THE BELOVED is most commonly a Sufi term, but not exclusively so. The idea of God as Lover may be outre to some, but the connotation of passion and all-involvement is a powerful one for many mystics (including the author of the Biblical Song of Songs). Some say the challenge of living with the mysterious mind of a spouse is perfect training for living with the mysterious Mind of God.
Once upon a time, The Metaphorager aspired each day one year to feature a different name for that-which-some-people-call-God. Some were creative, others traditional, each unique; so we’re going to attempt that again (though not, perhaps, every day) until we run out of the more than 40 names we’ve collected so far. If you want to see your favorite here, but haven’t, send it along with the subject line “365 Names” and let us know whether or not you want to be credited.