Many spiritual paths include the idea of spiritual love as a goal – a love that transcends and overcomes and isn’t conditional and doesn’t discriminate. It’s never worked for me.
The Druid’s Prayer introduces the idea of love alongside the idea of justice – and in the knowledge of justice, the love of it. What is love without justice? Love without some kind of fairness, can simply be the facilitation of terrible things. Unconditional love for the polluter, the exploiter, the corporate greed destroying the planet? I don’t think so. Unconditional love for the politicians and business people who put profit before life and sell the future for a quick buck? No bloody way.
I suppose it works if you’re all about spirit and transcendence, if this world is a means to the next or something to overcome. Loving everything in much the same way might work well if your true goal is to leave it all behind.
Druidry is of this world. It is spirituality rooted in nature. Love without the love of justice doesn’t make as much sense in this context. If we undertake to love beauty, truth, honesty, honour, community, and all that is wild and natural, we cannot truly also love anything that devotes itself to destroying that. I think it’s really important that we do not love in that way, in fact. With humans trashing the planet, aiming for universal love may make it harder for us to stand up to other humans and demand better from them.
There are merits in seeking and seeing the best in each other. There’s something very lovely about seeing the sacred and divine in every other human being. But not if that makes us feel like we don’t need to act. Not if it makes us complacent and overly comfortable. Druidry is of this world, and this world is suffering. I do not believe we can love this world, and extend love to those who are deliberately destroying it. We need our rage and resentment, we may well need our hatred to motivate us into acting. I do not accept that these so-called negative emotions are something to overcome. They have their place. If we’re all peace and light and love, we may never do what is necessary.
And at this point it isn’t about nice philosophical ideas and personal goals for spiritual growth. It’s about who dies, and how many species become extinct and how much is lost forever.
Druid Life 
You also articulate well the Freudian psychoanalytic view in this context. All emotions including the ” negative” are valuable and necessary.
I’m entirely done with trying to mute bits of myself 🙂
Well put. I have a deep scepticism for spiritualities that are “love and light” all the time. Toxic positivity of the good vibes only kind minimises the lived experience of suffering, and ultimately ends up victim-blaming. I have no love for those who willingly murder the planet and other humans for monetary gain.
This is superb. Bravo!
I totally agree with you but there is also ‘the love of all existences’ in the Druid Prayer. I work with the idea that someone’s existence can be seen as separate from their actions. There are certainly some people I still struggle with even then unfortunately……
The Druid Prayer was written by a Welsh Unitarian mystic and universalist Druid called Iolo Morgannwg. It’s a fine piece of poetry, but thankfully Pagan religions don’t have core doctrines.
I like the idea that we are all born with a spark of the Divine, but some people efface or extinguish that spark in themselves, while others cultivate it. (Also a Christian idea, but possibly helpful.)
I pondered whether to sidetrack and explain where it comes from… what to leave out is often as big an issue with a blog as what to write in the first place!
I was sure you knew this. Wasn’t sure that everyone did though. Footnotes are a useful thing.
I like the way your posts are succinct.
Great post Nimue.
There must be a reason why Love is not one of the Eight Wiccan Virtues. I think you’ve put your finger on it.
This message is so important, and you’ve written it eloquently. Thank you.
Profound. Discernment is crucial..
I think that we are capable of more than binary thinking. We can love and be angry, love and hold others accountable. We can recognize suffering beings – not just the obvious victims at the hands of the powerful and the greedy, but the powerful and greedy themselves. They are suffering beings, too, because only suffering beings could do what they do. It’s not black and white. I feel so much anger toward those that destroy and sometimes I feel hatred. And then I try to remember that they, too, suffer and create so much damage in the process.
These are really good thoughts. Thank you.