Consciousness and health
Empowerment of the heart, by the heart and through the heart
Abstract
We look at the importance of aligning to the summits of the higher vital, the heart’s infinite love, compassion, kindness, divine truth, honesty and integrity for our own and universal spiritual growth, progress and well-being, clearing and connecting the channel to and from the psychic being1, offering questions for introspection and application in everyday life.
Rising above
“To the hill-tops of silence from over the infinite sea,
Golden he came,
Armed with the flame,
Looked on the world that his greatness and passion must free (1).”
Words are open to interpretation and are interpreted according to the perception and level of consciousness of the individual. So what is it you personally hear being said in the quote above?
Do you hear being called upon? Is this your clarion call? Or is this not talking about you at all but someone else? Are you waiting for someone or something to set you free?Boundaries to our thinking mind and our emotional experience are set by our perception of our surrounding and ourselves, as well as emotional attitudes such as likes and dislikes, and a variety of repetitive, habitual and even compulsive behaviour such as judgment, criticism and complaints amongst many more, accumulated, often ‘inherited’ as copied concepts and patterns of beliefs and behaviour, in this lifetime as well as from ancient times; often based on a (mis)-understanding of loyalty to what is perceived as love and hence play a significant role on our path of spiritual growth for the individual as well as for the collective.
Allowing our own greatness,vastness, unique abilities, purpose in life and infinite pool of resources is for many a daring step into the unknown, when in fact, none of us, not a single one is here on this planet to live under the covers but to uncover and discover oneself in the great one self. The mind can’t do this alone and the way to and from the heart seems covered with debris and obstacles. Images and visualisations help to go beyond seeming limitations, offer a view from the bridge and invite the voice of the heart to speak divine Truth. Consider this:
You inherit a garden and attend to what grows in that garden every day. You have done so for a long time. It has become a routine for you. After some weeding and watering and looking upon what you know so well, sitting on the bench, your eyes look at the fencing around the place, consciously seeing it for the first time and in this still moment the heart is heard saying: “I wonder what’s beyond?” Immediately the mind and an ego, scared of losing what it knows best, jump in with suggestions and ideas, “There? Not much else, just another garden, or barren land, it doesn’t matter.” The heart speaks again.”It does matter. There is more. I feel it.” Not because it feels it is not enough as the mind or ego may do but because it knows it is not limited like the mind and it is outgrowing an ego.
Imagine if you can, allow the ego as a pod for the soul in its very early stages of incubation, and now the soul breaking through the shell. The soul speaking through the heart feels it is infinite, knows that truth and now wants to explore, live it and be it. It is a call from within. For many, consciousness has begun awakening on the mental level and we now have the opportunity to further that awakening including all aspects of nature from mental realisation into the emotional body to have the viscerally lived experience of our highest potential in true alignment with the psychic being.
Chances to explore
When we see and feel ‘fences’ around us we are given the chance to explore further. Maybe other images present themselves to you,they may have been seen as boxes, walls, sometimes thick hedges. It is the heart’s way of assisting us to become aware of that which is blocking the heart’s view or at the very least dimming its light. Consider further, a fence panel as a judgement, an attitude you once had created towards a certain situation, person or event, based, amongst other things, on past experiences and emotional attachments you had formed. Many believe their view to be the right one, meaning the only possible view. For example you overhear people talking about something you don’t agree with. By judging them you have not blocked them out as you may think but locked yourself in and in doing so the possibility of the hearts’ energy flowing together into one. When we drop these fence panels, i.e. the need to criticise others for example, we open up in letting the heart’s energy flow and allow the heart’s magnetism (2), magnetising into your life what your heart is sending out. May it be love and light.
It is worth paying close attention to situations and scenarios that seem to keep occurring to you, it is a strong message from the heart and the psychic being to look at what is keeping you fenced in and away from radiating pure love, true greatness. Truth is an important basis, a nourishing ground for love to grow, so observe in all honesty your initial response to events, situations, news and conversations. For example, when anything presents itself to you, be aware not to jump back too eagerly into analysing but recognise old default settings trying to take over. There is much of what wants to be felt and observed as a true witness. How we respond to situations is key to setting the heart free and creating a connection to the psychic being. Are you defensive? Feel attacked or threatened in any kind of way? Do you react with anger, rage or even fury, jealousy, envy? Often these aspects of the lower vital (3) have shown themselves in alignments/energy re-balancing with clients as thick, muddied, blurred, sometimes solid structures. Can you honestly admit to those emotional movements within you without criticising yourself or blaming others? Can you be a witness when you judge or criticise yourself and others? Do you blame the ego or even your heart and maybe even love itself? Every form of attack on yourself or others, be it in the form of disappointment or frustration, is a kind of distraction and way of keeping you caught up in the drama of the lower vital. Yet the message is to transcend disappointment and frustration and move into the highest vibrations of faith, trust and a clear vision of the divine Truth and love guiding each and every one of us.
Allow truthfully the full intention to expand the consciousness by asking, “What is coming up in me?” And know all of that is the heart’s way of supporting you. See it, feel it, embrace it, in doing so open the heart for all the light and love it is. The heart in its essence is eternal, immeasurably valuable and powerful beyond all our imagination.
Moving from confusion to clarity
There are many misconceptions of love which need to be detected and addressed in and by each and every one of us and to be transcended, transmuted and transformed, whichever choice of word you prefer, to free the way for manifesting and anchoring divine Truth in the heart centre, for love to radiate out beyond all and any perceived limitations. Love as a measurable commodity is only one example of the many misconceptions many believe love to be. And also truth has become an individual possession, wrong and right, keeping us locked in the illusion of separation. We often send ‘much love’, ‘big love’, believe to love someone or something ‘more or less than another’, believe love has died, moved out, turned into anger even when it reflects how limited the mind and emotions can make us feel, conditioned by many factors, such as old hurts and past experiences. But the heart knows otherwise, yet is often compromised to not speak its truth and every time we deny the truth of the heart the fence grows a little higher and the light a little dimmer, keeping us small, not reaching past those fences. It is not love that has died when a relationship ends but ideas and expectations we had attached to a relationship, of what our partner was expected by us to be, to give or even do for us; not love has moved out but truth is moving in, reminding us that we don’t need to be given anything from the outside, it is already available in us with every heart beat in alignment to our soul’s path.
It is not love that has turned into anger but anger ‘standing in love’s way’, teaching and reminding us to be kind to ourselves and others in every experience we make by recognising what blocks light and accepting lessons learnt, no matter how hard it may feel, with grace, dignity and above all faith that it is indeed happening for our greater good and the greater good of all. Not wishing all these less favoured motions and emotions away but developing gratitude for the work they do with and for us. Do you often feel ‘challenged’ in any way and feel you are not heard, then your lesson probably is to speak and stand up for truth, not with the idea to convince or persuade others but to simply be the Truth? Only by being it, Truth can be anchored here in us, and around us as is true for love. Do you often feel surrounded by opinions you find hard to accept? Then maybe your lesson is to learn tolerance, patience and compassion.
A beloved person in your life turns up in the garden, a response to the heart’s subtle call, takes you by the hand and says, “Let’s go and find out.” How many of us have been taken by love by surprise and not known the heart had made that call?
This is not to say to wait for the love of another to swoop you off your feet! In fact, know that love is called upon by the intent to explore and feel the love within, for yourself, for life, for love itself, for all that is, creating the ground for divine love.And in ploughing the fields, it is essential to uproot all confusing concepts, beliefs, feelings and emotions, which may have been planted deeply and keep the light-bringing force that is true love in a dark place. Sexual energy and sexual activity are often confused with love and many mechanisms that spread ideas of shame, blame and guilt. For instance, mixing in love with sexual energy and passion has caused much confusion, keep us entangled and prevens us from moving forward aligned to love. So again, observe what reactions show as you look at what the plough has brought up.
Cultivating the heart’s truth
Maybe the fence around the garden is needed to make sure the flowers will not be trampled on. Indeed some boundaries are important to establish a clear relationship with the surroundings in our lives here for the benefit of all. It is when fences feel like something to keep us in and something else out, when we don’t live in peace within ourselves nor our environment, creating more disharmonies in and around us, often reflected in our relationship with our neighbours, colleagues, friends and family and above all to our self. How many times have we all felt frustrated and angered with our self, blamed others or the perceived uncultivated ego? Observe, how do you talk to yourself? Does your choice of words show kindness or strictness? And is it you talking or are you repeating what others (parents/siblings/friends/teachers or any other person you had an emotional attachment to once) have said to you and about you? In order to transcend violence in every form, cultivating patience and self-compassion is of the essence, and above all, self-love. Not the narcissistic or egoistic type but love for the light you truly are, for the vessel of light, for the task you came to do and for the realisation and expression of the Divine.
We are here to experience all of I with a you and us as we. Relationships are the very feeding ground for us to grow and also provide us with a mirror of our inner attitudes which, if unreflected by ourselves, can create uncomfortable feelings felt as a weight on the heart. With every dispute, inner or outer, the heart is burdened.
So take heart. If something doesn’t feel right for you, ask your heart to help you express to yourself and to others wholeheartedly without blaming that ‘other’ or fear. Free yourself from regrets, for that is the ego’s view, allow the rejoicing of the soul and heart for every step you take to grow together and see how you will feel when all of you is lifted as indeed will be your heart. Much that burdens the heart occurred over a long period of time and possibly not just in one lifetime and often it is that lingering pain that keeps us behind fences, and makes us feel kept in. In becoming aware, we seed something greater to grow in the garden of One Heart.
In some alignments in my practice, heart openings showed themselves as old crusts or scabs falling off, or even as a volcano erupting. The soul has a tendency to speak in images.
In another alignment the soul as a golden ball of flaming light was catapulted over the towers and turrets of what looked like a stronghold of an ancient castle into the open field and for others locks break and waters flow, all images helpful to experience a sense of liberation and truth to be felt.
Allow emotional freedom, fall in love with yourself as you are, have been, will be, though not imaginable to you as yet, as well as all that is and was. Know that you have done nothing ‘wrong’, because all that ever happened in your life was needed for you to become who you are meant to be, and in that, offering precious and important moments of expansion in your consciousness. Here is the true passion to live our life in fulfilment and realisation of the light each and every one of us is and came to be. Allow the heart to speak Truth.
Allow yourself to be great, truly great, far greater than you can even imagine. And allow others to be great with you and around you.Be aware of fences, they may have or had their purpose once but there are none in the universe which is infinite as is the heart. The proverbial heart of gold is not only found in the odd human being, it is a treasure in each and every one of us. It is a spark ready to ignite ourselves and others, a true flame, a golden ball of bright light. In freeing the heart of beliefs it has outgrown, we see the world from the soul’s point of view, one of love, unconditionally, infinitely. For if the goal is an open heart the way can only be love and loving in every way.
References
1. Sri Aurobindo. Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo, Volume 2. Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust; 2009, p.649.
2. McCraty R. The Energetic Heart: Bioelectro magnetic communication within and between people’in Rosch PJ, Markov MS (eds). Bioelectromagnetic Medicine. New York: Marcel Dekker; 2004, pp. 541-602.
3. Sri Aurobindo. CWSA, Volume 23. Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust; 1999, pp. 9-19, 63-4, 66-67, 71.
1 The soul in evolution
Annika Maxwell is a yoga teacher, bilingual language teacher and lecturer, an energy intuitive, a therapist for spiritual spine alignment and healer living in Wiltshire, England.
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