Love as a Living Presence

I remember the first time I encountered the Spirit Beloved beyond human form. I was 16 and heading to school on an early, misty morning. Alone on the street in the dawn light, I encountered a majestic stag. We stood there, facing one another, a few yards apart, and in that moment, the stag was not only a stag. He was Love. He was The Messenger. He was a call to attention. It was as though LOVE itself was saying “I’m looking at you.” Love, was indeed, soon to come. First love. Big love. But in that moment, although I did not have words for it, The Beloved was visiting me.

There are moments in life when love moves through us like a current, untethered from any one person, event, or story. It arrives unexpectedly—a thrill of wind of the cliffside, a moment of stillness in the forest, the gaze of an animal that sees you fully before disappearing into the wild. In these moments, we do not merely feel love; we encounter the presence of the Beloved.

The Beloved is not bound to romantic love, nor is it confined to human relationships. It is a presence, an energy, a force that reveals itself in glimpses of beauty, wonder, and deep recognition. Many of us have touched it in fleeting moments—when standing at the edge of the sea in the middle of a wild storm, when lost in the tide of music at a concert, when waking from a dream so vivid and tender it lingers – no haunts – you throughout the day. Love, in its purest form, is not transactional. It does not require a giver or receiver. It is a living presence moving through the world, waiting to be noticed. The Beloved is the aspect of love that evokes our greatest longing and opens the most tender places in our hearts.

Love in the Natural World

Nature has always been one of the most profound teachers of love, offering us a language beyond words. The honeybee, born in the darkness of the hive, moves between realms—first within the safe, murmuring womb of wax, then out into the world of sunlit flowers. She is drawn, magnetically to the flower, her love, where she bathes in scent and nourishment, later carrying the essence of her beloved back to the hive. This is love in motion, a reciprocity between bee and bloom, hive and landscape.

Likewise, the stag that steps into our path, the raven that caws at just the right moment, the river that knows the shape of our grief—these are encounters with the Beloved. Not as mythic metaphor alone, but as real, tangible moments where love steps forward in an unexpected guise and says, I see you.

Love in Dreams

The Beloved can also appears in the imaginal and liminal realm of dream. They can wear different faces, shift through forms, and whisper truths that elude the waking mind. In dreams, love is fluid, a presence that reaches beyond personal longing into something universal. A hand extended, a figure cloaked in gold, a single word spoken in the hush before waking—these are the fingerprints of the Beloved.

Dreams allow us to experience love beyond our own limitations. We are seen as we truly are, without pretense, without need for approval. We may wake with the feeling of having been touched by something vast and eternal, or deeply specific to who we are and what we long for. The imprint of love dreams like this often linger in our chest long after the dream fades. In this way, the Beloved moves with us, shaping not only our sleeping landscapes but also the way we encounter love in waking life.

Love in the Unexpected

Sometimes, love arrives where we least expect it. In the glance of a stranger as they pass by. In the music that swells at just the right moment, breaking your heart open in the best way. In the kindness of an old friend who sees past your words to what lies beneath.

These moments remind us that love does not belong to us. It is not something to be possessed or hoarded; it is something to be recognized, received, and released. The Beloved moves like breath—through the spaces between us, filling the empty places, waiting for us to notice.

Inviting the Beloved

If we begin to recognize love as a living presence rather than a condition to be met, we may find that the Beloved walks with us more often than we think. We can invite this presence into our lives by listening—truly listening—to the world around us. By slowing down, connecting with our eros and our senses, and by allowing ourselves to feel wonder – to be enchanted.

If you’re interested in working with this energy, Entwine: Courting the Beloved is a 4 week online course, starting on the spring Equinox, March 21.