a great deal of attraction towards them, because you are recognising what you are in them and making an energetic shift. So you are merging with a new aspect of yourself, or remembering that you were always were that. And so the act of realising yourself as consciousness is the same thing, an energetic shift or merging of perceptions into a new whole, which creates a euphoric blissful feeling of attraction so often dubbed 'love'.

So that is why love is equated with consciousness, because it's really the only way we can experience it as an individual. But consciousness itself is neutral and doesn't experience itself like that, it just 'is'. But experiencing the 'is-ness' in full consciousness is not possible (I don't think) because then it would cancel out your existence which would leave you with nothing to experience in the first place...

So the wikipedia definition of love isn't entirely wrong, but it is limited as I said... it's basically a smaller version of a larger reality.

[Lorelyen]

Word play. There are as many definitions of love, euphoria, serendipity, peace, etc as there are people, and maybe multiples as some people try to classify them under the circumstances in which they occur.

We can't convey our experiences with any exactitude; just have to hope that a "listener" recognises some aspect of what the word signifies (to us, individually).
Love and euphoria are abstract constructs that might possibly be charted through the endocrine system. This is where the shrinks fell flat when trying to investigate hallucinogenics - the subject participants couldn't convey their experiences.

There's no experiential vocabulary.

[Lucyan28]

Euphoria is an emotional state and therefore comes and goes as an experience.
Love on the other hand is the basis for all experience because it is actually the same thing as realizing our true nature.

Love is just a difficult word to use because sometimes people confuse "wanting" with love or obsession for another person as a trophy or whater.

But true love is not personal and can happen at any moment when it is realized that we are actually one and this realization is not clouded by the illusion of separation.

It is sometimes easier to love nature or a baby or an animal as there is absolutely no sense of separation coming towards you from them. They just are a and that in you which knows that is just realizing itself so to speak.

Also love and true happiness are actually the same experience of what our true nature really is.

So I get that euphoria seems more exciting and theres nothing wrong with that, why not enjoy all the states and objects that we seem to experience as long as we don't look for them to give us lasting peace.

Love is ever present and only seems to be clouded by a mind made sense of separation.

Euphoria is a state and therefore (as states do) comes and goes.

Love is not state, true happiness and peace is not a state ->
Love, Beauty , Happiness, Peace are actually the same realization that seems to be "triggered" by different things and therefore the mind gives it names.

Love -> the realizaton with another human being
Beatuy -> appreciation of nature, art, etc.
Peace/Happiness -> the absence of worry and the knowing that nothing can ever be wrong

Those are not different states but just mindmade labels for consciousness knowing/loving itself.

Hey Luntrus, I'm glad to see you again in the SF :hug2:

Perhaps the Love is an state than comes and goes, after all it is an emotion, isn't it? :smile:

I believe that you've switched the concept of Awareness with Love. I understand your point anyway :tongue:

[Lucyan28]

I think it's like Ivy said, love as emotion and love as consciousness are two different things, but obviously love as an emotion is a part of love as consciousness. So in that sense suffering, pain, sadness and tears are all a part of love, e.g. consciousness.

When one realises themselves as that consciousness a great love is often felt, though the definition would more accurately be the euphoria as wikipedia explained it, or the spiritual term 'bliss'. Because it's still an emotion, love is really what is experienced when an illusion realises itself as not separated from the whole.... not sure if I can explain that better...

For example, when you are in love with someone you experience a great deal of attraction towards them, because you are recognising what you are in them and making an energetic shift. So you are merging with a new aspect of yourself, or remembering that you were always were that. And so the act of realising yourself as consciousness is the same thing, an energetic shift or merging of perceptions into a new whole, which creates a euphoric blissful feeling of attraction so often dubbed 'love'.

So that is why love is equated with consciousness, because it's really the only way we can experience it as an individual. But consciousness itself is neutral and doesn't experience itself like that, it just 'is'. But experiencing the 'is-ness' in full consciousness is not possible (I don't think) because then it would cancel out your existence which would leave you with nothing to experience in the first place...

So the wikipedia definition of love isn't entirely wrong, but it is limited as I said... it's basically a smaller version of a larger reality.

Wow ! I love this post Scarlett ! :hug2:

I have no words to add, it's perfect just as you said it !

[Lucyan28]

Word play. There are as many definitions of love, euphoria, serendipity, peace, etc as there are people, and maybe multiples as some people try to classify them under the circumstances in which they occur.

We can't convey our experiences with any exactitude; just have to hope that a "listener" recognises some aspect of what the word signifies (to us, individually).
Love and euphoria are abstract constructs that might possibly be charted through the endocrine system. This is where the shrinks fell flat when trying to investigate hallucinogenics - the subject participants couldn't convey their experiences.

There's no experiential vocabulary.

I think that we would need to create billions of new words to try to describe what such emotions are.

It is really wonderful how our body/soul can feel them, such a great amount of data, at the same time decodify this information.

The endocrine system is greatly stimulated while feeling love and euphoria, isn't it?

[luntrusreality]

Hey Luntrus, I'm glad to see you again in the SF :hug2:

Perhaps the Love is an state than comes and goes, after all it is an emotion, isn't it? :smile:

I believe that you've switched the concept of Awareness with Love. I understand your point anyway :tongue:


Thanks ;) good to be back.

No, I have not mixed anything up, it was absolutely on purpose.


What we call love is the same experience in relation to another human being
as what we call beauty in relation to an object, nature etc.

It is the same experience of trancending (if only for a moment) the mindmade
sense of separation.

At one point the mind comes back and attributes this experience of beauty or love to being triggered by an object or a person.
But actually it was always there.

It is the other way around.

Love/Beauty doesn't get added to our experience, but our experience is stripped from the sense of separation which the mind creates and temporarily lets awarenes shine through and recognize itself.

[Ivy]

Luntrus, we lose sense of separation through any emotion of any strength.

When the emotion subsides, we may see it as separate because once the moment has passed, it is in the memory.

So in what you have said, it is hard to see what you feel is being transcended?

[Nature Grows]

Yes the wikipedia definition of love is wrong (or limited, to put more nicely), but then so is most people's along with their understanding.

I have to agree, wikipedia is focusing on Love being a relationship thing between two people when real Love is much more profound.

[7luminaries]

For me the foundational love is not solely self-oriented. It is not transient or passing. Those other states are euphoria or happiness, or similar, in my book. Nice enough, though ephemeral and nothing you can count on in a crisis. But they are not love as I understand and experience it. The foundational love can be trans-personal or personal or non-personal. It is not one thing or the other. It can be experienced anywhere or anytime by anyone or ??? [insert entity or thing of your choosing] :D

Within the context of humanity however...foundational love, or authentic love, is both desiring and actively manifesting or seeking the good of the other or others, as well as of the self. For no other reason but that we are who we are, and others are who they are. And that we all are worthy and deserving of love and support. This love is deep, enduring, eternal...and can inspire peace and stillness equally to passion, joy, and bliss. It covers the spectrum :wink:

Ideally, authentic love seeks to serve and support the highest good of the other/others, as well as our own. Based on both the expressed needs and wishes of the other and also on our shared humanity and our kindness and our compassion. Of course, we are limited in our abilities to do this for self or others, to the degree to which we listen, know, heed/respect, and honour ourselves and others.

Thus, although this is a more subtle nuance, foundational love is therefore available to us to the degree with which we consciously engage with one another in loving, kind, and reciprocal ways. And if we engage otherwise (angrily or aggressively, dishonestly or deceitfully, apathetically, amorally, cruelly, etc, etc...), then we limit the degree to which we will or can love ourselves or others authentically.

The more transparent and interconnected we become in relation to ourselves and to one another, the better we know one another and the easier it will be to honour both our own and one another's highest good with respect to each other's individual journey, spiritual needs, and individual preferences.

That is, our love and our kindness in service of the highest good of the other, as well as of ourselves, will seek to honour them on their path and on their journey, whilst also equally caring for our own path and our own journey.

Peace & blessings :hug3:
7L

[luntrusreality]

Luntrus, we lose sense of separation through any emotion of any strength.

When the emotion subsides, we may see it as separate because once the moment has passed, it is in the memory.

So in what you have said, it is hard to see what you feel is being transcended?

As an example: psychological fear is an emotion that is caused by and at the same time strengthens the belief to be a separate entity.

[Tobi]

Very often, Love provides no euphoria at all. It is just a track the Soul walks on. It lives in its nature daily and through everything because it cannot imagine being anything else.
Love walks the extra mile, sometimes in harsh conditions, and not because it reflects on itself and thinks "Gosh -I'm so good!" But because it cares so deeply about the loved one's needs. But Love is so strong it never gets tired even though the body might fail.
Love wishes the highest happiness for the loved one and is willing to undergo anything so long as that is happening.
Love doesn't push itself on anyone, and isn't merely deeds of 'charity' and isn't sentimentality at all.
It doesn't give a hoot about "Karma points scored". That's the last thing on its mind.
Love is a verb; a 'doing word', not a noun at all.
Euphoria is a 'state'....often upon which we can reflect and feel "aren't we having such a good time?"
Love is usually too busy. And it rarely -if ever -looks in the mirror to watch its own reflection.

[Ivy]

As an example: psychological fear is an emotion that is caused by and at the same time strengthens the belief to be a separate entity.

Fear puts you acutely in the moment and there are numerous reports of people 'just doing' what the situation requires without thought. Often when survivors are interviewed afterwards, they are asked "weren't you frightened?" and reply with words like "when I look back at what I did, yes, but didn't really feel it at the time."

Thankfully many people don't experience life/death situations and what we call 'fear' is anxiety caused by thought. But I have experienced genuine fear, and lie many other reports, I didn't feel separate.

So whilst you may believe your point, there is little that supports it.

[Lucyan28]

For me the foundational love is not solely self-oriented. It is not transient or passing. Those other states are euphoria or happiness, or similar, in my book. Nice enough, though ephemeral and nothing you can count on in a crisis. But they are not love as I understand and experience it. The foundational love can be trans-personal or personal or non-personal. It is not one thing or the other. It can be experienced anywhere or anytime by anyone or ??? [insert entity or thing of your choosing] :D

Within the context of humanity however...foundational love, or authentic love, is both desiring and actively manifesting or seeking the good of the other or others, as well as of the self. For no other reason but that we are who we are, and others are who they are. And that we all are worthy and deserving of love and support. This love is deep, enduring, eternal...and can inspire peace and stillness equally to passion, joy, and bliss. It covers the spectrum :wink:

Ideally, authentic love seeks to serve and support the highest good of the other/others, as well as our own. Based on both the expressed needs and wishes of the other and also on our shared humanity and our kindness and our compassion. Of course, we are limited in our abilities to do this for self or others, to the degree to which we listen, know, heed/respect, and honour ourselves and others.

Thus, although this is a more subtle nuance, foundational love is therefore available to us to the degree with which we consciously engage with one another in loving, kind, and reciprocal ways. And if we engage otherwise (angrily or aggressively, dishonestly or deceitfully, apathetically, amorally, cruelly, etc, etc...), then we limit the degree to which we will or can love ourselves or others authentically.

The more transparent and interconnected we become in relation to ourselves and to one another, the better we know one another and the easier it will be to honour both our own and one another's highest good with respect to each other's individual journey, spiritual needs, and individual preferences.

That is, our love and our kindness in service of the highest good of the other, as well as of ourselves, will seek to honour them on their path and on their journey, whilst also equally caring for our own path and our own journey.

Peace & blessings :hug3:
7L

Hi 7L :hug2:

I loved the way you talked about love.

I don't believe that there could exist in this universe something ephemeral.

All moments, events, actions, emotions, thoughts are part of the eternal wheel of the creation. The time is an illusion, so nothing could be ephemeral.

When we remember a moment of euphoria, that memory could bring you enough energy to conquer any fear, to conquer any crisis.

If something gives you a great smile, makes your heart pump with powerful energy, provides your spirit with an immense joy and fulfillment, then I believe it is not ephemeral at all.

Love has been taking by the spiritual community as the best or main emotion of the universe, but it is not the highest priority for all entities in the universe. Don't get me wrong, I love the love, but is a second priority for me.

In my experience, the euphoria (pure joy and bliss) have been more suitable than love. It's the purpose of my core and soul, as I said I'm weird. I have experienced an immense love through all my incarnations, but I know I'm complete and full of purpose while I feel the euphoria.

But for some souls Love is more suitable.

[Lucyan28]

Very often, Love provides no euphoria at all. It is just a track the Soul walks on. It lives in its nature daily and through everything because it cannot imagine being anything else.
Love walks the extra mile, sometimes in harsh conditions, and not because it reflects on itself and thinks "Gosh -I'm so good!" But because it cares so deeply about the loved one's needs. But Love is so strong it never gets tired even though the body might fail.
Love wishes the highest happiness for the loved one and is willing to undergo anything so long as that is happening.
Love doesn't push itself on anyone, and isn't merely deeds of 'charity' and isn't sentimentality at all.
It doesn't give a hoot about "Karma points scored". That's the last thing on its mind.
Love is a verb; a 'doing word', not a noun at all.
Euphoria is a 'state'....often upon which we can reflect and feel "aren't we having such a good time?"
Love is usually too busy. And it rarely -if ever -looks in the mirror to watch its own reflection.

Hi Tobi, thanks for your kind words :hug2:

We all can give our lives for love. I like the part of the verb, the best things we have in this life are the things that we do/did/will do for others and for our spirit.

I don't think that true euphoria is just having a good time. For me euphoria is an explosion of energy, an moment where my spirit manifests with the power of the shiniest star of the creation :smile:

[LadyMay]

Love is usually too busy. And it rarely -if ever -looks in the mirror to watch its own reflection.

This supports my understanding that we don't realise what we already are. Love in a broader context being consciousness, how does one recognise what one is? Hmm....

As Ivy puts it, life is a hall of mirrors. If love is not aware in one sense and yet simultaneously aware in another sense... how does that work?

Sorry if I am derailing the thread a little, it crosses over with a different thread I started a few days ago.

[Lucyan28]

Thanks ;) good to be back.

No, I have not mixed anything up, it was absolutely on purpose.


What we call love is the same experience in relation to another human being
as what we call beauty in relation to an object, nature etc.

It is the same experience of trancending (if only for a moment) the mindmade
sense of separation.

At one point the mind comes back and attributes this experience of beauty or love to being triggered by an object or a person.
But actually it was always there.

It is the other way around.

Love/Beauty doesn't get added to our experience, but our experience is stripped from the sense of separation which the mind creates and temporarily lets awarenes shine through and recognize itself.

I believe that the connection to the awareness depends of the entity. Some entities could wake the awareness with some emotions/thoughts/actions another entities with a complete different set of emotions/thoughts/actions.

In your case Love/Beauty are the answer, but in my case Euphoria/Joy are the answer ;D

[Tobi]

Hi Tobi, thanks for your kind words :hug2:

We all can give our lives for love. I like the part of the verb, the best things we have in this life are the things that we do/did/will do for others and for our spirit.

I don't think that true euphoria is just having a good time. For me euphoria is an explosion of energy, an moment where my spirit manifests with the power of the shiniest star of the creation :smile:

Yes of course that is true Lucyan. The whole sense of 'merging' does come with true love. I feel it is the greatest happiness imaginable.

[7luminaries]

Hi 7L :hug2:

I loved the way you talked about love.

I don't believe that there could exist in this universe something ephemeral.

All moments, events, actions, emotions, thoughts are part of the eternal wheel of the creation. The time is an illusion, so nothing could be ephemeral.

When we remember a moment of euphoria, that memory could bring you enough energy to conquer any fear, to conquer any crisis.

If something gives you a great smile, makes your heart pump with powerful energy, provides your spirit with an immense joy and fulfillment, then I believe it is not ephemeral at all.

Love has been taking by the spiritual community as the best or main emotion of the universe, but it is not the highest priority for all entities in the universe. Don't get me wrong, I love the love, but is a second priority for me.

In my experience, the euphoria (pure joy and bliss) have been more suitable than love. It's the purpose of my core and soul, as I said I'm weird. I have experienced an immense love through all my incarnations, but I know I'm complete and full of purpose while I feel the euphoria.

But for some souls Love is more suitable.
Hahaha...you make love sound pretty drab, Lucyan....LOL!
In fact though, your descriptions of what you call euphoria fit more to my descriptions of authentic love...the bliss and joy, the feeling of excitement, completeness and integrity (wholeness).

Consider freeing your mind from what seems to be something of a hard barrier between what you call euphoria (good, in your book) and love (something ok for others but not jazzy enough for you, hehehe)...as in reality if you want sustained euphoria, then authentic love is the "only way to go" IMO :hug3:

When I look at the emotional or spiritual "feel" of euphoria and authentic love, IMO the difference seems to be that euphoria is more fleeting and is a secondary outcome of either a state of being or of some actions, etc. (not that this is bad...just purely descriptive). Authentic love too generates euphoria, bliss, the joy, and all of that...but authentic love is typically transformational and not fleeting. Euphoria may also be transformational (as you noted) but it is fleeting, and so you rely on memory in the interim or henceforth. Authentic love actually becomes or describes your state of being, so that there is no hard "interim" but rather just one way or place where you are "at". You live there and you don't have to rely on memory or engage from the mind at all to feel the joy in the heart, soul, and body.

Once surrounded by authentic love, you are completely remade and you must adapt to love...ideally with grace and joy. It is not a fleeting high that you burn through till the next time, where in between you can just veg and coast. It's more a full-on thing. I'm not saying the episodic sort of high is bad if that's what you fancy, just that it's quite a different sort of thing :D

Whereas in my experience authentic love provides the same sort of euphoric "high" but in a much deeper, sustained fashion -- and in an enduring and completely transformational way -- therefore rendering it wholly different in some mysterious but very beautiful ways.

Peace & blessings,
7L

[Octy]

I equate euphoria with limerence (infatuated love), yes they are not the same, however limerence is the feeling of being love drunk, which is very similar to being euphoric

[Octy]

This supports my understanding that we don't realise what we already are. Love in a broader context being consciousness, how does one recognise what one is? Hmm....

Don't look in the mirror ScarlettHayden! You will then become aware and have to 'own' it. Sorry, my sense of humour rearing its head again.

I agree with your original post of what love is. We are love, regardless of mirrors, looking into them, or not.

But then...

... one would have to define love. My definition of love is being everything that the ego is not.

[Lucyan28]

In fact though, your descriptions of what you call euphoria fit more to my descriptions of authentic love...the bliss and joy, the feeling of excitement, completeness and integrity (wholeness).

Peace & blessings,
7L

Eureka ! :angel8:

Thanks for this input dear 7L. I believe this is what I was looking forward when I wrote this thread.

It's funny, sometimes the things that we think we know turns out to have new discoveries and secret understandings. :icon_study: :idea:

[Lucyan28]

I equate euphoria with limerence (infatuated love), yes they are not the same, however limerence is the feeling of being love drunk, which is very similar to being euphoric

I like this very much octopusonpaper !

Perhaps those words does not have the same meaning, but they share a lot of things, maybe both emotions cannot be described with words without all its similarities :wink: