The Heart Chakra
Unit 8 – Master Your Energy E-course.
The Heart Chakra.
The Gateway to the Self and the World.
Introduction
We will describe the Heart Chakra following four main maps: the original Vedas, the 5 Elements of the Medicine Wheel, the Inca shamanic tradition and A. Judith’s Age development model. (For an overview of the models, see Unit 3 ‘The Energy of Chakras’)
We will also refer to the teaching of Orin and Daben in the Awakening the Light Body training, and to the Metaphysics of the Rays of Light, originated in the Vedas and divulged in modern times by Alice Bailey.
Description and Archetypes
The heart is a universal symbol of love, centre and wholeness. In many spiritual traditions the heart chakra is the sacred space where the divine Self meets the mundane Self, and the Soul sparks its Light, manifesting on earth as ‘I am Presence’. The heart is the portal through which we access Love, as pure source energy. Each chakra holds a specific vibration of Love (in Sanskrit there are hundred names for the word Love) and in the heart we integrate them all as One, in a complex balancing of opposite archetypal energies.
The heart chakra is positioned in the centre of the chest. In the Vedas it is called Anahata, meaning unstruck sound, or sound happening with no musical instruments, symbolizing the unmanifested principle, the sound of the Soul which exists beyond the physical dimension. Unstruck also means that which cannot be hurt, because the True Self is always pure and cannot be affected by any events in the world of phenomena.
The symbol of the Anahata chakra is a smokey six pointed star. The smokey color refers to the element of Air, and the star indicates two overlapping triangles.
There are two meanings for the star combining two triangles:
1. The upward pointing triangle represents the Earth chakras (1-2-3) and the downward pointing triangle represents the Sky chakras (5-6-7). The Earth chakras define our Personality Self, whilst the Sky chakras attune us to our expanded Spiritual Self. In the star the energies of all six chakras merge as one (see picture 1).
2. The star symbolizes a Merkaba, with two overlapping pyramids, which represent two vortexes of energy; the spiraling up Earth-Kundalini energy (the downward pointing pyramid, with an anticlockwise motion) and the spiraling down Spirit-Soul energy (the upward pointing pyramid, with a clockwise motion). In the heart the Earth current, ascending along the spine, meets with the descending Spirit current (see picture 2). The merging of the two currents in the heart ignites a cocoon of energy expanding outwards from a central point of light. The heart then reveals itself as a self-generating well of Love energy, radiating its light in the universal field around.
In the Vedas the deity abiding in the heart chakra is a benevolent form of Shiva, pictured with four heads looking simultaneously in all directions, to bless everything and everyone around him. Shiva is here an embodied Avatar, consciousness manifested in form, and he is married to Parvati, embodying Shakti, the feminine material life force of the universe. The marriage between Shiva and Shakti symbolizes the attraction in love between spirit and matter. The Veda’s symbolism unifies Spirit and Matter, Earth and Sky, Personality Self and Spiritual Self, making the heart chakra a space of balance and wholeness.
The element of the heart chakra is Air. Imagine standing on a hill with your arms stretched above. The wind is blowing, the air is fresh; when you take a deep inbreath your mind becomes clear and your heart opens, you are filled with life.
After experiencing the more solid elements of earth, water and fire, in the heart we move into the less material element of air. This element is traditionally associated with the Mind because Air is intangible as our thoughts are, and it moves as quickly as our mind.
The sword is the symbol of Air in Celtic shamanism because it is sharp, like the discerning mind can be. The Eagle is the spirit animal of the heart for the Inka shamans; a bird with a keen sight, soaring high above vast landscapes, symbolic of the mental qualities of clear vision and high perspective.
In the heart we learn to master the Higher Mind. Mind as clarity, discernment, awareness, higher perspective and vision. Only with an awakened, non-judgmental mind we can open our heart and embrace the world with unconditional love. Only with a discerning mind we can protect the sacred space of the heart.
The element of Air is also linked to the Breath, whose rhythm of inhalation and exhalation helps us balance the energy of the heart. Slow conscious breathing calms the mind and the body, and entrains our heartbeat into coherence. The breath bridges Body and Soul, as it brings us into a state of Presence. Breathing is a natural involuntary act; we are birthed into the world with a first breath, and we leave it with a last breath. The breath reminds us in every moment of the miracle of life that happens beyond our efforts.
In the Inca medicine wheel the spirit of Eagle is associated with the spirit of Condor, and they both reside in the heart. Eagle and Condor are symbols of life and death, in the cycle of transformation of all existence. The element of death is symbolic of letting go of our past, of what doesn’t serve us anymore, and ultimately of the death of our limited Ego. Death ‘as transformation’ is needed to step out of social conditioning and old karmic trajectories, in order to manifest our truest Soul vision in life. According to the Inka, the human race belongs to the star nations - our family of light, in the realm of the Upper World. Through the gateway of the heart we access the expanded consciousness of the Soul planes, and source there the vision of our highest evolutionary path on Earth.
The heart is a Soul centre in other esoteric traditions, and I refer here to the Light Body training channeled by Orin and Daben and to the Metaphysics of the Rays of Light.
Orin and Daben invite us to experience the heart chakra as the radiant centre of our Being. When our heart is merged with the Soul Heart Jewel, we access a self-generating Well of Love and Light. Similarly to the dynamic of a Torus Cocoon, the heart energy has a revolving movement and is at the centre of a great electromagnet field. In the heart centre we experience our Soul Radiance of Love, expanding and connecting its light into the universal field.
The Rays of Light are 12 cosmic currents that run from Source level and ground on the earth plane, allowing us to receive different qualities of divine energy. The 2nd Ray of Love and Wisdom allows us to connect to the ‘I Am presence’ of Unconditional Love. When we are in harmony with the 2nd Ray we embody Unconditional Love and abide by the universal Laws of Love. Masters connected to the 2nd Ray are Lord Matreya, Christ, Buddha, Huan Yin, Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene, and we can call upon these luminous beings to learn about the Wisdom and Compassion of the Heart.
In the Age development model the child is now 4 to 7 years old and is moving from exploring individuality and independence towards connecting with the other and the world. The main lesson to learn at this stage is how to maintain authenticity whilst developing a social persona, balancing personal power and social interdependence. Ultimately, at a more spiritual level, the equilibrium is between Self-Love and Love for the Other, with unconditional self-love as an essential pre-requisite to share love with others.
When the child is loved and accepted unconditionally, in a safe environment where aware adults respect her individuality and autonomy, she happily shares of herself in the family and in the community. As an adult she will develop healthy intimate relationships, where love is given and received fluidly. In wider social contexts she will give her social contribution in mutually respectful relations.
Emotions, core beliefs and issues in the heart chakra
In the Upanishad the Anahata chakra is a centre of Oneness, where Shakti as created form, and Shiva as unmanifested creator, surrender to each other in mutual unconditional love.
The core issue we face here is about separation and duality at the most profound level of our Being. As creatures we may feel unloved, rejected and abandoned by God, or bound to live in a cold, mechanical and ruthless material universe. The feeling of separation causes a profound existential grief, an emotion which overfills the heart with suffering or shuts it down in numbness. Grief ultimately congests and closes the heart. Although we know that the core dualism between matter and spirit, creature and creator is an illusion, a thinking error, the truth must be realized. In other words an open heart, overflowing with love, must be experienced directly.
In the six-pointed star, symbol of the heart, all energies of the chakra system exist together, making it a very complex centre to balance. Like the color white is the sum of all colors, love is the sum of all who we are, of all universal archetypes in our psyche. Archetypal energies exist in a spectrum of opposite forces that we need to balance and harmonize. Examples of opposites are heart and mind, rational and emotional, vulnerable and powerful, feminine and masculine, attachment and freedom, the self and the other and so on. How well we balance these opposites forces depends on how whole we feel in ourselves. The important aspect here is the integration of the Shadow, of all the aspects of ourselves that we have disowned to different degrees because of conditioning and trauma; these unloved parts of our psyche create soul loss or lack of wholeness, and ultimately deep suffering.
The pain of feeling separated, fragmented and unloved makes the Anahata chakra a very sensitive space, that needs to be accessed with great compassion and kindness. Furthermore, a dimension where all opposite archetypes meet at once, which contains so many possibilities and choices, can be emotionally overwhelming and mentally difficult to balance.
The element of Air helps us hold our centre, by the use of the discerning and aware Mind of the Observer, and by the peace and stillness induced with conscious breathing. As Byron Katie quotes, we cannot have an open heart without an open mind. Similarly, Sadhguru teaches that in Anahata we need equally sweetness of emotion and steadiness of intellect.
Imbalances happen when the beliefs and narratives of the mind overshadow the intelligence of the heart. The spontaneous experience of Soul alignment (Body-Heart-Mind) is then interfered by negative, repetitive patterns of thinking. When we lack the detachment of the Higher Mind, neutral and objective, we look at reality through filters, interpretations and expectations. We connect to life through the lenses of ideas and core beliefs, often originated in our past history, instead of following our heart intuition and wisdom.
A mind that fails to be neutral and objective allows for emotional reactivity, overwhelm and over-sensitivity. On the other hand, a sharp and judgemental mind can shut down or armor our heart. The magnetic power of the Heart needs to be supported by our Higher Mind, by thoughts and actions which are kind, compassionate and supportive of life.
The element of Air is also associated with the breath, whose natural rhythm entrains our mind, body and heart into balance. When the mind is agitated and the body tense, the heart loses coherence. We lose our poise, our inner connectedness. Conscious breathing slows down the flow of thinking and relaxes the body, making space for calm receptive Presence. The breath is the bridge that brings body, mind, and heart into alignment.
In the rituals of the heart, the Inka shamans journey to the Upper world to look for our original Soul Contracts, what we have come to explore here on Earth. The heart is the place where we recognize our true Soul essence and Soul agreements. When we understand that our old maps are not working in our life anymore, we need to let go of those relationships, jobs, social environments and old identities, that hold us back from expressing our highest possible Soul destiny.
It is very painful when we fail to recognize the call of our Heart, when we forget our original Soul contracts and we disown parts of our Soul that cry to be expressed. Then the flame of our passions goes out and we feel blocked in inspiration and actions. We remain stuck in attachments to the past and old karmic trajectories, missing the opportunity to realize the truth that we are creators, and that we can dream our reality into being.
In the energy map of the heart described by Orin and Daben, we are out-of-harmony when our energy body is not anchored in our Soul centre, and the personality self is disconnected from her Soul and Soul family. When the centre does not hold, the heart energy is weak and scattered, and the toroidal energy field is imbalanced in its rotation and expansion. When we are not deeply rooted in Being, we fail to sense our Soul compass and we lack objective perception of the environment around, struggling to establish mutually fulfilling relations with the world.
The purpose of the second Ray of Light is to unlock the Divine Love within our Heart. The Laws of Love and Wisdom all revolve around the core truth of the statement ‘I am Love’, meaning that Love is a vibration, and it is who we are. Two important corollaries of this core truth are that ‘There is no other’ and ‘Love is never found or lost’. In other words ‘Love is what comes through when we are open’ and ‘We all shine the same divine light, and share the stream of love that flows between us’.
Patterns of conditional love, of rejection and unworthiness, of looking for love outside ourselves, of pleasing and projecting, of abusing, betrayal and attack are all symptoms of the failure to understand the basic laws of love. Realities where: I love you only at certain conditions; the world rejects me, I am unlovable; I give away my power for love; I am better than you; I control you because I love you; I attack you because you are different; and more, all reflect a state of consciousness where love is not experienced in its true essence.
In the developmental model the child is 4-7 years old, and after the early years’ exploration of her own individuality, she is now curious about the world around. The child is building her social identity; healthy relationships will only be possible if she is well anchored in Self-Love, learnt through the unconditional love and holding received in her family. Self-love is naturally developed when there are no external expectations to be fulfilled to be loved, and by an attitude of kindness and compassion when we meet challenges on our learning path. When we are told how we should feel, think and behave to be loved, the shadow is formed, and we only love those parts of ourselves that were accepted. Self-love becomes conditional. As children we comply because we need love and bonding, and as adults we invalidate our inner truth and give our power away in exchange for love, to individuals and groups. We look for love and validation outside ourselves, in family settings, with lovers and friends, in social groups, at work and in creative endeavors. Co-dependency becomes the predominant way of relating, often causing us grief when there is loss - of a broken relationship, a miscarried project or a long-term role we have identified with – losses which we cannot let go of because our sense of value is depending on them, because without these external ‘objects’ we cannot experience Love and Self-realization.
Positive core beliefs in the heart chakra:
Separation
I am Embodied Divine Love. I am One with my Soul and all Creation. My true Self cannot be hurt. I am Whole. I embrace all opposite qualities of being in myself.
Unconditional Love
The Creator loves me unconditionally. I love and accept myself unconditionally. I am Love. You are Love. Love is what comes through the portal of my heart. I radiate and magnetize Love. I radically forgive myself and you. I choose to keep my heart open. I choose to love.
Calm Mind
My mind is clear, attentive, and aware. I cultivate a non-judgmental mind. I observe reality as it is. I allow all of my thoughts. I observe how my thoughts influence my body, feelings and behaviours. I observe my thoughts flowing by, and in the emptiness I hear the voice of my Soul.
Breath of life
I often bring attention to my breathing. I observe the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation. Breath helps me to be in touch with my body. Breath slows down my thinking. I breathe in and receive the nectar of love in my heart. I breathe out and give love from my heart.
Heart and purpose
I listen to my heart’s desires. My heart-felt spiritual intuition guides me on my life journey. I forgive my past, allow change and step by step move courageously towards my highest path of Soul evolution.
The centre and the field
I am centred in my heart where my Soul radiates. I am anchored in Being. My centre is strong, therefore I can greatly expand in perception and connection. My heart is open, and I protect its energy field. I am steady in my core, and I choose in every moment how to respond to the world around me.
Imbalances in the body
Specific correlations with glands, organs and systems can be found in relation to the chakra position in the body. Typically, the heart area is involved with the lungs and respiratory system, the heart and cardiovascular system, and the shoulders, arms and hands (heart meridians). The thymus gland, supporting the production of T-cells, is positioned in the area, including the immune system as another important system correlated to the heart chakra. The heart is also a neurological centre. It is said that the heart has its “little brain”, composed of approximately 40,000 neurons that are alike neurons in the brain. The heart has its electromagnetic field which according to the research of the HartMath Institute, is 5000 times bigger than the one of the brain.
According to energy medicine, the heart is correlated to the Astral body (seat of the Soul) and the Spiritual body, and generates a field of energy through the Heart Merkaba (picture 2) and the Heart Torus Cocoon (picture 3).
Imbalances in the heart can cause lung infections and tumors, asthma, heart diseases and blood conditions, hypertension or hypotension (high or low blood pressure) and dysfunctions in the immune response. Depression as spiritual longing can be seen as a psychological issue of the heart. Anxiety and addictions interpreted as craving for love and self-love, are also mental health symptom of heart chakra imbalances.
Psycho-spiritual imbalances in the heart may affect other body systems and cause more complex mental-health conditions.
Healing and balancing the chakra
In the heart we heal the existential grief caused by the illusion that we are separate from the Love of the universe. The heart fills with grief when we fail to recognize the true Essence of Love in ourselves, in others and in the world. Healing the heart is about learning to love unconditionally and with no attachment to external objects of love. Ultimately it is a process of Self-realization, where the Ego dissolves and we feel ‘We Are’ this current of love that flows through us and through all our relations.
When we are rooted in Unconditional Love as the formless Self, we are able to handle experiences of rejection, low self-worth, loss of external identities, betrayal, attack and ultimately lack of unconditional love, because we source perspective and resourcefulness from a space of higher love and wisdom.
Energetically the imbalanced heart can become excessive or deficient. The energetically deficient heart can be closed, cold, armored, empty like a black void, and non-giving. On the other hand, when the heart is excessive, it can be overemotional, needy, attached, suffering, and over-giving.
It is never easy to open difficult emotions in the heart chakra because this is a very sensitive place, and the wounding can be deep. Healing the heart requires patience in the process of letting go of many layers of grief, often buried under other emotions such as fear, anxiety or anger. The transformation of grief can be exhausting, like an emotional roller coaster, often accompanied by the mind racing wildly. But the stakes are high because when we heal grief and release illusion, we open a magical portal to the Infinite Love and Power of the universe.
At the core of the healing meditations and tools suggested below, there are a few directing principles.
Grief and other painful emotions of the heart need to be accepted, allowed and released, in order to keep the heart.
With kindness, compassion and self-forgiveness the process can be gentle, unfolding slowly and in layers.
Unconditional love and Self-realization require a conscious choice and continuous discernment. Awareness of thinking errors and conditioning beliefs help us recognize what creates disharmony in the heart chakra.
Unconditional Love is about owning our Golden Shadow, our unexplored and unique talents, and our Dark Shadow, our rejected and unloved selves.
Love is an experience. We feel the heart radiance in others, and we breathe in the flow of love within ourselves.
The heart is a gateway where we hear the voice of our Soul, guiding us on our path of evolution.
A heart-directed life journey requires specifically:
* Observation and acceptance of reality as it is, with its perceived limitations.
* Fluidity as the ability to let go of attachments to the past, with its memories, people, and other external forms of identification.
* Continuous engagement with life and openness to change, despite all challenges or perceived failures.
Meditations
These meditations are designed for you to re-use, depending on what aspect of your life you want to focus on, i.e relationships, creative projects, wealth, or other areas of physical, emotional and mental well being.
Self Love Meditation
In this meditation you are going to connect to the ‘I Am Love’ presence and heal those situations in your life that mirror lack of love and self-love. By embodying the light of your wise and loving Soul, you will understand your repetitive patterns of heartbreak, and release any suffering associated. You will integrate your shadow and reaffirm your state of natural wholeness, as a radiant being of Love and Power.
Dream your Vision Meditation
In this meditation you are going to feel the Soul essence in your heart, and from this state of presence you will recognize the original purpose you have come to fulfill in your life. You will let go of any resistance, pattern or identity that are holding you back from the past, and dream the future vision of yourself and your world into being.
Radiant Heart Meditation
In this meditation you will intend to open your heart chakra to its next level of radiance. You will clear any resistance or suffering blocking the way, by running the ascending vortex of the Earth current. You will then anchor your Soul’s energy in your Heart Jewel, allowing the descending vortex of the Spirit current. When the two currents merge in the heart, you will experience your Soul centre as a Well of self-generating Love, and feel the dynamic Cocoon of energy radiating all around in the universal field.
Tools and practices
LEARN FROM RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships are useful mirrors in our journey towards wholeness (healing the Shadow) and unconditional Self-love. We often see in others what we think we are not, and we project judgments onto others that reflect our own shortcomings. Our judgement of others helps us understand what we don’t love about ourselves, and our projected admiration (or envy) helps recognize the qualities we have disowned within ourselves. All traits of our character, every archetype of the psyche, have a light and dark side, they can be overplayed or underplayed, they have both talents and weaknesses. Self-love requires acceptance of all aspects of our being, and balance of their opposite qualities.
We know when there is projection and therefore there is shadow work to do, when our evaluation of people or situations is not neutral, but rather it is accompanied by an emotional charge, in the form of reactivity, resistance, negative feelings or other form of suffering.
We suggest the following exercises to reveal our Shadow, as those disowned aspect of ourselves that need reintegration in our psyche.
- List 3 people you admire.
List down their positive qualities. Find examples in your life, even ordinary, when you have demonstrated these traits. Ask yourself what motivated you to express this quality.
For example, I admire people who have the courage to speak up, I think I don’t have this courage; however, I remember defending my son fiercely from a strict headteacher. When it comes to what is important to me, I can be very courageous.
- List 3 people you despise.
List down their negative qualities. Find examples in your life, even ordinary, when you have demonstrated these traits. Ask yourself what hidden treasures do these negative qualities hold for you.
For example, I despise aggressive people, I think I am not aggressive; however, I once slapped a group facilitator who challenged me harshly (he hugged me afterwards and praised my power).
I also despise helplessness in others and therefore in myself. I have now come to love and protect my vulnerable Self, with her gifts of sensitivity, empathy and compassion.
- Harmony of opposites
Ask yourself how much of any opposite energies you possess: how much introvert/extrovert, masculine/feminine, logical/intuitive, visionary/detail-oriented, mother/father, earthy/celestial and so on.
Intend a 50/50 balance, if you have a rate for example of 5/95 intend to reclaim the expression of the quality rated 5.
PRACTICE SELF COMPASSION
Once a teacher relieved my anxiety when I was stating ‘I am not good enough, I am not achieving enough, I am a failure’. She replied to me: ‘What if you were ahead?’
This answer stopped my racing mind, I started laughing at the thought that I do not have a real way to measure my beingness. Is my cat good enough? Or have the tulips in spring achieved enough?
The first flowers appeared on Earth only about 100 million years ago, after vegetation had been there for much longer. They flowered when it was time for them to flower, spontaneously.
Self-compassion is the precursor of Self-Love. It says that you are perfect as you are right now, that you are perfectly where you need to be right now, at the stage of your Soul’s journey.
Practice radical kindness towards yourself.
Practice unconditional self-acceptance.
Practice a loving attitude towards yourself as you would with a child.
Soothe yourself when you are emotional.
Speak gentle words to yourself when you are in self-attack.
Allow the love of your Soul and of the Cosmos to hold you.
PRACTICE FORGIVENESS
Others can only love you in the same measure they love themselves. They can only see the light in you in the same measure they see it in themselves. Accept and love them unconditionally, as their behavior depends on their level of consciousness. We are all on a path towards learning to be at One with the Light, Love and Power of the Universe.
Forgiveness is about recognizing that we often act according to Ego patterns originated in wounding. When we understand this, forgiveness become spontaneous.
Practice the following affirmations from a state of Presence. Notice what happens to you in terms of inner peace and joy.
I forgive myself totally
I forgive you totally
I forgive the past totally
Notice all conditions you set for loving yourself or others.
I love myself, only if/when…
I love you, only if/when….
LEARN TO LET GO OF GRIEF
Forgiveness is ultimately about letting go of the grief we hold in our heart, caused by lack of self-love, past episodes of rejection and betrayal, and by all forms of loss and unhealthy attachments. The emotional charge of grief short circuits the heart chakra, it makes us lose coherence if not fall apart, and then our centre doesn’t hold anymore. Grief is often buried underneath layers of other emotions, or simply buried as it is too painful to feel. I have stopped asking myself why I feel grief, why does my heart ache so much. When grief emerges, I accept it is there, I surrender to it. I hold myself in the suffering, I do not push it away. Grief is an energy that engulfs the heart centre and there are ways to express it, to breathe it out of the body, and reconnect to our inner state of peace.
Steps to deal with grief:
- Cultivate acceptance
When grief is triggered by situations in your life, even trivial occurrences or movies or news from the world, accept that grief is there. Do not resist it, even if it is uncomfortable. There is no shame in grief, it is an expression of suffering, the frequent response to any form of loss or heart-break. Before understanding and transforming grief we need to accept it.
- Make space to grieve
When in grief we need holding, because we are in deep pain. You may prefer to be alone, in a safe space where you can hold yourself with kindness and compassion. You may want holding from Spirit, then invite in your space Angels, the Mother Goddess, Spiritual teachers, Power Animals or other Light Beings. Another important type of holding comes from humans, with a friend, a therapist or a community of people.
- Work with the body and breath
Grief often triggers old pain buried in our cellular memory. Mindful physical activity helps moving the energy in the body, as well as any type of bodywork like massages and therapies focused on releasing tension and stress.
Breath work also transforms the energy of grief. Observing grief whilst breathing consciously will dissipate its energy spontaneously. (See Exercise: Mindful breathing)
- Work with mind
Recognize the truth of the situation. Use discernment to see which ego pattern of separation is causing your suffering. The mind may become agitated and obsessive when we grieve, with thoughts of self-doubt, helplessness, anger, judgement and more. Work with the energy of the Observer and the Awakened mind to come back to presence, wisdom and love. Do not recreate grief with your mind. There is no bottom to the well of grief, unless you access a higher intelligence that guides you towards healing and transformation. (See paragraph Access the Higher mind)
- Work with purpose and engage with life.
Focus on healthy activities, in a playful way. This is not for distraction or evasion. It is to engage fully with life, with the concentration and wonder of a child, and recognize beauty in the world: the creativity in music and all arts, the love in healing and social connections, the fun in sport and nature exploration, the sensual pleasures of the body and more. Find out what next you want to know and experience. Stay in the flow of the moment. Start with simple steps, even cooking a nice meal or taking care of your body. Go slowly and see where the magic of ‘keep moving in life’ is taking you.
Exercise: Rose meditation for grief
Create a safe space for yourself where you can relax.
Relax and breathe slowly.
Imagine that from a space of light a beautiful white rose appears in front of you.
Imagine breathing out your grief into the rose from your heart.
Allow the rose to absorb your grief, breath after breath.
See the rose darkening and wilting with the energy of your grief.
Hand the rose to the light and see it dissolving.
See another rose appearing and place it again in front of your heart.
Repeat the process as many times as you need to.
The last rose will stay white and pure and you can bring it in your heart.
Feel the lotus of your heart blossoming.
Breathe in and out the wonderful love energy of the universe.
ACCESS THE HIGHER MIND
There are many ways to access our Higher Mind, the awakened mind of the Observer, in order to break ego patterns of suffering and limitation, and to keep our heart open.
We will work practically with the Mind with:
1. Ways to recognize the Negative Ego
2. Practices to access the Higher Mind
1. Ways to recognize the Negative Ego
The Ego is not an enemy, it is a limited form of consciousness resulting from the accumulation of thoughts, emotions and experiences originated in the past and in external conditioning.
The Negative Ego happens when we lose fluidity in exploring life, because we are attached to rigid mental or emotional states. The Ego is a fixed persona, that cages us in a box, disconnecting us from the expanded field of perception. The Ego becomes dominant and negative when it is not observed with the awareness of our Higher Mind.
There are many causes for the creation of a negative Ego, and here we want to recognize it by observing its symptoms, how it behaves and reacts.
The Ego is at play when we observe patterns of:
Defensiveness
Automatic pilot responses
Resistance
Constant comparison
Complaining
Rigidity of beliefs
Rumination
Repetitive negative emotional states
The Ego has different ways of reacting:
Intellectualizing
Repressing/over expressing emotions
Isolation
Busyness, over-active, escapism
Extreme sensitivity to criticism
Attack/blame/righteousness
Self-pity/ victimhood
Fight/flight/freeze responses
Exercise: Record episodes of Reactivity
The habit of debriefing episodes which triggered suffering or tension is helpful to keep a state of detachment, when we can observe and transform our responses.
* Record a recent episode where you reacted with unconscious, uncontrolled, automatic behavior.
* Write using a style of free association of thoughts:
- What happened
- What did you noticed happening in your:
Body sensations
Feelings
Thoughts
Behaviors-actions
- What did you notice happening with the people involved.
* Read again what you have written and highlight the pearls of awareness and understanding.
2. Practices to access the Higher Mind
Ultimately, to maintain Presence in Love we need to cultivate the Compassionate Mind of the Observer, developing new thinking patterns which will influence positively our feeling states and our actions. But how do we recognize an Awakened Mind? And most of all how do we access it?
Characteristics of the Higher Mind versus the Individual Mind:
The Higher Mind is connected to the expanded field of consciousness.
The Awakened Mind operates in the present moment.
The Higher Mind accesses the knowledge and intelligence of the universe.
The Awakened Mind is about inner knowing and deep-felt answers.
The Spiritual Mind is hardwired in our brain.
The Spiritual Mind is an innate capacity that we can cultivate.
Practices to access the higher mind:
Mindfulness
Be attentive, focused, completely absorbed by what you are doing.
Stay in the present moment, in the flow of one step after the other.
Practice mindful eating, mindful walking, mindful physical activity.
Thoughtless awareness
Be open to many levels of perception beyond thinking: the senses, the body, the emotions, intuition, dreams. We have many types of intelligence beyond the logical/analytical: the somatic intelligence, the emotional intelligence and ultimately our spiritual deep knowing.
Cultivate an open mind, be curious, for example notice synchronicity.
Observe without controlling the experience
Do not put filters before the experience, such as: expectations, judgments, stories or narratives derived from the past.
Cultivate Looking and Listening. See reality as it is. Do not resist what is.
Know that experience precedes thinking.
Be Detached
Do not be attached to thoughts, even if you love them!
The mind needs to be observed fluidly.
Mind is impersonal, let it happen, be alert and curious about it.
If a thought persists do inquire into it. How does it make you feel, how does your body react to it, how does it affect other thoughts and your actions.
Optimism versus Pessimism
The awakened mind is kind, compassionate and trusts the universe. It knows we are all One. It knows Love. It chooses wisdom, joy, playfulness, creativity and all qualities in service of the evolution of consciousness.
Silence and emptiness
Ask your questions in the silence that arises when the individual mind subsides.
The following exercises help create a calm state where to access the Higher Mind.
Exercise: Allow all your thoughts
Sit in meditation and observe your thoughts,
or write them down in free flowing associations.
Do not try to switch your mind off. Do not try to control your mind. Let it be. Thoughts are fluid, fluid.
Like emotions thoughts come and go. Accept all your thoughts, don’t hold on to any.
Radically intend to accept all your thoughts.
Do not be ashamed of any thought.
Thoughts are not yours, they are not personal.
You are not your Mind.
Notice the silence arising, when you sit as the Observer.
Exercise: Focus on sense perception
Be attentive and alert with all your senses: perceive colors, scents, sounds, experience touch, flavors and tastes.
Be in nature and connect with the elements. Choose an element and deeply sense and connect with it: air and sky, sun and fire, earth and land, waters of the world.
Exercise: Focus on the inner body
Observe the inner body, do a full inner body scan. Be attentive to what happens in every part of the body, with all details of perception, from feet to head. If the mind wanders go back to the observation of the body part. Stay with every sensation inside every body part, methodically. Notice how the energy moves and shifts, and how tension subsides to relaxation.
Exercise: Mindful breathing
Slowing down the breath slows down our thinking and calms the agitated mind and the tense body.
Observe every inhalation and exhalation. I inhale and I exhale, I follow the whole extension of the inhalation and the whole extension of the exhalation, I observe the pauses in between breaths.
Run the breath up and done your spine. I inhale and breathe up the spine, I exhale and breathe down the spine. Extend the breathing to the whole body, from the feet to the crown and viceversa.
Find an anchor for your breath. Breathe where it feels good in the body. Breathe in and out from your belly or heart or other part of the body.
7-7-7-7 Breaths (Breathe in and count 7, pause and count 7, breathe out and count 7, pause and count 7)
Alternate nostrils Breathing:
Use the fingers of your right hand.
Take a deep Inbreath, close your right nostril with the thumb, breathe out your left nostril.
Breathe in your left nostril, close your left nostril with the little finger, breathe out your right nostril;
Breath in your right nostrils, close your right nostril with the thumb, breathe out your left nostril;
Repeat step 1 and 2
Repeat the steps until the breathing becomes regular and even.
Breathe as long as you feel like, 5-7 minutes is suggested, even less can be very beneficial.
Always finish with step 2, exhaling from the left nostril.
Exercise: Mindful physical activity
Do any type of physical movement. Moving the body moves the energy of stuck emotions and helps stopping mind rumination. Follow every move in the body with attention, and if it helps move very slowly.
LOVE CRAFT
The following practices help us operating from an open-heart space.
Soul linking
Connect to people at a Soul level. Imagine the energy of your Soul as light streaming down into your crown, heart and body. Send a beam of light from your heart to the heart of the other person. Invite silently the other person to respond in the same way. Continue streaming light from your heart only if it feels light and effortless. Otherwise gently withdraw in your space. If the person is not open to connect in this way, for whatever reason, you want to respect this.
Appreciation
Value the unique qualities people possess, appreciate their beauty and talents. Do so out of curious observation and pure wonder, your praise is objective and never excessive.
Blessings
Send blessings to the people you love, the people in need and also the people you don’t like. Notice what happens to your energy when you send thoughts such as: May you be well, may you be loved, may you be safe and abundant, and more.
Gratitude
Be grateful for all the people in your life, those who have loved you and those who have challenged you. Everyone has shared part of their Soul journey with you for a reason. Practice gratitude at the end of each day for all the small and important events in your life and notice how your inner state changes.
Connect to others
Do small acts of kindness, be curious and interested in others. Join groups or social events, stretch out of your comfort zone and reach out to others. The spirit of healthy communities entrains your energetic well-being.
SUMMARY TABLE
Description
Name/meaning: Anahata, unstruck sound or that which cannot be hurt.
Element: Air
Position in the body: middle of the chest, also cardiac plexus
Energy Body: Astral body, Spiritual body
Archetypes
Veda: Blessing Shiva, Shiva and Parvati marriage of spirit and matter
Veda energy body: Heart Merkaba
Self-realized Masters: Lord Matreya, Christ, Buddha, Huan Yin, Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene
Celtic shamanism: Spirit of Air and Athame-sword
Inka shamanism: Eagle-Condor
Orin-Daben energy body: Soul Heart Jewel, Heart Torus Cocoon
Rays of Light: 2nd Ray of Love and Wisdom
Developmental model: 4-7 year old child
Core emotions, beliefs, issues
Issues: spiritual separation, lack of wholeness, projecting, pleasing, rejection, low self-worth, co-dependence, attachment, emotional coldness, aggressivity, abuse, lack of emotional balance, lack of mental stability, social isolation, self-absorbed.
Core negative emotions: grief, separation, loneliness, valuelessness, unlovable, needy, jealousy, over-emotional, anxiety, insensitive, lack of compassion, emotionally numb, apathy, depression.
Core positive emotions: self-love, self-acceptance, unconditional love, compassion, kindness, heart knowing, spiritual wisdom, presence and centredness, stillness, peace, joy.
Excessive: over sensitive and over empathic, lack of detachment, lack of self-love, neediness, possessive, loves too much, codependent, focussed too much on the other, caring too much.
Deficient: cold, over-detached, judgemental, intellectual superiority, withdrawn, fear of intimacy, armoured, fear of being hurt, overly independent, lack of empathy, self-absorbed.
Other information
3rd dimensional colour: green associated with healing
5th dimensional colour: radiant white or pink (pink= red of earth and white of sky)
Relation to other chakras: the centre of the chakra system, the centre of the merkaba, the centre of the Torus Cocoon
Body correlations: cardio-vascular system, respiratory system, immune system
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