Is it really a change of heart or a redirection of the mind?
I am sure we have all heard others say and perhaps even described for ourselves what is often termed a change of heart. I have personally found it to be a curious phrase. I do recall times in my life when I was so locked in a mental position that the pain of it prompted me to seek a way out of my self-inflicted angst. In reflecting on some of these occurrences it would seem to me to be more of a change of mind than a change of heart. There is something enduring and unchangeable about the spiritual heart that cannot be changed but can only be revealed. For a vast majority of the population the mind is the primary navigation tool and thinking the incessant activity. The mind, being dualistic, has the maddening capability of literally arguing with itself. It can concurrently build a case for one proposition while at the same time delivering an equally compelling but opposite agenda. Humans are engaged in this chaos most of the time. It is what the mind does. It need not be an enemy. Awareness is the key. When you know that this is what the mind does, and can catch yourself in the activity of it, liberation is at hand.
Mind identity is hell. Believing your own thoughts creates a self imposed prison of misperception. Our stories of separation and disconnection torment us regardless of their illusory roots. The mind will always tell stories. The mind will always argue. The mind will always seek to hold dominion over the inner-state, and will feed itself on its own perpetuated drama. You will never have an authentic change of heart while you are locked in the mind.
Heart-centeredness could indeed be called heaven. Relating to the mind from the spaciousness of the heart dispels the drama by wakefully containing it. The heart is an instrument of Oneness and will always embrace and behold the dualistic stories of the mind. The heart never argues. It doesn’t need to. It is the center-point between Reality and the relative. It is the portal of the Soul and is privy to a Truth that is beyond debate. When the inner-atmosphere is in heart coherence there is peace and poise within the inner being. This takes vigilance and discipline. The mind will try and recapture its position as lord of the castle. This isn’t a problem to be solved but an opportunity to be opened to. Fighting the mind only increases the velocity of the thinking. A new default is required, a new “go-to/come from” place. The transformative choice is to live literally within the heart and to allow its natural genius to illumine the mind. This is what sets us free to be all that we are meant to be. This is the foundation of all sacred emergence.
What I am describing here is not a change OF heart, but rather a change TO heart. With a change to heart comes a natural redirection of the mind. The Light that streams from the heart-center shines into the mental field and brilliance is the call of the day. You can’t think this into happening. That throws us back into mind-referral. A change to heart is felt sense and Source directed. The heart doesn’t believe the lies of the mind but neither does it fight them. It watches. It beholds. It is curious and wakeful and always open.
So if you have a sense that a change of heart is in order, surrender into a change TO heart. Allow the energy-temple in the center of your being to be your GPS this day. It is never faulty. It will Light the way and lead you to places the mind could never conceive. Breathe heartfully in this moment, and watch the changes happen.
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