Are you searching for deep, fulfilling love? The kind of love that doesn’t just scratch the surface, but awakens you to your highest self? Conscious love is an empowering journey of self-discovery that can transform your relationships and your life. It follows four key stages:

Stage 1: I Need Love
At this beginning stage, we believe we are incomplete or unlovable without a partner. We look to others to “complete” us and fill the loneliness within. However, outsourcing our happiness to another person is a set-up for codependency. The truth is, we must learn to meet our own needs for love, acceptance and wholeness first.

Stage 2: I Choose Love
When we commit to a relationship, our partner will inevitably trigger old wounds and insecurities from childhood. This stage asks: will you choose to do the work of healing yourself, rather than running away? Choosing love means taking responsibility for your emotions and growth. It’s vulnerable but powerful.

Stage 3: I Am Love
After plenty of inner work, we reach an awakening: love does not come from others, it lives within us already. We shed the belief that love is something to get from the outside world. Self-love arises and we realize our wholeness.

Stage 4: Love (Consciousness)
At this level, we transcend identity altogether and rest in the pure awareness that is the essence of love itself. Freed from ego, we experience existence as a profound, loving presence. Our very state of being emanates unconditional love.

While each stage builds on the last, the journey is rarely linear. We may cycle back through the stages as new layers of work arise. The key is cultivating profound self-love at each step.

To deepen self-love, try this simple but powerful practice: Notice when you feel loved by someone through their actions, like a hug or kind gesture. Silently affirm to yourself “She/He loves me.” Over time, you’ll override negative self-talk and beliefs of being unloved. You’ll develop an unshakable core sense of being loved.

Ultimately, conscious love is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and share with others. It returns us to the unified essence of all that is. It is life’s highest journey.