What chakra center does the feeling of normal romantic love deal with, if any?
—Ray, USA
Dear Ray,
Romantic love is a human emotion which would probably and primarily be involved with the heart chakra. I say “probably” because the chakras are very interconnected with, and influential on each other, making it hard to pin these things down in any absolute way.
For example, romantic love indicates a strong probability of sexual attraction, which would certainly involve the second chakra.
On the path of yoga, we are taught gradually to transmute all human emotions (such as romantic love) into divine, unconditional love. This does not mean that human love is a bad thing. It’s just that it can limit our love or “particularizes” it to one certain person.
The goal is to love all without condition, and to become a channel of God’s love flowing through us to everyone and everything. Romantic love may be a step along the way, but it’s often very involved with attachments and conditions; these are things that hold us back from becoming one with God and one with all that is.
The solution is to use romantic love as a stepping stone, a way to begin expanding our heart’s love to others, rather than limiting it to one or just a few people. This is not easy, but it is do-able and extremely rewarding.
To learn more about how to do this, I’d strongly recommend this book to you: Expansive Marriage by Swami Kriyananda. It speaks not only about marriage, but also about how to understand and spiritualize “romantic love.” You might also enjoy my book Chakras for Starters, which has a chapter on each of the chakras and how they function.
