Getting Out of Our Minds and Into Our Hearts

I was driving by the lake near my house when the traffic slowed and came to a complete stop. This wasn’t surprising, as the area is under heavy construction. What was interesting was that there was no immediate honking of horns by frustrated motorists. Yes, I was tempted. Then I noticed that starting with the car in front of me and extending forward down the long line, as far as I could see, each driver had his or her arm out the window pointing over the roof of their car to the right side of the road. When the traffic started moving, I looked on the right and saw the reason for the delay. A mother duck and her covey of ducklings were crossing the road in front of us.

Somehow, no matter how important our appointed errands seemed to be, something had changed. We had shifted from our logical and rational minds into the spiritual stillness within us that transcends our ego-mind and is commonly referred to as the heart of us. I noticed instantly that the situation affected me on all levels. The impatience and concern about being late for an appointment was totally gone. The smile on my face reflected the sense of joy, peace and aliveness that now filled my being.

This experience was a reminder that nature can ground us to our connection with everyone and everything in the universe and the ongoing flow of life. And it is through the feeling-emotional part of our nature – not through our rational and logical minds – that we access this knowing.

I also realize that many of us live in cities and are pretty much removed from nature. This widespread and growing lack of connection with nature is a contributing factor to the fear-based culture in which we live. When we don’t have any connection with our inner selves or the Earth, we lose conscious awareness of our oneness with all life, and we feel separate and afraid.

Another reason for this is that Western culture is based on taking in information logically and rationally with our mind and then letting our mind “tell” us how we should feel. The truth is that the rational and logical aspect of the mind was never meant to be the key determinant in our lives. It was always meant to be balanced with the higher aspect of our being, the heart of us, which is linked to the emotional aspect of our nature. This higher aspect, heart of us, gives us a sense of security and helps us learn what is truly important in life. It also transcends the ego-mind, which keeps us mired in conflict on a personal and global level.

In order to live conscious, fulfilling and fruitful lives, it is necessary to balance the mind with the heart of us. We already know how to do this. We do it all the time, we just don’t recognize it. We do it whenever we have a heightened moment in nature, meditate, pray, react to beauty in any form – especially babies – hear uplifting music, feel love or are simply filled with joy and happiness.

By balancing the mind with the heart of us we can live from a more desirable state. We will then be able to make more conscious, aware and humane decisions that will greatly enhance our relationships, our lives and the lives of others. It is our pathway out of suffering and into peace.

The rational and logical mind is vitally important. We just need to take a break from our total emphasis on it and practice moving into the heart of us until they work together in natural clarity and unity. The easiest and quickest way to start becoming familiar with this process is by pausing and literally shifting our attention from our heads to our chest area and to focus on our breathing. This takes us out of the ego-mind and fully into the present moment where peace lives.

If we can learn to live from a state that balances the mind with spiritual stillness, the heart of us, we will become aware of the sacredness that exists in all life. We will be free of the fear that keeps us isolated from ourselves and others—and in this harmony and balance lies the potential for a true healing in us, the Earth and humanity.
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Copyright 2008 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author’s book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within – is available at Amazon.com and other online booksellers, as well as through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.