Heart Centered Is…
The human portal of soul and spirit
Heart Centered, or heart consciousness brings the deepest, most meaningful and whole experience of life to life. It is an ancient message that has been repeated in sacred texts and by spiritual masters throughout time. It aligns our internal compass in the right direction and puts our life adventure on course. As I see it, acting from the conscious heart still remains the most difficult yet crucial choice point there is.
“…we are living in a reverse society, because we reversed all the laws for living and we are doing exactly the opposite of what we need to be doing…people fear really listening to their hearts, of living their hearts; hence the noise and speed is essentially an escape from following their own hearts.” Ilarion Merculieff Unangan
Heart Centered living isn’t as easy as it sounds. It is often difficult to discern our head from our heart and requires continual practice. Heart Centered qualities have attributes that can be experienced, shared and felt but not necessarily taught. As a sacred seer, my gift is discerning the head from the heart and helping people with essential decisions in their relationships, career choices and lifestyle habits. Heart Centered living is living well. Heart-led lives put us in right relationship to ourselves, our surroundings and the world. Heart consciousness leads us into our own sacred life stories. But from the outside looking in it is difficult to discern the difference.
Here are some comparisons:
Heart Centered Attributes
Courageous
Wise
Kind
Peaceful
Joyful
Gentle
Compassionate
Empathetic
Innocent
Open Hearted
Grateful
Vulnerable
Humble
Graceful
Head Centered Attributes
Aggressive
Intellectual
Polite
Controlled
Pleasant
Weak
Pitying
Dutiful
Naive
Lacking boundaries
Beholden
Conciliatory
Afraid
Skilled
When I was writing my transformational memoir, Orchid of Fate, one of the editors suggested I include “terms of reference” for readers. At the time it felt more like a self-help thing to do and Orchid of Fate is a personal story of transformation. Looking back, I realize it would have been a good idea. Thankfully... It's never too late.
Many people have personal definitions of powerful words like heart-centered, love, and Creator, God or the Universe. As a writer and a meditation teacher, I realize that words are only representations of what a person actually believes. Often we are using the same word in a conversation but our personal meanings vary. The more personally meaningful a word is, the more contextual and subjective it becomes. Therefore not all words should be readily assumed as having a universally shared meaning. Especially spiritual words. They rarely do.
Heart-Centered is definitely one of those terms. Many people assume it means sentimental, touchy, feely, or emotional. Gag! ...Retch!...No! Heart-Centered as I intend it is the human meeting place of soul and spirit. It arrives where we become conscious enough in the subtle body to internally know the difference between fear and ground, truth and lies or clear vision and delusion for example. In balance, heart-centered living is satvic in nature; it brings a fulfilling life of harmony, peace and joy. Over time we see that it is the product of embracing life with Self-love (another one of those special words). Heart-Centered is felt deeply and known in body-mind-soul. It is a quality of being that is sometimes easier to describe as what it’s not than what it is.
So here goes what heart centered is NOT:
hierarchy
moral codes
dogma or doctrine
formulaic
emotionality
impulsiveness
reactivity
rote
without boundaries
without human form
It’s interesting to me that language at its most primal roots reduces to a feeling, urge, or utterance, and with practice heart-centered does the same. For example, if there was no word for hunger the experience of hunger pangs, be it churning acid or stomach contractions would become the only descriptors. Without language, a person would first need to feel the urge of hunger within themselves and then they would need to express it. Without the word, a person could only use body language to communicate perhaps bending over, holding their stomach, or howling (utterance). Like hunger, heart-centered is found in the body. Even though I describe it as part of the subtle body, it has a tangible connection to the nervous system. Fast forward, we now know the word “hunger”, and we all have a sense of what it means. However, as time goes on the word “hunger” becomes increasingly subjective and contextual. In other words, it becomes something we know in ourselves but it doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing for everyone. For example, if a person missed a midday snack and they tell us they are hungry, is that the same feeling, urge or utterance as if they haven’t eaten in 2 days? It’s the same word, but it doesn’t hold the same meaning.
“Spiritual” words like heart-centered hold A LOT of relative subjectivity. As a writer, I care about the subjectivity of words and as a spiritual writer, sacred seer and meditation teacher, I care about them even more. Spiritual words like... love, peace, Creator, Universe, God, etc... hold more subjectivity than descriptive words like hunger. I know someone who hates the word “love.” Yet this person rehabilitates and re-integrates rescue animals. Perhaps a touch of subjectivity at play? The more we attach personal meaning to a word, the more subjective it becomes. The more subjective a word becomes, the less objectivity language holds.
As I see it much of what the world has digressed to has to do with unconscious word subjectivity. By making the word a symbol we argue about the word when what we really need to be talking about is the subjective meaning hidden beneath it. In psychological terms, words have become powerful symbols. Words like money, love, Creator, Universe and God have become powerful symbols of projection. Even secular words, like money, no longer hold universal meaning and perhaps of more importance they no longer hold any relevance to the subtle heart within the human body. Without a strong reference point to a tangible, physical location even powerful words, like money, love, Creator, Universe and God can become meaningless.
Part of living a Heart-Centered Life is locating subjective meaning at the subtle body level. It is going beneath the reactivity of the head’s familiar and conditioned realm to an authentic discovery of personal truth and meaning. What I appreciate most is that heart-centered words always connect to the physical body. Like mother earth, they give us ground. They have a resonance or tone that provides a real experience. Being heart-centered is a full-body experience, not an esoteric idea or spiritual abstraction. We may use language to express it, but really it is a way of being in the world that is different from head-centered living.
Both head and heart experiences have their places and their time in our lives but from a spiritual perspective, be it Vedic, Hebrew, Christian, Muslim, or Buddhist there is a right order to things and that spiritual order, like the metaphysical laws directing the universe, states that the heart leads and the head follows:
“…The people who will be most suited for dealing with these increasingly challenging times are the people of the heart.” Indiginous voices from Turtle Island on the changing earth.
“I’m thinking about how climate change is also about our internal climates that have become our of balance; it’s kind of the mirror of human consciousness being like a climate in chaos. They are so interrelated.” Melissa K. Nelson PHD Anishinaabe | Metis
It’s my intent to create a more vibrant, sustainable, compassionate, unique and beautiful world through the wisdom of the heart. As a sacred seer, my gifts are getting to the real heart of the matter in the least amount of time possible AND connecting people to the power of their heart’s pure potential so that they can live a sacred life story with the heart leading and the head following.
If you’re ready to step towards alignment with your heart leading consider meditating with me here (Scroll to the bottom of the page) or sign up for a meditation class or a discovery call. Not ready for all that just yet, stay connected with my monthly newsletter below. You’ll receive my latest offerings and best practice tips and insights for body-mind-soul connections. Hope to see you soon.
