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Spirituality
Gifts from a Spiritual Heart
What is the role of a spiritual heart in troubled times?
Posted February 1, 2021
There are uncompleted essays on my computer in a folder titled “Possible Blogs.” In my trash each week, there are crumpled papers of handwritten notes intended to explore clarity but which led instead to more confusion. There is something in me that wants to speak out, sometimes shout, about the multiple uncertainties of our times. The desire for clarity is strong but the modes of communication seem murky.
I long to offer comforting thoughts to those who are suffering deeply. My natural tendency is to provide explanations or reasons, but these may be of limited value when emotions are so strong. That leaves me with one significant tool for communication: my spiritual heart.
The stress of our times has taken its toll on me as it no doubt has on many others. I wonder if the most important way for me to participate in our healing as a nation is for me to be willing to kneel in a position of humility with my heart offered from my hands. The image may seem overly dramatic, but the intent is to illustrate generosity that is initiated from the heart.
I personally find what I call “the spiritual realm” by choosing to pass through all the entangled webs of our times. To avoid feeling choked by complexity, I focus on our common origin of spirit. Each of us can choose to be in this place within our hearts where we have the potential for mutual understanding and shared kindness. Each of us can realize the transformative power of love that resides there. It is a realm we can access by the intention to be fully present within it.
Is moving into one’s heart going to stop the pandemic, relieve the economic struggles of the unemployed, or address a wide range of injustices? The answer may be that the heart is the way of helping from the inside for it can motivate us to take loving action.
Most of life shares the need for food, water, and shelter and must search for these. In humans, that basic search impulse has expanded into a more inclusive and subtle one—the search for meaning.
Humans as well as many other species have realized the need to gather in groups in order to survive. Different species have learned to cohabit in harmony while others continue to pillage each other. We don’t have to look far to see what humans have beautifully constructed by their choices of the heart or horrifically destroyed by their lack of it.
Humans long for safety and security in order to develop their full potential. They need stimulation of the basic senses in order to realize their connection to the physical world. They need logical, rational thinking skills to create tools and plans for societies. They need to exercise imagination in art and the invention of new devices. There is clear evidence of success in these activities.
So it does not seem to be our inherent potential as a species that is the source of the difficulties we face, but whether we choose to be aware of that potential and the purpose for which we choose to apply it. Designation of someone or a group to have authority over decisions for the community may serve a valued purpose if it is anchored in the heart for the common good. It can become a weapon of oppression if it is unmoored from the heart in a conceited need for power over others. The spiritual heart within each of us plays an essential role in our future together.
Perhaps it is our underlying relationship to our spiritual heart that is the key to approaching the many problems now facing us personally, nationally, and globally. There are many systematic teachings (religions, philosophies) that have served this purpose over history. Yet the bases of some teachings may need to be re-framed to adjust to modern times. If the goal is to open spiritual hearts, then the language and methods need to be expressed in ways accessible to the current shared context of the times. It is unfortunate that there are those who abuse others in the name of spirit into believing principles that do not serve any good but that of a false leader. The development of deep empathy for others demonstrated by generous action is key to recognizing a true pathway to one’s spiritual heart.
Being aware of this sacred heart within oneself can form relationships so profound they satisfy our human needs for security, safety, companionship, meaning and purpose. With love as the center of life, we can better recognize truth from lies and trivialities, and genuine generosity from gratuitous promises. We can forgive in balance with the need for accountability, and be kind to another in balance with their untamed harshness. Most of all, we can learn to offer our love as an aspect of healing grievances.
If this seems too implausible a goal, then maybe it can be tested by observing the impact of a heartfelt interaction between other people, allowing the experience of awareness of one’s own spiritual heart within, or simply answering truthfully the question, “What meaning does my life have that contributes to the betterment of lives of others?”
For my present moment, I won’t crumble these thoughts and throw them in the trash. I’ll reflect, inquire, experiment, and mostly take time during the day to look inside and say, “Hi, Beloved Heart.”
© Betty Luceigh, February 1, 2021
