Seven Types of Love
Love is such a powerful experience. Great art has been created in the name of it. People have achieved great darings and feats to achieve it. We have been elated, warmed, flirtatious, comforted, besotted, enchanted, beholdened to, dutified, empathised, committed, infatuated, wreckless, frightened, and hurt beyond hurt by it. So, what is it? We have one paltry word for it that seems to lump entirely different feelings into just one paradigm. The Greeks had 7 words to define love. This sounds a good start to refining what we call love.
Experience
It is of little surprise that so many relationships disappoint. When we, ourselves, are not articulate about our love, how can we ensure that both parties are interpreting the same meaning from what is felt. How do we even know, for ourselves, what we are doing. Expectations are complex things and if we have just one clumsy "I love you" to convey the spirit of our intent, that is pretty vague. Love has many subtleties and, I for one, find it such a waste to stick a one-size-fits-all label onto such a myriad of emotion.
Eros
Feeling: Love with a sensual component, Life Force, Desire, Lust, Will
Hallmarks: Beauty, Transcendence
Shadow: Obsession, Sex addiction
Philia
Feeling: Affection, Kindly love, Friendship, Benevolence, Companionship.
Hallmarks: Loyalty, Good Will, Equality
Shadow: Phobia - opposite of attraction; Co-dependency.
Storge
Feeling: Compassionate love within the tribe of family, pets, friends, colleagues
Hallmarks: Committment, Support
Shadow: Elitism, Over-power
Agape
Feeling: Universal, unconditional, transcends all
Hallmarks: Charity, Selflessness
Shadow: Egotism, Masochism