The connection of heart

Living on this earth is such a rich experience. If we stand back from our lives, sounds, sights and smells, experiences profane and sublime whirl and blend deliciously into a tapestry of lush colors and multiple textures. If we stand farther back and look in, we can see how our life is a shining thread in a larger tapestry, the fabric of all life. In many root cultures, the fabric of life, from the great pattern down to the seemingly random experience of a single moment, is the grand unfolding of a great dream. Awesome in its simplicity and vast complexity, beyond the understanding of our minds, the dream makes sense only to the connected heart.

What is the mind-body connection, after all? It may be a misnomer. The ancient Chinese, those wise scientists and mystics who uncovered and put to practice many of the true roots of healing, dismissed the brain as simply an outgrowth of the nervous system. They spoke of the heart as the ruler, the king of all. The heart is the Supreme Controller of our bodies on the physical level, and on the spiritual level, it is the voice of our purpose and the source of deep joy that comes from connection to all that exists. In our modern culture, we revere and worship our advanced brains and the products of them. To the ancients, the brain was a vehicle of fear that, in its imbalance, would subvert our heart's true voice and send us careening wildly off of the path of our life's purpose. Ironically, today we believe in science's principal that only what can be proven beyond the shadow of doubt is true, so we've decided that the heart is important, yes, but it's only an engine, processing and cleaning our blood, somehow mysteriously keeping the machine of our bodies going. What are we missing?

Perhaps the connection we really want to discover is between our bodies and our hearts. How is what we are, in the flesh, related to why we are here, our purpose? It was not only the ancient Chinese, but the ancestors of each of us who understood that deep connection to the world around us is the key to living our purpose, to finding deep joy in life, to enjoying health and comfort in our bodies. When discomfort or disease hit a person in a traditional culture, they knew it was an imbalance, a severing of their connection to the divine dream, caused either from within them or from external forces. If a person was sick or in pain, a healer was brought in to discover what was disrupting their connection and what should be done to bring them back into balance and harmony with the world. When a person had enough support from their community and was connected with their heart, the entire world supported them in their efforts. But they also found that this connection was a constant learning, a life-long devotion.

So the question is, how do the nonphysical parts of us affect our physical nature? Perhaps it comes down to the fire inside us, our hearts. Do you find yourself ignoring the voice of your heart? Live your birthright: take the leap of living your heart's calling. Miraculously, the world will support you for it.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Natural Arts
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group