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Love & Renewal
By Cornelia Powell | February 9, 2008
When I travel to other parts of the world, I’m interested in the sense of community in the towns and villages I visit. I notice the relationships between men and women and discover a great deal about a culture from their wedding and marriage customs.
The other day I was reminded of a trip in 2004 to Northern Italy when I bumped into a friend who led the journey. On this trip, we visited and studied in the independent metaphysical community of Damanhur near Torino at the foothills of the Alps.
I was drawn into their generous and open-hearted energy. The people who have settled there from all over the world seem to be connected in a bold, yet intimate way. Involved in global issues, they call on ancient as well as modern practices in the arts and sciences for their projects in making the world a healthier and more vibrant place to live.
Sensing very little tension in any of the groups or families I observed and visited, I was not surprised to learn of their unique marriage protocol:
In Damanhur, couples who decide to marry choose common objectives and decide for how long they want to pursue them through their marriage. In this way, a bit before the chosen deadline, the couple can re-examine their relationship and decide if and for how long to renew their commitment, choosing new goals for individual and common growth.
This wedding formula has been created so that the choice of being together can always be a desired commitment and the relationship does not fall into habit, becoming an obligation. In Damanhur, it is believed that a union of love is a precious gift for everybody because a happy couple can bring harmony, stability and growth to the whole community.
What I find intriguing and wise is that this process always keeps the attention on the relationship with a continuous check-in — no matter what circumstances come and go — so no one’s personal ego overpowers the other or severs the connection. This “built-in re-examination” of the couple’s relationship is not intended to diminish the power of commitment, but to strengthen the bond that is there or to shift the relationship if the connection is missing.
It is the essential lesson of nature: continuous renewal. Is to love anew as an ongoing sacrament, therefore, the essence of transformation?
No matter the rules or laws that give marriages societal structure, isn’t the essence of marriage about deeply honoring the nature of love within the union in each moment? A renewal of spirit. Hm-m-m- m. I’ll continue my observations!
It was a privilege when visiting Damanhur to be in a community that honors and lives “everyday life” as a loving, sacred ritual moment to moment.
Love. Listen. Let go.… with love from Cornelia
Topics: Relationship |