Lesson #17: Pathway of the Heart - Heart Wisdom
Introduction
The Pathway of the Heart - Heart Wisdom is the seventeenth pathway.
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.” — Helen Keller
“Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” – Swami Sivananda
“Our thoughts are not who we are; we are the awareness behind them.” – Jack Kornfield
“The practice of gratitude allows us to cultivate a joyful heart.” – The Wise Heart
Our ancient ancestors understood the Wisdom of the Heart. They lived mostly by intuition, sensing the outer world, and paying attention to their deep feelings. These still make up 98% of who we are. The other 2% of our makeup is intellectual thinking. With modern scientific teaching and technology, we have forgotten that the Mind is supposed to consider the Intuitive and emotional information supplied by the Heart and combine it with rational thinking to make balanced and harmonious choices. We are not just our thoughts; we are also our intuition and feelings – the Wisdom of the Heart.
Feelings: We know when we feel uncomfortable with someone or a situation. We also know when we feel happy, and there are all the feelings in between that we are not always conscious of feeling. Feelings color our world and bring us closer to the spiritual. Even if we are not aware of our feelings, they influence our choices. How we feel about something is totally different than how we think about something. We achieve balance when both feeling and thinking are in harmony with each other. Feelings are an important way our Heart shares its wisdom with us.
Intuition: Intuition is an inner knowing. We can’t describe in words what this inner knowing is all about, but we know it is true beyond a shadow of a doubt. Intuition is a resource of the Heart that realizes the truth without thinking about it. It is an instant knowing about someone or something that arises from our solar plexus (the seat of the Heart) and becomes a strong feeling. It is an indescribable inner knowledge of rightness. Most often we try to override and rationalize our intuition telling ourselves, “It must be wrong.” However, in hindsight we understand our intuition was right. Learning to accept our intuition is an important step on our spiritual path.
Connection with the Divine: Our deeper Heart Wisdom comes from the connection with the Divine Spirit. The Mind is not directly connected to the Divine, the Heart is. For the Mind to have a full comprehension of the Divine, it must be in tune with the Heart. The Mind knows when it is receiving Divine inspiration as insights. These insights come first through the Heart. The Heart reminds us to always live in Love and Light with our spiritual goal to BE Love and Light.
Listening to our Heart Wisdom brings us a new sense of completeness and wholeness. Living in loving conjunction with Spirit, Heart, and Mind is our purpose on earth.
Prayer for Heart Wisdom
Great Light of All Life, help us to awaken to our Hearts in new ways, to listen to the inner knowledge of our Hearts and to know that this knowledge brings wisdom to our choices. Strengthen our connection between Heart and Mind so that Divine Wisdom flows to us moment by moment as we choose to follow the Pathway of the Heart. May Love and Peace surround us now and always. And so, it is. Pau.
Affirmation: Wisdom of My Heart
In this moment, I listen to the Wisdom of my Heart. I listen and I act from this deep spiritual Wisdom. I am grateful for the Spiritual Wisdom that comes from my Heart.
Meditation: Connecting with Heart Wisdom
Come to a meditative moment filled with serenity and peace. Bring your consciousness to your Heart Center. Envision Mind and Heart merge into one shining Circle of Oneness. Now envision a Light from your Spiritual Self moving into this Circle of Oneness. Anchor this feeling of Self-Oneness into your Heart so you can return to it any time. Stay in Oneness for as long as you want. Be grateful for this joining of Heart, Mind, and Spirit. Release the Circle of Self-Oneness and return to the present moment knowing that from this day forward all of your parts are working together for your highest good.
Spiritual Practices
Week 1 - Heart Wisdom: Making Friends with Your Heart Self. This week, if you haven’t done so, begin to treat your Heart Self, your Inner Self, as your best friend. Talk to yourself, praise yourself, and ask advice from yourself. Tell yourself how grateful you are that your Heart Self is in your life. Ask yourself, and follow through with action, what your Inner Self would like to do today. Do something special for your Heart Self every day.
Week 2 - Heart Wisdom: Listening and Acting. Be mindful this week of when your Heart Self is talking to you, and especially when it is giving you advice. Consciously take in the advice and use it to help your Mind make decisions. Thank your Heart Self for sharing its Wisdom with you.
Week 3 - Heart Wisdom: Using Your Intuition. Be aware of times your Heart Self feels strongly about someone or something and thank your Heart Self for sharing that information with you. Explore your intuition by “guessing” who is on the telephone when it rings; finding a parking place in front of the store; or if someone needs you to call. Create games to play to get to know how your intuition works.
Week 4 - Heart Wisdom: Connecting with Divine Spirit. As you prepare to meditate or pray, first re-connect with the Self-Oneness you experienced in the Meditation for this Pathway. Do your meditation or prayers from this place of Oneness, which expands your capacity to connect with the Divine Spirit. Feel your Consciousness ever expanding.