Your Heart is your most powerful source of energy … it is an inside power, and it’s yours. The Heart’s energy lights us up, and gives us power in the same way that the sun shines in the sky, to light up the world. The Heart’s true nature wants to give without conditions, which is beautifully expressed in this poem by Hafiz.
Even after all this time
the sun never says
to the earth
you owe me,
look what happens
with a love like that
it lights up the whole world
Hafiz
At heart we know what is right for us,
and we always recognise plain truth when we hear it. People who live Heart aligned tell the truth. Think of an inspirational leader aligned with a higher cause, when we hear them we feel more courageous. All cultures refer to the sacred knowing of the Heart, with everyday expressions such as “Follow you Heart”, “Listen to your heart”, “What does your Heart say?”. When our individual Heart light is turned on, we tend to feel clearer, lighter, stronger and more confident. We feel more willing to express and share our truth. Not telling the truth erodes confidence and destroys trust, it is an indicator a person has lost alignment with their own Heart.
The Heart is our doorway to love and relationships,
and it is through the Heart that we connect with others. When we come together with others, we tap into the feeling of our ‘common unity’. In our relationships we explore life’s big lessons, such as faith, trust, compassion and tolerance. In community, we grow a strong Heart by developing the virtues, like kindness, gratitude, respect, tenderness, forgiveness, altruism and empathy. These ways of being human are everyday divine expressions of an awakened Heart. A lack of virtue in an individual expresses an imbalance of heart energy, which may show as a complete lack of self awareness, out of control and/or over-controlling, inappropriate behaviour.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the Heart is recognised as ‘the Supreme Controller’.
It rules the mind, both our divine awareness as described above, and our everyday awareness which, in this article, refers to the management thinking mind. In contrast to the Heart’s overall view, (which is like the sun in the sky), the head view acts more like a spotlight. It focuses directly on the subject, noticing the details and specifics. Head thinking is logical; it is vital for planning, list-making, prioritising, organising tasks and timelines. This is more management style thinking, it is compartmentalised. It operates well by staying on task, targeting attention on specifics and staying focussed.
The head approach to life relies on referring to the program
it likes to know what’s on the plan and what’s happening next! ‘Not knowing’ can be crazy making, which is especially visible in today’s environment, where the inability to plan is the new normal. The old normal and the habitual approach to life, which has in the past yielded relatively reliable results, is being seriously challenged! When challenged the head can go crazy, driven mad by things not adding up, and not making sense. At this point the head can start to spin like a rat on a wheel, going round and round, and going nowhere ! The root of anxiety is giving our attention to past and imagined future concerns. Bringing our attention to the now, and ‘living present time forward’ is the cure. When we are more present in life, we bring the peace of the Heart to the calm of the mind.
combines the complementary strengths of these two Intelligences. The overall perspective of the heart offers a view of the big picture, while the concentrated lens of the head brings us down and into focus. Assessing what’s happening in the overall environment, with the players on the field and seeing the field itself, is the role of the Heart. The heart assesses the situation by asking “What’s most important ?” and the check-up question “What’s appropriate?” As the sovereign ruler, the Heart view always considers the needs of the one in relation to the whole. The Head, informed by the Heart, organises how to plan for everything. It analyses the parts and organises priorities. The head asks “What’s the plan?” and “Is everything on the list?” and the check-up question is “Does it make sense?”
In a world healing from disasters,
both natural and human caused, we can easily become overwhelmed by our own minds. Aligning our head and Heart by being present, living life step by step, with day to day, and month to month task management, as opposed to five year plans, will help us stay connected to our inner power. Giving ourselves permission not to over-think things that have no solutions, and to zoom out, be patient, and focus on the big picture will help keep the head and Heart in balance. Doing what we can when we can, making shorter term plans, and letting time reveal all, will help the head to settle. Playing with our kids, listening to music, enjoying a shared meal will keep our Hearts connected to the good, true and beautiful in our always changing life! Keep in mind most people love an invitation to the love and light party. Be the guest and the host.