Have you ever had the feeling that the world isn’t right for you? That can be a good thing. A feeling that will draw people to true home—found in places like Sunrise Ranch, or the Glen Ivy Center in Southern California, where I come from.

What is the essential core of home? It’s reflected in the beauty, the music and our presence together. Those are all elements of home. I once thought of home as a place to be held, to be cozy. Something about that is true, but the core essence of home goes the other way: it expands; it radiates out.

I call this is an ever-expanding field of love. Who wouldn’t want that? This is what attracts people to come home.

For anyone walking down the dark, narrow street, afraid, a little lost and lonely, it’s a most welcome beacon. That an ever-expanding field of love is possible and active on the planet is encouraging. It’s a crack of light coming from a window on a cold, dark street. It’s possibility.

What is an ever-expanding field of love and how can we have that? When I realized this world wasn’t right for me, I had choices. I could decide to no longer be in this world. I could decide to be in this world in a self-medicated way, with my addictions, medications and habits. Something wouldn’t let me get away with that. So I made the voyage of discovery, walking the path to find those who embodied this ever-expanding field of love. That path led me to where I am now.

What is it that creates an ever-expanding field of love? What is it that destroys it, erodes it or rends the fabric of it? There are simple ABCs for both. Let’s look at them with new eyes, hear them with new ears, and open a new heart to receive them. It may not be only for our personal edification; there is something we hold together, something we do together, and something we radiate into the world together for those just finding home, this ever-expanding field of love.

There are the helpful, proactive ABCs and the destructive, reactive ABCs. When one is reactive to their world they are not participating in expanding the field of love. The reactive ABCs are accusation, blame and criticism. Much has been said about them. There are more or less obvious ways of expressing any of these and there are subtler ways. For instance, if the first thought you had when I mentioned these three things was “I don’t do that—I’m one of the good guys,” that thought implies there are those who aren’t the good guys, which would be something like accusation or blame or criticism. Let’s let this go deeper. Let’s have a really deep, rich and full experience of being free of accusation, blame and criticism. Let’s not dwell on the reactive spirits any further. It’s more interesting to discover what builds this ever-expanding field of love.

The proactive, building ABCs are appreciation, blessing and compassion. Again, not new thoughts, but we can experience them anew as the creator of the ever-expanding field of love. Appreciation simply means “adding value to.” When you appreciate another, you add value to them by what you give them. That’s possible in any exchange—to add value to the other or to a collective. It’s proactive appreciation, not a casual, shrugging, “He’s a nice guy” with a “but” lingering. Pure appreciation doesn’t allow even a whiff of accusation, blame or criticism.

Let’s go deeper with blessing. “I bless you” can seem rather inactive. Think of it as the opposite side of cursing. Cursing is active. When we allow the ill spirits of accusation, blame and criticism to creep into the field between any two or more of us, we bring cursing. How about actively bringing blessing, holding the other person as perfect just as they are? That takes the giving of something pure.

And then there’s compassion. That doesn’t mean sympathy. Compassion literally means “to feel with.” It’s the kind of understanding that comes from the place that can both appreciate and add value, that can really bless, and understands. “I understand. Your path has not been straight, has it? It hasn’t been easy. You’re ready to get over it, but I know you’ve been hurt.” That is invitational to someone. It calls someone to come home into the truth of being. Michael Brown says that compassion really means “come, pass on”—not the person, of course, but that which would keep them from participating in the ever-expanding field of love. Come, and let that other stuff slip away.

Here’s a question I have developed for myself that is useful in any circumstance. It relates to our truest core, which is of the Divine. The principal spirits of the divine in each one of us are love, truth and life. In truth, each one can say, “I am love, truth and life.” It’s true even when we forget.

In any situation, I ask myself: What is the most loving, most truthfully authentic and life-giving thing I can do here now? It’s a useful question to take on board and use. What is the most loving, authentic and life-giving thing I can do right now?

When I ask myself this question, I discover the answer and then act on that answer. I find myself at the center of an ever-expanding field of love. I am there with everybody who has come home by making choices based on the truth of being. The never-ending, ever-expanding field of love is solid, trustworthy, believable and invitational. It’s not going away as long as I ask and answer this question appropriately. What is the most loving, authentic, life-giving thing to be done?

How can a community be all it can be, serve the Emissary mission, and have people find their way to play a part in it? The ABCs and this question help.

It’s possible that there be an ever-expanding field of love between any two or more of us. It will exist and expand as long as each one chooses to participate in it. It is possible that there also be communities where that is the norm. That is invitational and it spreads. I’d love to see all mankind living in an ever-expanding field of love. There’s only one way to find out if that’s possible.