Unlike English, the ancient Greeks had four words for love: storgē, philia, erōs, and agapē, which C. S. Lewis called ‘Affection’, ‘Friendship’, ‘Eros’, and ‘Charity’ in his classic work The Four Loves.

Of the first three, storgē was affectionate love, especially of parents for their children and vice versa. On the other hand, philos was more friendly companionship, where individuals cooperate in the love of some activity. Then there is sexual love, whose most fulfilling expression is in Divine lovemaking, when two beings become one in Stillness.

However, it is important to remember that attachment to friends and relations, as loved ones, and worldly activities, such as our livelihoods, can inhibit the realization of Love, in union with the Divine.