Our culture seems to have eros for the concept of eros! This is the love that, even though feared in ancient times, we seem to obsess over from fantasy to entertainment. When balanced with the other forms of love, eros can be incredibly fulfilling and can last an adult's lifetime. 

It's interesting how Jung made the distinction between eros being the feminine approach to romantic love and logos was the masculine approach. When both genders embrace the opposite genders approach then the love becomes transcendent. Men and women both have masculine (Yang) as well as feminine (Yin) aspects to their psyches not to mention how all of our bodies operate best when these two energies are in balance (left to right, top to bottom). So even in relationships where the genders are the same, the approach to love can still vary based on each person's dominant energy.

For example, I am a female but a Yang Earth element in Traditional Chinese Medicine so it's no surprise that I may have an easier time taking an "objective interest" (logos) in my romantic relationships than a woman who is primarily Yin. My son is Yin Water and he is gifted at the "psychic relatedness" (eros) in his approach to love. Interestingly, he has offered me sage advice on that approach more than once!
​
The key is recognizing your preferred approach and noticing when you project or judge another person's approach and take that as an opportunity to look within with the goal of individuation.

Other loves: Philia, Agape, Ludus, Storge, Pragma, Mania, Philautia

Ludus is the epitome of who I am. Or if you want to break it down further, it's the epitome of how I express love. I have naively expressed this love for everyone for as long as I could remember and was frequently baffled when I was accused of having affairs with anyone in a committed relationship. It never occurred to me that just because I understood what I always meant, especially since my words were always direct and very clear, that my actions sent other messages to onlookers who were not familiar with this form of love - or they feared it - or both. I have trouble controlling my playful and often flirtatious nature but I have always been very much in control of where my mind and heart were at.  To the outside world, I am often misinterpreted as needy, desperate, "easy", etc. 

Don't get me wrong, I can crank up my inner vixen with the best of 'em but I usually read men well enough to know when to take it down a few notches. My biggest issue is that when I spend a lot of time with another person, male or female, I fall in love with them a little. I feel philia for sure but since ludus IS who I am, I do not discriminate when it comes to being playful and flirtatious with anyone who knows me well or has to suffer frequent work days with me. It never means anything more than that to me or to the people I work with (usually) because after a certain amount of time they can dismiss it as me just being me (and I clear up misunderstandings post-haste!), but to onlookers or anyone that feels threatened I can be a brazen hussy. ~Ho Hum~

The eight of the series will have all of the references but in true ludus style, you have to wait! ;)

​Other loves: Philia, Agape, Storge, Pragma, Eros, Mania, Philautia