Keep Open Your Heart
Right where you are do this little exercise….throw your arms up and out to your sides as far as you can go as if you were hugging the universe. Now notice how open that area feels- you can do this any time you feel contracted or closed from whatever is happening or whoever is in front of you. There can be no renaissance without openness…and although its nice to have an open mind, its more critical to have an open heart -the ability of availability to whatever is trying to come through your life or work, or community.
If you take notice of when something is bothering you – or you feel triggered by an event or person – notice the contraction and the pulling in around your heart. Designed for protection of course – and it feels counter- intuitive to open when there is hurt or fear but it is the absolute right thing to do in a time of change, transition and transformation.
My husband is an expert level skier and many years ago he was determined to teach me to love skiing and to not be afraid. I was one of those people who needed a swig of Yukon Jack before getting on the lift. He was very patient and he could ski backwards in order to help me. His constant instruction was “lean forward…lean forward”. Looking down a hill (yes even a bunny hill) with those instructions seems very dangerous and foolish. Of course I found out the hard way that the counter intuitive instruction was exactly what I needed to do to stay upright in my skis. After I began to practice that, my skiing got better and I had a lot more fun.
Its similar with making a change in your life or having a difficult relationship or wanting to bring something new into the upheavals of our world. Keeping our heart open feels frightening and we get this message that it will hurt more- but in actuality it’s the opposite…we realize how resilient we are – how we are designed for magnifying love and grace and at the same moment – the hurt begins to dissolve.
I had occasion to remember this during the past week – an unexpected hurt flew to my heart like an arrow. All the feelings of sadness and anger and disappointment began to pile up – along with the closing of a door that felt like the iron door of a cell. Fortunately for me, I do a lot of heart work with heart math and I remembered how to do the coherence practice and heal that hurt with openness. Sure enough, wisdom came in the place of the wound. This is the time for the new – for the beautiful – for the hopeful to come into being and I don’t want to miss it!
Keep open your heart – I will join you!
