Are You Listening To Your Heart?
You’ve heard it all before, follow your heart, tune-in to how you feel. What does this mean? How can we tell if we are not confused and entangled in the web of illusion? Are we are riding aimlessly on the emotional roller-coaster? How do we turn our attention inward to find the answers we need?
Discovering our unique path and purpose in life is a greater problem than we care to admit. While it is important to take the time to ponder upon major life issues, over-thinking can be a real problem. It leads to emotional distress, anxiety and depression. At some point, we do need to learn to listen to that still small voice within.
It took me many sleepless nights to finally understand this. Every time I ignore my heart, I experience unrest and protest in my conscience. I tend to draw on this wisdom only when all else fails. Most of the time, I am content living from my head. It wasn’t until my rational mind fails me that I would turn desperately inwards for support.
INNER GUIDANCE
Within every one of us lies a pearl of wisdom which is our inner guidance. It is the spiritual capacity and emotional wisdom for many individuals; the valuable guidance from within. Our heart holds our inner knowledge and true authentic self. The heart or your gut is so much more than just an organ or a mere feeling; it’s the creativeness of the universe speaking right through you. It is the region of your personal power and freedom. It is ultimately what we need to rely on. The rest of our influence comes from challenging societal norms and parental conditioning. While we have to think with our head, we need to learn to listen to the heart.
Scientists confirmed that the heart has a large electromagnetic field. It is 60 times larger and 5000 times more intense than that of the brain. It stores our memory and knowledge, which significantly affects how we view the world. What is fascinating to know is that the heart has a little brain in its own right. It constantly communicates with the head brain. It sends more messages to the head brain about how the body feels than the other way around. The heart is a state of conscious awareness.
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor touched but are felt in the heart.
– Helen Keller
SILENT WHISPERS
Mystics, philosophers, and ancient medicine disciplines refer to the heart as the seat of the soul, or the supreme self. The heart is the very first feed from non-physical into physical reality. The heart communicates in silent whispers, although it can easily be drowned out by the destructive inner monologue within our mind. The language of the heart is the call of the soul which echoes in a faint whisper, therefore following the path of the heart requires discernment. The inner knowing of the heart is often silenced by self-limiting beliefs and fear-based decisions. We need to feel our way forward, continually listening and adjusting as we go.
In spiritual communities, people often reach out to gurus, thought leaders and coaches. While it is perfectly okay to get a little support during times of need, we are never meant to depend on others for direction. You hide behind the opinion of others by placing your life in the hands of those you think are wiser or better than you. This mental addiction to dependency is so deeply embedded in our culture that it keeps us from emerging into our best selves. Our ability to be self-sufficient becomes stunted as we happily conform to behaviors we don’t believe in. That is why so many people become weak and passive. When you live life like that, you are disconnected from the real you and the life you live isn’t yours anymore.
The voice of your inner guidance is your soul speaking through intuition or simply a deep inner knowing. It does not communicate through the rational channel in your head. It does through your feelings and your emotions.
CONFLICT
When your thoughts and your feelings do not match, which do you follow? How many times have you ignored your gut and went with your head?
Since the very beginning, we have been taught to finalize a decision by using the rational tools our brain provides, namely logic, reason and rationality. But not every logic and calculated decision fits your need or has taken the importance of your personal wellbeing into account.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
– Matthew 6.21, The Bible
Logic and reasoning have not always proven to be true. It may fool you into accepting handed down choices when your emotional and logical sides are at odds. That’s because your mind has both positive and negative programming that filters the information you receive consciously and subconsciously, creating a strong bias against any suggestions that come from your intuition. The mind is also caught up within the boundaries of this physical life with the drama and fear that come with it. It can be hopelessly out of touch with the true wisdom emanating from within.
HEART WISDOM
While intellect sits within the mind, wisdom sits within the heart. The heart relates to emotional intelligence and the brain is linked with analytical intelligence. When you are faced with a challenge, your mind will be first to come up with cues on how best to respond. Intuition, however, can be best described as the knowledge of something, without knowing how you came to know it. You just do. If you dare to follow your bliss, you are embarking on the path that has been waiting for you all the while. Following your bliss may sound scary at times and it isn’t always a pretty, rose-petal lined path but the realization of such a decision will often turn out to be amazingly effortless.
DISHARMONY
The true essence of wisdom however can be felt with the harmonious relationship between your heart and mind.
Throughout our lives, there are times when our body, heart, and mind do not act in unison. We generally accept that these different parts of us are separate from each other. We may think of one thing, feel another, and then find ourselves doing something completely different. When our body, heart and mind are not in alignment, they all become weaker, and then we become weaker. To persist on despite internal conflict will cause imbalance or disharmony resulting in confusion and possibly dis-ease in our body.
Inner conflict destroys your energy and hinders your effectiveness. You are not whole when one or more of your parts refuse to cooperate and that creates a conflict within you. Doubt begins to creep in leading to indecision, feeding into your fears and insecurities. You end up in a vicious cycle of discomfort, inconvenience and uncertainty. Some may even experience signs of pain, ranging from slight to full-blown sickness.
If there is no unity within ourselves, there can be no unity outside of self. When we lean towards wholeness, our divided sense of self will heal and the quality of our lives would change for the better.
A PRECIOUS GIFT
We spend so much of our energy looking outside for answers and solutions. You accept that answers always lie somewhere beyond, with someone better, smarter and more knowledgeable than you.
How can anyone know what’s good for you other than yourself? When it comes to what is right for you, you simply have to quiet your mind long enough to hear the promptings of the heart. It does not mean that there will be no wrong turn as it is all part of the journey.
I have come to accept that life is not just about surviving through an ordeal. Pain and punishment may be part of our journey, but the essence of life revolves around love, joy and happiness.
This mindset and level of joy involve disciplined practice every day. This is the wisdom of the ancient masters who have learned to follow the direction of their hearts. This precious gift is available to all of us if we are willing to learn and give it time. Remember that you hold the key to your happiness; everything else is just an opinion.
