The Heart Chakra

Unit 8 – Master Your Energy E-course.

The Heart Chakra.

The Gateway to the Self and the World.

Recording 1: Self Love Meditation

Recording 2: Dream your vision Meditation

Recording 3: Radiant Heart Meditation

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 teachings 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 hundreds of 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, symbolising 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 smoky six-pointed star. The smoky colour 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 below).

2. The star symbolises a Merkaba, with two overlapping pyramids, which represent two vortexes of energy; the spiralling up Earth-Kundalini energy (the downward pointing pyramid, with an anticlockwise motion) and the spiralling 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 below). 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 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, who embodies Shakti, the feminine material life force. The marriage between Shiva and Shakti symbolises 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 breath, your mind becomes clear, your heart opens, and you are filled with life.

After experiencing the more solid elements of earth, water, and fire, we move into the less material element of air in the heart. This element is traditionally associated with the Mind because Air is intangible, like our thoughts, 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. The Eagle is the spirit animal of the heart for the Inka shamans: a bird with keen sight, soaring high above vast landscapes, symbolic of the mental qualities of clear vision and broad 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 can we open our hearts and embrace the world with unconditional love. Only with a discerning mind can we 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 body, and entrains our heartbeat into coherence. The breath bridges Body and Soul, bringing us into a state of Presence. Breathing is a natural, involuntary act; we are born into the world with our first breath, and we leave it with our 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 linked to the spirit of Condor, and both reside in the heart. Eagle and Condor are symbols of life and death, in the cycle of transformation of all existence. Death symbolises letting go of our past, of what no longer serves us, 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 true Soul vision in life.

Furthermore, 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 channelled 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. The heart's energy flows in a Torus Cocoon; it rotates and is at the centre of a large electromagnetic field. In the heart centre, we experience our Soul Radiance of Love, which expands and connects its light to the universal field (see picture 3 below).

The Rays of Light are 12 cosmic currents that flow from the Source level to the Earth, enabling us to receive various qualities of divine energy. Humanity is situated on the first three Rays: the Ray of Will and Power, the Ray of Love and Wisdom, and the Ray of Active Intelligence. Rays 4 to 7 emanate, as components, from Ray 3. Rays 8 to 12 are high-vibrational Cosmic Rays. The Heart chakra is linked to the 2nd Ray of Love and Wisdom, the most important Planetary Ray, which allows us to align with Divine Love and the universal Laws of Love. When attuned to the 2nd Ray, we know how to embody Unconditional Love. Among the many Light Beings connected to the 2nd Ray, we find Djwhal Khul, Sanat Kumara, Lord Maitreya, Jesus Christ, Buddha and more. We can call upon these Avatars to learn about the Wisdom and Compassion of the Heart.

In the Age development model, the child is now between 4 and 7 years old and is moving from exploring individuality and independence towards connecting with others and the world. The main lesson at this stage is how to stay authentic while developing a social persona, and to balance personal power with social interdependence. Ultimately, on a more spiritual level, the equilibrium lies between Self-Love and Love for the Other, with unconditional self-love being an essential prerequisite for sharing love with others.

When a child is loved and accepted unconditionally in a safe environment where aware adults respect her individuality and autonomy, she happily shares herself within the family and community. As an adult, she will develop healthy intimate relationships where love is given and received fluidly. In broader social contexts, she will contribute socially in mutually respectful relationships.

Emotions, core beliefs and issues in the heart chakra

In the Upanishad, the Anahata chakra is a centre of Oneness, where Shakti, as the created form, and Shiva, as the unmanifested creator, surrender to each other in mutual unconditional love.

The core issue we face here is about separation and duality, felt at the deepest level of our Being. As creatures, we may feel unloved, rejected and abandoned by God, or believe we are destined to live in a cold, mechanical and ruthless material universe. The feeling of separation causes profound existential grief, an emotion which overfills the heart with suffering or causes it to shut down in numbness. Ultimately, grief 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 realised. In other words, an open heart, overflowing with love, must be experienced directly.

In the six-pointed star, a symbol of the heart, all energies of the chakra system coexist, making it a very complex centre to balance. Just as white is the combination of all colours, love is the sum of all that we are, encompassing all universal archetypes within our psyche. Archetypal energies exist along a spectrum of opposite forces that we need to balance and harmonise. Examples of opposites include 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 opposite forces depends on how whole we feel within ourselves. An important aspect here is the integration of the Shadow—of all parts of ourselves that we have disowned to varying degrees because of conditioning and trauma; these unloved parts of our psyche create soul loss or a sense of incompleteness, leading to 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, with so many possibilities and choices, can be emotionally overwhelming and mentally difficult to balance.

The element of Air helps us hold our centre through the discerning, aware Mind of the Observer and through the peace and stillness induced by conscious breathing. As Byron Katie quotes, we cannot have an open heart without an open mind. Similarly, Sadhguru teaches that in Anahata, we need the sweetness of emotion and the steadiness of intellect in equal measure.

Imbalances occur 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 disrupted by negative, repetitive thought patterns. Without the detachment of the Higher Mind, which remains neutral and objective, we perceive reality through filters, interpretations, and expectations. We connect to life through the lenses of ideas and core beliefs, often rooted in our past experiences, instead of following our heart, intuition, and wisdom.

A mind that does not remain neutral and objective can lead to emotional reactivity, overwhelm, and over-sensitivity. A sharp and analytical mind may shut down or armour our heart. The magnetic power of the Heart must be supported by our Higher Mind through thoughts and actions that are kind, compassionate, and life-affirming.

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 restless and the body tense, the heart loses coherence. We lose our poise, our inner connection. 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 seek our original Soul Contracts, which we have come to explore here on Earth. The heart is the place where we recognise our true Soul essence and Soul agreements. When we recognise that our old maps no longer work in our lives, we need to let go of the relationships, jobs, social environments, and old identities that prevent us from expressing our highest possible Soul destiny.

It is very painful when we fail to recognise the call of our Heart, when we forget our original Soul contracts, and 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 realise the truth that we are creators and that we can dream our reality into being.

According to the experiential work of Orin and Daben, we are out of harmony when our energy is not anchored in the heart, our Soul centre, and the personality self is disconnected from her Soul and her Soul family. When the centre does not hold, the heart energy becomes weak and scattered, and the toroidal energy field is imbalanced in its rotation and expansion. When we are not rooted in Being, we fail to sense our Soul compass and lack an objective perception of the environment around us, struggling to establish mutually fulfilling relationships with the world.

The purpose of the second Ray of Light is to awaken Divine Love within our hearts.

The Laws of Love and Wisdom all centre around the core truth of the statement ‘I am Love’. Love is a vibration; it is who we are.

Two important corollary truths are that ‘There is no other’ and ‘Love is never found or lost’. Love is what comes through when we are open, and as we all shine the same divine light, we naturally share the stream of love that flows between us.

 Patterns of conditional love, of rejection and unworthiness, of seeking love outside ourselves, of pleasing and projecting, of abuse, betrayal, and attack are all symptoms of a failure to understand the basic laws of love. Realities where: I love you only under 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 exploring her own individuality in the early years, is now curious about the world around her.

The child is now forming her social identity, and healthy relationships depend on her being firmly grounded in Self-Love, which she has learnt through the unconditional love and acceptance she has received from her family. Furthermore, Self-love naturally develops when there are no external expectations to meet to be loved, and when we approach challenges on our learning path with kindness and self-compassion.

When we are told how we should feel, think and behave to be loved, the Shadow is formed instead, and we only learn to love those parts of ourselves that were accepted. As children, we comply because we need love and bonding, and as adults, we give away our power in exchange for love, both from individuals and groups.

Conditional love creates a pattern of seeking love and validation outside ourselves, in family settings, with lovers and friends, in social groups, at work, and in creative endeavours. Co-dependency becomes the main way of relating, causing suffering when there is loss – such as a broken relationship, a miscarried project or a long-term role we identify with.  Because our sense of worth relies on these external ‘objects’, and we are not rooted in Self-love, we experience profound grief when we lose them.

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 breath. I observe the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation. Conscious breathing helps me stay in touch with my body. Breathing slows down my thinking. I breathe in and receive the nectar of love into my heart. I breathe out and give love from my heart.

Heart and purpose

I listen to my heart’s desires. My heartfelt spiritual intuition guides me on my life journey. I forgive my past, embrace change, and gradually 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 my 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, as well as the shoulders, arms, and hands (heart meridians). The thymus gland, which supports the production of T-cells, is located in this area, making the immune system an 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 local neurons that are similar to the neurons in the brain. The heart has its electromagnetic field, which according to the research of the ‘HartMath Institute’, is 5000 times bigger than that of the brain.

In Energy Medicine, the heart is correlated to the spiritual-emotional body and generates a field of energy through the Heart Merkaba (picture 2) and the Heart Torus Cocoon (picture 3).

Imbalances in the heart chakra can cause lung infections and tumours, asthma, heart disease and blood conditions, hypertension or hypotension (high or low blood pressure) and dysfunctions in the immune response. Depression as a spiritual longing can be seen as a psychological issue of the heart. Anxiety and addictions connected to craving for love and self-love are also mental health symptoms of heart chakra imbalances. 

Psycho-spiritual imbalances in the heart chakra 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 recognise the true Essence of Love within ourselves, in others and in the world. Healing the heart is about learning to love unconditionally, without attachment to external objects of love. Ultimately, it is a process of Self-realisation, where the Ego dissolves, and we feel ‘We Are’ this current of love that flows through us and 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, an imbalanced heart can become either excessive or deficient. The energetically deficient heart can be closed, cold, armoured, 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.

Opening up to the difficult emotions within the heart chakra is never easy, as this is a very sensitive place, and the wounds can be deep. Healing the heart requires patience. It is a 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 from grief and release the illusion of separation, 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 are a few guiding principles.

• Grief and other painful emotions in the heart need to be accepted, allowed, and released in order to open the heart.

• With compassion and self-forgiveness, the process can be gentle, unfolding slowly and in layers.

• Unconditional love and Self-realisation require a conscious choice and ongoing discernment. We need to cultivate awareness of disharmonious thoughts and choose to transform them.

• Unconditional Love is about owning our Golden Shadow, our unexplored and unique talents, as well as our Dark Shadow, our rejected and unloved selves.

• Love is an experience. We sense the heart’s radiance in others, and we feel the flow of love running through us and in the vibrational field.

• The heart is a gateway where we hear the voice of our Soul, guiding us on our path of evolution.

• A heart-inspired life journey requires :

* Observation and acceptance of reality as it is.

* Fluidity, as the ability to let go of all emotional attachments mind identifications.

* Continuous engagement with life and openness to change.

Meditations

All meditations are designed to be reused many times, depending on your current area of interest, such as relationships, creative projects, wealth, intimacy, and emotional well-being.

Self Love Meditation

In this meditation, you will connect to the ‘I Am Love’ presence and heal those situations in your life that reflect a 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 associated suffering. You will integrate your shadow and reaffirm your natural wholeness as a radiant being of Love and Power.

Click here for the Self Love Meditation

Dream your Vision Meditation

In this meditation, you will feel the Soul's essence in your heart, and from this state of presence, you will recognise the original purpose you have come to fulfil in your life. You will let go of any resistance, patterns, or identities that hold you back from the past, and dream the future vision of yourself and your world into being.

Click here for the Dream Your Vision Meditation

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. Then, you will 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 Torus Cocoon of energy radiating all around in the universal field.

Click here for the Radiant Heart Meditation

Tools and practices

LEARN FROM RELATIONSHIPS

Relationships are useful mirrors in our journey to reveal and integrate rejected and unloved parts of ourselves. We often see in others what we believe we lack, and we project onto others judgments that reflect our own self-criticism. Our judgments of others help us understand what we don’t love about ourselves, and our projected admiration (or envy) helps us recognise the qualities we have disowned. Every archetype of the psyche has a light and dark side; it holds both talents and weaknesses; it can be overplayed or underplayed.

We know there is shadow work to do when our evaluation of people or situations is not neutral but is accompanied by a negative emotional charge, along with reactivity, resistance, and judgment.

We suggest the following exercises to reveal our Shadow, the disowned aspects of ourselves that need reintegration into our psyche.

- List 3 people you admire.

List down their positive qualities. Find examples in your life, even ordinary ones, where you have shown these positive traits. Ask yourself what motivated you to express these qualities.

For example, I admire people who have the courage to speak up; I don’t think I have that courage. However, I remember fiercely defending my son against a strict headteacher. When it comes to what is important to me, I can be very courageous. 

- List 3 people you dislike.

List down their negative qualities. Find examples in your life, even ordinary ones, where you have demonstrated these traits. Ask yourself what hidden treasures these negative qualities might 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 dislike helplessness in others and, therefore, in myself. Instead, I have learned that helplessness often masks vulnerability, and I have come to love my vulnerable Self, with her gifts of sensitivity, empathy, and compassion.

- Harmony of opposites

Reflect on how much of each opposite energy you hold: whether you are more introverted or extroverted, masculine or feminine, logical or intuitive, visionary or detail-oriented, earthy or celestial, and so forth.

Intend a 50/50 balance. If you have a rate, for example, of 5/95, you may want to reclaim the expression for the quality rated 5.

PRACTICE SELF COMPASSION

I remember the words of a teacher who once relieved my anxiety when, after I stated, “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 calmed my racing mind, and I couldn't help but laugh at the idea that I have no real way to measure my own being. Is my cat good enough? Or have the tulips in spring already achieved enough?

The first flowers appeared on Earth roughly 100 million years ago, after vegetation had existed for much longer. They bloomed naturally when it was their time to do so.

Self-compassion is the precursor of Self-Love. It affirms that you are perfect as you are right now and that you are exactly where you need to be at this stage of your Soul’s journey.

Practice radical kindness towards yourself.

Practice unconditional self-acceptance.

Practice showing yourself a loving attitude, just as you would with a child.

Soothe yourself when you're 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 to the same extent they love themselves. They can only see the light in you to the same extent they see it in themselves. Accept and love them unconditionally, as their behaviour depends on their level of consciousness. We are all on a journey towards learning to be at One with the Light, Love, and Power of the Universe.

Forgiveness involves recognising that people, including ourselves, often behave according to Ego patterns rooted in past wounds. When we realise this, forgiveness becomes natural.

Practice these affirmations and notice what happens internally in terms of peace and joy.

I forgive myself totally

I forgive you totally

I forgive the past totally

Notice all the 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 carry in our hearts, caused by a lack of self-love, past episodes of rejection and betrayal, and all forms of loss and unhealthy attachments. The emotional charge of grief short-circuits the heart chakra; it causes us to lose coherence, or even fall apart, and as a result, our centre no longer holds. Grief is often hidden beneath layers of other emotions, or simply buried because it is too painful to feel. I have ceased asking myself why I feel grief, why my heart aches so deeply. When grief arises, I accept its presence and surrender to it. I hold myself through 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 any situation in your life, even trivial occurrences, 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 heartbreak. Before we can understand and transform grief, we need to accept it.

- Make space to grieve

When in grief, we need to be held because we are in deep pain. You may prefer to be alone, in a safe space where you can soothe yourself with kindness and compassion. You may wish to invite spiritual support. In that case, you can call upon Angels, the Mother Goddess, Spiritual teachers, Power Animals, or other Light Beings into your space. Another important type of holding comes from humans: a friend, a therapist, a priest, a mentor, or a community.

- Work with the body and breath

Grief often triggers old pain, which was stored in our cellular memory. Mindful physical activity helps move energy in the body, as does any type of bodywork, such as massage and therapies focused on releasing tension and stress.

Breath work also transforms the energy of grief. Observing grief whilst breathing consciously will spontaneously dissipate its energy. (See the exercise below: Mindful breathing).

- Work with mind

Enquire mindfully into the situation. Use discernment to identify which thought pattern or behaviour, rooted in separation, is causing you to suffer. Furthermore, the mind may become agitated and obsessive when we grieve, adding thoughts of self-doubt, helplessness, anger, judgment, and more. Work with the energy of the Observer and the Higher Self to return to Presence and access wisdom and love. Reveal and transform the thinking error or negative Ego reaction. And refuse to add unnecessary grief through negative thinking. Grief can become a bottomless well, 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.

Engage with healthy activities in a playful way. This isn't about distraction or avoidance but about living fully with childlike curiosity and recognising beauty in the world. Explore creativity in music and the arts, share love through healing and social connections, enjoy sports and nature adventures, indulge in the body's sensual pleasures, and more. Discover what you wish to learn and experience next. Stay present in the moment. Begin with simple acts like cooking a lovely meal or caring for your body. Take your time and see where the joy of 'keeping moving in life' leads 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 before 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 over to the field of light and watch it dissolve.

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 into 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 connect with our Higher Mind, the awakened mind of the Observer, 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 recognise the Negative Ego

2. Practices to access the Higher Mind

1. Ways to recognise 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 originating in the past and in external conditioning.

The Negative Ego arises when we lose fluidity in our exploration of life by becoming attached to rigid mental and emotional states or identities. The Ego is a fixed persona that cages us, contracts our energy, and disconnects us from the intelligence of the expanded field of consciousness.

The Ego becomes dominant and negative when it is not observed with the compassion of our Higher Mind. Ego’s negative patterns often originate from trauma, serving as a dysfunctional way to protect us. The Ego ultimately arises from love and can only be transformed with love.

There are many causes for the development of the negative Ego, and here we aim to recognise it by observing its symptoms, behaviour, and reactions.

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/overexpressing emotions

Isolation

Busyness, overactivity, 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 that triggered suffering or tension helps maintain a state of detachment, allowing us to observe and transform our responses.

* Record a recent episode where you reacted with unconscious, uncontrolled, automatic behaviour.

* Write using a style of free association of thoughts:

- What happened

- What did you notice 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 that will positively influence our feeling states and actions. But how do we recognise 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 at One with Source: the ‘I Am, I Exist, I Know’ state that precedes all experience

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; it is an innate capacity

The Spiritual Mind is always available, yet we actively nurture our connection with it.

A few suggestions 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, and mindful physical activity.

Thoughtless awareness

Be open to many levels of perception beyond thinking: the senses, the body, the emotions, intuition, and 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 and be curious; for instance, notice synchronicities.

Observe without controlling the experience

Do not put filters before the experience, such as expectations, judgements, stories or narratives derived from the past.

Do not put labels, descriptions or definitions after the experience.

Experience precedes thinking. Being comes before manifestation.

Instead, cultivate the art of looking and listening. Learn to see reality as it is.

Be in the experience without any resistance.

Be Detached

Do not put filters before the experience, such as expectations, judgements, stories or narratives derived from the past.

Do not put labels, descriptions or definitions after the experience.

Experience precedes thinking. Being comes before manifestation.

Instead, cultivate the art of looking and listening. Learn to see reality as it is.

Be in the experience without any resistance.

Optimism versus Pessimism

The awakened mind is kind and compassionate, and it trusts the universe. It knows we are all One. It knows everything is Love. It chooses wisdom, joy, playfulness, creativity and all qualities in service of the evolution of consciousness.

Silence and emptiness

Make space for moments of silence, and listen deeply. Ask your questions in the silence beneath the mind's activity, and notice the wisdom of the answers.

The following exercises help create a calm state for accessing the Higher Mind.

Exercise: Allow all your thoughts

Sit in meditation and observe your thoughts.

You may want to 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 colours, scents, sounds, experience touch, flavours, 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. Become aware of what happens in each part of the body, paying close attention to all sensations from the feet to the head. If the mind wanders, go back to observing the body part. Stay with every sensation within each body part, methodically. Notice how the energy moves and shifts, and how the tension eventually subsides into relaxation.

Exercise: Mindful physical activity

Engage in any form of physical movement. Moving your body releases stuck emotions and helps stop mind rumination. Pay close attention to every movement, and move very slowly if it feels helpful. Focus on your breathing, try to inhale and exhale with your mouth shut, and observe when you don’t.

Exercise: Mindful breathing

Slowing the breath slows our thinking and calms the restless mind and tense body.

• Observe every inhalation and exhalation. I inhale and exhale. I follow the full extension of inhalation and the full extension of exhalation. I observe the pauses between breaths.

  
  

• Run the breath up and down 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 vice versa.

  
  

• Find an anchor for your breath. Breathe into areas of your body where it feels good. Breathe in and out from your belly, heart, nostrils or any 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:

Useful for balancing the Pingala and Ida nadis (masculine and feminine energy channels).

Use the fingers of your right hand.

Take a deep breath in, close your right nostril with your thumb, breathe out through your left nostril.

1. Breathe in through your left nostril, close your left nostril with your little finger, breathe out through your right nostril;

   
   

2. Breathe in through your right nostril, close it with your thumb, breathe out through your left nostril.

Repeat steps 1 and 2.

Repeat the steps until the breathing becomes regular and even.

Breathe for as long as you feel like it; 5-7 minutes is suggested, but even less can be very beneficial.

Always finish with step 2, with the exhalation from the left nostril.

LOVE CRAFT

The following practices help us operate from an open-hearted 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 the other person silently to respond in the same way. Continue streaming light from your heart only if it feels light and effortless. Otherwise, gently withdraw into your space. If the person is not open to this form of connection, for whatever reason, you should 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, those in need, and even to those you don’t like. Notice how your energy shifts when you send thoughts like: "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, whether they have loved you or challenged you. Each person 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: Spiritual Emotional body

Social Identity

Archetypes

Veda: Blessing Shiva, Shiva and Parvati, marriage of spirit and matter

Veda energy body: Heart as the centre of the Merkaba

Celtic shamanism: Spirit of Air and Athame-sword

Inka shamanism: Eagle-Condor

Orin-Daben energy body: Soul Heart Jewel, Heart as the centre of the Torus Cocoon

Rays of Light: 2nd Ray of Love and Wisdom

Self-realised Masters: Djwhal Khul, Sanat Kumara, Lord Maitreya, Jesus Christ, Buddha

Developmental model: 4-7 year-old child

Core emotions, beliefs, issues

Issues: spiritual separation, lack of wholeness, lack of self-love, emotional attachment, emotional coldness, lack of mental stability, social isolation.

Core negative emotions: grief, separation, loneliness, worthlessness, feeling unlovable, neediness, jealousy, over-emotionality, anxiety, insensitivity, lack of compassion, emotional numbness, apathy, depression.

Core positive emotions: self-love, self-acceptance, unconditional love, compassion, kindness, social connection and interdependence, heart knowing, spiritual wisdom, stillness, peace, joy.

Excessive: overly sensitive and overly empathetic, lacking detachment, lacking self-love, needy, possessive, loves too much, codependent, overly focused on the other, caring too much.

Deficient: cold, overly detached, judgmental, intellectually superior, withdrawn, afraid of intimacy, armoured, afraid of being hurt, excessively independent, lacking 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

Pictures 1-2-3 Heart Star, Heart Merkaba, Heart Torus

Ebook Heart chakra - Heart six pointed star picture and Heart Torus.pdf

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