Ah, love! Is there any other topic that inspires songs, poems, books and other creative works more than love? Such a “rabbit hole” of a topic, just like in Alice in Wonderland, especially when involving spirituality.
When one asks the question, “What is God?” the answer can rightly be given as, “God is LOVE.” It’s said also that God is infinite, in every atom of creation, and that universe itself is made from Love. Well, no wonder there are so many songs written about it!
Something tells me, however, that you are not reading this because you would like to enter into a philosophical discourse on the nature of the universe. Perhaps though, you would like a discussion that is a bit more practical. Well, good — because as vast as the topic of love and relationships is, there is a very practical side to them. It may indeed be fun to fantasize about finding your one true love while embarked on a magical quest to slay dragons, but there are pragmatic steps that one can take to manifest a spiritual partner and relationship in the real world.
When I came onto the spiritual path I was a single man in my 20s. I had already been open to finding an ideal life partner but only had a few hard lessons and failed relationships to show for my efforts. I knew, however, that my quest for Self-realization was more important than anything else and that only a partner who shared my spiritual aspirations could satisfy this desire. I began this quest in earnest by asking for some advice.
Finding the One
Advice on finding a mate can typically involve the what-to-look-for variety, but the guidance I received has helped me to this day, even in other areas of my life. When I asked my spiritual mentor what to do, she asked, “What do you imagine will be different in your life when this desire is fulfilled?” This question gave me pause. I really had to think hard about it. I mean… I would live “happily ever after,” right? Finding the right partner was something I had wanted for so long but I realized I had never thought to question the longing in that way.
I began to see the purpose behind that question. I could not have or ask for a different kind of life if I was not willing to take action and make some changes NOW. Another question came logically to me: “So what could you be doing NOW to manifest those things in your life that you are asking for?” I was asking for someone to love – a spiritual partner. I would have someone to love in my life but I needed to do some things differently to bring that about. I quickly realized that there are plenty of people to give love to NOW. Of course, it wouldn’t be exactly the same as the romantic love I sought, but on an impersonal level, I would be practicing channeling God’s love for His children. Isn’t that the highest expression of love anyway?
I wanted a partner who was perfect for me in multiple ways and I understood that I needed to expand and transform myself into an ideal partner for her as well. I set about creating a life for myself that would include, and make room for, all of the benefits I could imagine having once I found my ideal partner. When I felt ready, I trusted that the Divine Mother would introduce me to her.
I did in fact, meet my partner a few years later. I could see then how every “failed” attempt to find her was actually an important step and lesson that made me a better man and better partner for her. When I looked at some of the other challenging areas of my life, I was also able to see the same steps and patterns.
Magnetism Matters
I quickly realized that there was another, deeper truth behind that follow-up question, a profound principle that I was meant to more fully understand: magnetism. Yogananda said that it is the magnet of our heart that attracts true soul friends and we increase our magnetism by the quality and quantity of our energy. I understood that if I was to attract an ideal mate, I had to increase my magnetism.
But how? Just as a paper clip can be made into a magnet by intentional contact with a strong magnet, so can we increase our magnetism by divine contact with God, the source of all energy and power. Deep meditation, chanting, practicing God’s presence, and other spiritual practices all help us increase our spiritual magnetism. The more we can find our center in God, the more we find out who we really are as individual human beings.
Every atom in creation is inextinguishably dowered with individuality. —Paramhansa Yogananda
Yogananda said that every atom of creation is dowered with individuality. We are each unique, yet at our deepest center, we are all the same in our desire to love and be loved. Although our deepest desires for eternal love can only be fulfilled through union with the Divine, it is perfectly dharmic to find a mate for moving toward fulfilling and expressing these divine desires within this lifetime.
Now that I knew HOW to find a companion and felt that I was doing everything I could, short of standing on a busy street corner as a walking sandwich board: SOUL MATE WANTED, it was just a matter of waiting and trusting. This is the part of the process you rarely hear about. Because usually, it’s boring — and hard. It’s a bit like having a craving for cucumbers and planting the garden for them — you’re sure to get cucumbers and they’re sure to be great but you still have to water the garden, be patient, and have faith and trust that Mother Nature will do her job and help you out, before the results.
My Action Steps
So, I waited. I trusted that Divine Mother would guide me in everything and anything else that needed to happen.
- I kept up my daily meditation practices.
- I chanted whenever I could.
- I practiced the presence of God using any technique that inspired me.
- I tuned into the quality of love I wanted to feel for and from my life partner.
- I gave that quality of love to everyone I could in whatever form I could.
For this last one — whether it was a kind gesture, a friendly conversation or even a smile while passing a stranger on the street, I did all that I could to tune into that energy of love first and foremost. I realized that this love was not mine. I did not create it, I was merely acting as a channel for God’s love to share with others around me.
Perfect Imperfection
My efforts were not seamless and I did make a bit of a mistake that I think is a common one. I thought that finding “the one” would be an end in itself. I thought that this special person would be perfect for me and somehow “complete” me. I mean, finding the perfect person would, of course, make your whole life happily perfect and all of your troubles would fade away into a sea of romantic bliss! Marriage books were about how to manage all the unending happiness that floods your being with your perfect mate, right? Well, not exactly. That’s a romantic delusion.
In reality — in the world of duality, every fulfillment attracts its opposite. That “dream job” may come with a “nightmare boss,” or that new baby you’ve been waiting for may mean that you lose all of the single friendships you’ve enjoyed and cultivated since middle school. The list goes on, but you get the idea that, in finding your life partner, the principle of duality still applies. Your partner may indeed be beautiful and wonderful yet will also come into your life with their own quirks and idiosyncrasies. They may surely be most loving and serene, but from their forgetting a birthday or something else important you might perceive just the opposite.
How, then, are we to relate to nature’s duality and this longing for a mate? The great ones guide us to strive to be even-minded in the face of loss or gain – as all in this material world is fleeting except God. We can consider, too, that no matter how long we are alive, no matter how long we are with our partner, the day will come when we are back in the astral world reflecting on our lives and all that we’ve learned here. What is it, then, we want to gain – or think we will learn from the experience of having the perfect mate in this lifetime?
Love Divine
That answer will be different for each individual but if we are serious, as well, about our search for God, then the desire for a mate will be a subset of our desire to know and find God. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask God for a mate who will help bring both of you closer to Him in a relationship supporting each other’s spiritual growth and development.
Consider that our desires sometimes go beyond what we actually think we want — like when I say I want a nice cold soda but what I really need is to be hydrated and nourished. When I finally get the soda, it’s only after it’s gone in three gulps and my stomach feels funny for the next hour that I realize that wasn’t what I really craved. On a deeper level, God knows and watches the heart. It’s up to us to trust that what’s really best for us is better left to Him.
We are all on a spiritual path, whether we are simply curious about spiritual teachings and ideologies or sincerely devoted to a particular path, teaching and way of life. If the wish for a spiritual partner and relationship is strong for you, manifesting and fulfilling such desires starts with loving those around you, increasing your magnetism and trusting that everything that comes to you is for your highest good.
We are “dowered with individuality” but when it comes to love, we are all alike in the need to love and be loved. May each day bring you closer to finding your heart’s desire. God Bless you.
Originally published: February 18, 2020
34 Comments
Only gratitude. Thanks for sharing such an inspiring thought and journey. I’m sure i will follow the same and increase my spiritual magnetism. ?
Oh my God, every word, every emotion meant so real. I connected with your thoughts to my deepest level. I am so so happy to see both of you together. Currently I am on my spiritual journey to find my mate. I really believe more intensely now..that I will meet my soulmate,my love, my Shiva. I felt its only me who thinks like this..no people like me do exist. It means he too is somewhere there. We are going to meet too. Thankyou to give me hope again. It’s a very difficult time for me.. but I believe and I won’t settle for anything less.
Madhurimaji,
With so much gratitude to Adam and feeling genuineness on this page, I am writing this reply to your comment.
I am not sure what to write, only thing comes to my mind is a question: how would you feel being with your partner talking about Integral Yoga, upanishads, doing meditation going places and eating good vegetarian meals together?
Hope this would incline you to reply with a view to knowing more.
I feel the same.It gave me hope.And we don’t need to settle for anything less.
Hi Madhurima, glad to know that. great spirit. I am experiencing the same. would love to hear from you. Did GOD send your mate your way and how’s your journey is going?
Cheers!
Amandeep
Thank you Adam. You spoke to the heart and all the sincere questions it wonders about. You’re a wonderful channel for us all. Thank you again for this beautiful inspiration!
This is just what I needed to hear today!
God is in control, and when we put Him first we cannot go wrong!
Thank you for the encouragement:)
Nice, Adam, thanks!
Jai guru!
Thank you for this, Adam!
Thank you Adam, your story is an inspiration to us. Wish you a blessed, happy life with your beautiful family.
I loved it thank you . I agree that there are many things we can do while we’re still single to increase our Mag Erin and raise our vibration level. Very well thought out and expressed. I am grateful that after feeling lonely for many years I now have a wonderful relationship with my former wife. yeah! we do not live together anymore but we share common spiritual values and goals and support each other in our spiritual quest for enlightenment and unity with God. I spent a year at Ananda in Assisi and had the privilege of getting to know and love Swami Kriyananda while I was there. Nameste! John Staude
Well said Adam!??
Beautiful story. Love it!
Thank you brother :-) You just spoke my heart. “Everyone has an individuality but we all are common in our need to ‘love and be loved’.” – wonderful words.
Thank you for sharing your experiences from the journey of love Adam. It stretches the heart & opens the mind. More blessings to you & your family
Adam, I feel so inspired and deeply touched from reading about your journey of love, and seeing your beaming family photo. This is a gift of divine synchronicity, exactly what I needed to hear to help me be the love I seek, while magnetizing ‘The One’. Blessings of love and joy to you and your family!
Thank you very much for your wonderful insight. Here I would like to make a point. I don’t know how many of us are as spiritually evolved as your are and so I fear it may take eons to search for a like minded person. I am also looking for a partner who can help me in my spiritual quest. Most of the people come here with the intention of achieving the highest goal of liberation. The Holy Grail of all the people is same and so I would like to to request the organization to come up with a mechanism which may aid in the above process.
Adam, you truly spoke from the heart & I felt it! Thats what it’s all about & I’m truly Grateful to continue my journey of spreading such ❤️
Very well written. Thank you.
Thank you. I struggle ( intermittently) with the desire to connect with a mate to walk the spiritual path with. And often feel this is part of an attachment to the physical world and a special and excluding part of love. So my desire is shadowed. Thank you for shedding some light.
namaste
kim
Wonderful!
All young people (and old people) should be lucky enough to read this article and take it to heart. It would prevent so much heartbreak.
Great story and guidance…love it!
Very well written! I’m in my 70s & “living happily ever after ” with my soulmate, for the past 16 years. Many years earlier, my 2 year old granddaughter had announced that Mimi(my granny name) is married to herself. So, literally, out of the mouth of babes, came the inner realization that I truly needed to marry myself & be the one I had been waiting for!
As I started to live more in that mode, continueing to meditate, do yoga, etc…keep visiting Ananda as often as possible, Spirit was whispering to me that the one I was yearning for was also yearning for me. Then, the happy message came that my “one” was already in my life & known to me! By this time, I was relaxed and so content just knowing that my Guru had it all arranged in good time.
I could truly feel my magnetism increasing in a timelessness magical way. The unfolding process became really interesting & fun! Finally, I knew that I had gone as far as I could go by myself, and that I was going to have my mate to help work out karma with another person. And that’s exactly what has been happening, One Day at a Time, for 16 years now! It’s very timeless & each phase brings its own joys& challenges. ( Rising joyfully to greet each challenge as an opportunity!)
Now, my husband is 80, & I’m 73, but in Love, your heart is ageless…we live each day being as grateful as we can. Yes, there are health challenges, logistic challenges, family challenges, but, in a spiritual practice, you know that the greater the challenges, the more growth is the outcome. Doing Yoga & meditating keeps the ever new joy in body, mind & Spirit!
I still hope to spend my last few years living at Ananda, but Guru has provided us wth a very Ananda-like hermitage…Yogananda gave us the Vision to build our little chapel on the Eel River, in the Redwoods, & provide for all things we need to meditate & share with whomever he sends our way!
Thank you for writing this! And please come visit!
This is good to meditate on this Friday the 21st .. ALL NIGHT , as lord SHIVA is about to change ALL
We will all be made aware of our ignorance , letting go of FALSE SELF . Namaste .
Adam, that was wonderful, thank you ?
I am grateful for your practical advices and explanations, and you made me laugh so much, I can hear you in my head ?(right?) And it was a fun voice to wake up to this morning
Thank you Adam for your lovely story and worthy reminder of love in its many forms. Our Lord Jesus said “Love ye one another, just as I have loved you – HIS IS THE greatest love and Word of Truth to follow indeed, unfathomable love of God! God Bless all. Namaste
as i read your article i felt,being a man myself,in my heartchakra that a man i like is my soulmate.
he is married with a woman but i guess such things simply happen
Way to go SUPERMAN! Your family is a bright Star for us all.
Thank you your vibration adds to the field of influence for the entire world, as an example that it is possible to create harmonious families and men who are ready willing and able to be fathers, husbands and examples of masculinity at its best. Provider, humble, vulnerable and LOVING. YOU ROCK.
A wonderful and important topic. Beautifully written and well articulated. And not without your classic touch of humor – the sandwich board on the busy street corner! The three gulps of soda and the funny feeling in your stomach! And who ever craves cucumbers!? Lol, simply charming overall. Thank for sharing, Adam. Blessings to you, Molly and the little ones.
Such a sincere and beautifully written piece! With such truth. Thank-you.
I know there is one more mate for me….even though I am now 78 years young……
I have been practicing New Thought now for several years….and I want a younger/ slender/ spiritually awake mate.
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for explaining it so beatifully. Lots and lots of love ❤️
Hi Adam, thank you for this wonderful blog..
I am grateful to this blog & your guidance for those who seek spiritual partner..
I am a spiritual seeker on my spiritual journey..
I was wondering is it even possible or practical to get a spiritual partner when I seek him..
But through divine faith & grace I came across here..
“What you seek is seeking you”
With divine faith & grace , spiritual souls are met..