Hello friends,
Today's mini practice is on the spiritual heart's intimate connection with life.
Our emotional hearts are centers for feelings and reactions,
But the spiritual heart is a perceptual center that lies dormant in most of us,
Sometimes due to emotional wounding.
But the spiritual heart is not the same as the emotional heart in that while the spiritual heart can be turned away from as a kind of misguided response to emotional pain,
The spiritual heart is invulnerable,
It cannot be hurt or destroyed the way the emotional heart can be hurt.
Unlike the emotional heart,
The spiritual heart,
Or you can think of it as the sacred heart,
Has no boundaries,
No limitations,
No preferences,
No judgments.
We can lose consciousness of the spiritual heart,
But the spiritual heart never closes.
It can never be wounded.
It is the most intimate aspect of our being.
It is here now,
Always present whenever we turn toward it.
So let's turn to it now.
Invite your attention to the quiet,
Subtle,
Radiant presence of the heart center.
You might notice a faint,
Quiet,
Whisper of presence in and around the heart.
Offer it your attention,
Whether you notice anything or not,
Simply offer your heart area your attention.
Not grasping at it,
Not forcing anything.
Simply offering your devoted attention to your heart,
Your spiritual heart,
And abiding there.
Let the spiritual heart mix with your senses,
Your sight,
Hearing,
Taste,
And touch.
When you look around,
See whatever your eye falls upon with the abiding,
Aware presence of the heart.
When you hear a sound,
Hear it from the silence of the heart.
When you taste a flavor,
Taste it from the innocent curiosity of the heart.
Sense everything around you with the open purity of the heart,
Like a child.
Notice how the presence of the heart brings a new dimension to the way you see and hear and taste and touch.
Notice the deepened intimacy,
The feeling of closeness with all of life.
No need to force anything,
Simply remaining open,
Curious,
Perceiving from the heart.
Notice the intimacy this invites in to your perception.
By resting your senses in the silent presence of the spiritual heart,
Notice how they become more acute,
More alive.
By doing this practice,
The senses begin to work as a whole rather than individually,
And the heart will begin to function through each,
Making the whole body-mind more vivid and alive,
Your experience of life more intimate,
More connected.
This is a practice,
So invite yourself to repeat it often.
Notice how your experience of life,
Of being alive,
Changes over time,
Letting your heart and your senses mingle,
Letting your experience of life become more vivid and intimate and alive.
Be well,
My friend.
