Tend to Your Heart Like a Best Friend

I was listening to author and renowned speaker Peter Crone discuss the concept of heaven and hell. He says heaven is an expansive, inclusive space filled with love and peace.

And within that all-encompassing space, Hell is also included!

Wow, that's something to wrap the mind around. But it makes sense.

Like the yin-yang symbol, we need the contrast for something to exist. The Tao Te Ching speaks to this:

When everyone in the world sees beauty, then ugliness exists.

What is and what is not creates each other.

High and low rest on each other.

First and last follow each other.

Heavy is the root of light.

Misery is what happiness rests upon.

Happiness is what misery lurks beneath.

This reminds me of how the heart is regarded in Eastern traditions. The heart is a powerful resonator and can hold and include all feelings. When the heart's energy is balanced, we naturally feel peaceful, a heavenly feeling, which can allow and contain the dark, difficult emotions that represent being in Hell.

All emotions are felt on the surface of the heart. As we approach the summer, when the heart is energetically running the strongest, emotions can be heightened, as the energy is at its peak.

I had to remind myself of this when trying to suppress difficult feelings this morning. It's a knee-jerk reaction to talk ourselves out of challenging emotions, instead of being curious and just making space for them.

The heart can be our best ally when we allow all feelings to exist without justifying them. What we resist persists, so pushing away emotions only makes them come out sideways, reacting in ways we often regret.

So, after writing in my journal and raging on the page to get some clarity, I sat on my meditation cushion, acted like a best friend to my heart, and created an open, allowing space to feel whatever was there.

Ah, the relief of dropping resistance! Even with the hardest emotions, allowing whatever is there to just be feels like medicine. But to get there often takes practice.

Since we are hard-wired not to feel, we have to undo old patterns by naming the feeling as it arises. When we name it, we tame it. Then we're not entangled in the emotion, but rather, witnessing it.

Emotions have a much shorter lifespan when we name them and observe them. They no longer have power over us when we acknowledge and allow space for them, especially the emotions we'd never want to admit.

Once we can allow feelings to float without engaging in or resisting them, we can drop down into the heart space where our light of divinity rests.

In the yoga tradition, this is referred to as Purusa; in Chinese medicine, it's called the Shan Shen. In the Bible, it's referred to as the Kingdom of God within.

This light in the heart is said to always be at peace, and this is the season when it's easiest to access.

Feeling whatever is there brings relief, which leads to peace— a moment of heaven.

From my heart to yours~

Namaste,

Maggie