I Am the Heart Adrian Newington © 1991
I Am the Heart ©
the
fruit of my contemplations.
by
Adrian Newington ©
1991
Written in a style of literature common to mystical India. It is a book rich in metaphor and parable, and is designed to deliver spiritual insights for people who live the modern western lifestyle whilst grappling with many of life's mysterious complexities. This takes the form of a spiritually uplifting dialog between a 'Troubled Mind' and the 'Heart'.
The
Mind, (which
deals with life rationally and analytically),
converses with the 'Heart' after it has come forth from its silent
abode out of compassion.
The
heart, (source
of wisdom & love),
points out how the Mind is a continual seeker of contentment, yet how
it never comes to realize that the peace it seeks through ongoing;
unsatisfying worldly activities, is the permanent peace that
naturally resides in every human heart
INTRODUCTION
In the course of my ongoing search for understandings of Life, love and God, many great things have come my way to assist me with my desire to learn, including spiritual teachings which are now deeply entrenched into my everyday life. The timing of this event I see as no accident as I was now ready for the next important phase of my spiritual evolution. Incorporated into this next phase was an occurrence of an event that has happened to me once to often. Resolved to never let it happen again, I threw myself deeply into contemplation and self discovery. By the guidance of spiritual wisdom, traditions and teachings, as well as instructions in meditation, old and dark memories began to come to light. Understandings of myself and life’s complexities would filter into my consciousness and grant me a power to overcome my hidden fears and ignorance’s.
Of the most important of these understandings, was the awakening to the cause of a cyclic problem with personal relationships... that being, ‘my weakness in communicating’. For so long I have known that I was a day-dreamer... for so long I have known that my attention would just slip away as smoothly as honey, and lure me imperceptibly out of the moment. Yet, I had no idea of the destructive limitation. So often I would be engaged in conversation and have a mountain of ideas and information to contribute, but somehow only a pittance of my thoughts would ever become verbalised. I was then naturally seen by others as having very little to contribute as an individual, or as a partner. In writing this text, I have borrowed a style so widely and beautifully used in much of India’s classic literature.
True to the process that I went through, I have separated the Mind and the Heart as entities in their own right engaged in mutual conversation. Though it is the goal of each person to become united with themselves, this separation is in fact done with a deep feeling of love and compassion, making the literal separation a very powerful union of communication in the most intimate sense. Now I have greater understandings of my own nature as well as that of others. From this I am well and truly on the way to obtaining , living and maintaining a good and happy life. Grace and knowledge have liberated me from a sea of limitations and ignorance, and love has allowed me to be still that it might settle within me. Freedom and peace shall be the attributes that will guide me forward in life, and listening to the Heart for the silent truth will be my protector.
Adrian Newington.
"Stand
Oh Arjuna,
resolved
to fight!"
Bhagavad Gita. 2:37
"By
practicing Samyama on the Heart,
Knowledge
of the Mind is acquired"
from the ‘Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali’ Book II, 34.
I AM THE HEART
Mind... I must talk to you. Stop those tears and look at me. I demand your attention.
Your wretchedness I can no longer stand. Your blindness to the way you continue to lead your life forces me to make a stand. Equally I come to you out of Loving Compassion and Loving Anger. For far too long your power and influence have been asserted within the activities of each day, and look what it continues to bring. I am the heart. I am the silent witness to all your follies. I am the link to the unknown to let you FEEL God's presence.
You are a knower of things, but I am the Truth. I know not fear for I am Love itself. I have stood by you since birth and consistently offered you my Love and counsel, but now you have ignored me too many times. Do you concede that this is now the time for change? Surrender to ageless wisdom for I see that you are at the end of your road, and your efforts to secure a good life have been subtly undermined by your own misunderstandings. Do not despair, I come to you in Truth and Love, and would never forsake you as you have known in days past. We are really one and all I have to offer is Love, learning, and fulfillment. Would you deny yourself the chance to experience such things ? Hear me out as I show you areas of your life that have brought you repetition of pain.
Mind... I hear your thoughts, and I watch as you sink into sorrow. You think that you are kind, caring and considerate, yet you say your kindness is always unrequited in the areas of your life that are so very very dear to you. But these qualities you talk of are not enough if you expect a life in Love to be mirrored back to you. Tell me... where were you when you were most needed ?... Where were your responses when people cried out for your presence?... Alas, so many times you were wandering, and when those voices became hoarse, they could not do anything else but leave.
Mind... you struggle from a sense of loss, but in truth, loss and gain are the same thing. You are Loved very much, and what is needed to serve your growth will always be provided. What has served its purpose will be withdrawn, only to be replaced with another Loving gift. Life is a mirror to your thinking, and the way you look at any given situation will determine the state of your well being. Is not a clay cup as valuable as a golden chalice? Do they not enable the same thirst to be quenched ? You are in anguish over solitude, but can't you see how this solitude has brought us together at last ? For so many years you have been living apart from me. Now you have ears that will finally listen to the Love that you have been dismissing in my many efforts to improve your life.
Mind... now is the time to bring forth understandings... Many understandings of the way that life has unfolded from the choices that you have decided to put into action. Be sure that I will help you find the many mysterious truths you have always thought you were in possession of. Oh Mind... let me begin a lengthy discourse for your benefit. Be still... be patient as I take command of this life for a time.
In all your worldly years, you have been gathering information and knowledge about people and events, and have built an immense library of everything that has happened to you. Every event has been recorded and you have found a place in which to store it. In your childhood, you had little or no such information available as you had not yet learned to read, and never needed to make notes or observations. Uncomplicated by desires and pure of Heart, you would naturally come to me that I might be with you throughout your daily life. In simplicity you would follow the ways of the Heart, to then continue in Peaceful innocence with your day.
As your worldly skills and knowledge became many, you began to become independent of me. This in itself was good as you began to develop reasoning, logic and discernment, but something happened along the way where you would call on me less and less. You started to rely on information long ago gathered, and applied it to each and every situation you encountered. You then forgot about discrimination and discernment and applied old learning to new situations. You never even thought to consider that the information you dragged out of your shadowy rooms might now be redundant. Unlike the desires of a young child which are outgrown by what becomes valid for an adult, you have hung on to what was once legitimate and kept on applying it. You allowed the result of one experience to apply to similar and even new experiences. Your source of reference to the events of life continued to come out of dusty old books from dimly lit rooms.
As years went by, your library became the centre of your universe, but unknown to you, you had contracted your life and greatly limited your horizons. Often I would prompt you with my silent words, but you had not the courage to act upon them. You would go back to seek an answer from one of your old books and act upon your life in this manner. As your efforts to secure a stable life would not bring the peace you had hoped for and sought after, you would go into your huge house to find comfort and support by delving into your old books. Thus, there would grow a reliance on old memories and wishful yearnings to guide you in life as it unfolded.
Mind... where are you going ? Stay with me. You drift away even as I am talking to you. See how uncontrolled and undisciplined your behavior is. See how scattered your mental processes are. This is the very thing that has prompted me to come forward to you. I can no longer stand by and watch you suffer so needlessly and so continually. Dear sweet mind who tries so hard. Your ideals stem from that which is good, but so many of your choices and actions have come from what you might call safety; protection; caution; but I know them for what they truly are... Fear! Oh Mind... if I prompt you to tears, it is only because a truth now stands shining before you illuminating an old and dark ignorant ideal.
Mind... I'm telling you! A door has opened before you. If you linger for too long, a great opportunity will vanish and you shall fall back into old ways. Be very careful where you tred, and do not wander too far from me during this time or you will endure more hardship. Stay close to me... I am your friend. Together we can bathe in the peace of unity. Do not think that you will find comfort and answers in your imaginings. The truth of the eternal moment is where contentment lies. Fantasies you conjure up may show an ideal state to live in, but when you come out of your wanderings and wake up to what you have been doing, you only bring pain to yourself as your ideal crumbles by the Truth of the moment you live in.
Mind... some of your imaginings may be kind and considerate, but they are not truth. Use the kindness you employ to be kind to yourself. Bring your self imposed suffering to an end by keeping company with me in the eternal moment. Ask yourself; what is it you seek out of life ? Why do you seek fulfillment in your imaginings. How does illusion tempt you from being involved in the world ?
Mind.. pay attention whenever you are asked for information. By your wanderings, you omit so many times to bring back what is required, to then bring yourself to complain that the needs of the moment remain unfulfilled. Always hang on firmly to what I ask of you. Perform your duty before you take your leave. Please do not come back empty handed when I give you a task. We must work as one.
Mind... your imaginings have been so fantastic, that you have lost sight of the truth of the world that you live in. Poor mind, that you need to create so actively in order to support yourself, it is your very creations which keep you in chains. From your bondage, you then have to create again in order to gain support. But look outside where I reside. Look at the colours in my world. Look at the living light that surrounds all beings. Look at the gentleness and easy pace of those who have united with themselves. “In the Moment” is their abode. They are free and believing in themselves. Mind... from now on, do not feel sad when you return from your wanderings, it is only because you have not been sustained. You went there seeking peace, and for a time, you fully believed that you had found it, but when I tapped you on the shoulder, your creation dissolved and tears welled up in your eyes. Oh mind, I will continue to help you through your misguided ways. I know that what you seek is really me. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... when you visit a place within your imaginings that you call the future, what can you show for your efforts upon return? Look at your hands, they are empty... but are they ?... they tremble. Are you carrying something heavy ? How painful it would be to know ones future. How painful to know of future sorrow. How equally painful to know of future joy. Since the present already contains enough concerns of the day, how would you stand a pain that would intensify from a desire to obtain a long awaited blessing. If you could truly wait in peace for such things, then I would not be here with you talking as I do. So then... would you deliberately wish such a thing upon yourself?... Softly I hear you say “No”. Then take my hand and let us rest a while in the warm sun. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... you cannot look into the unknown as I can. Your vision is stored in dead books of the past, but my vision is alive, and in each instant there is guidance in new directions linked to Love. For far too long You have put aside my vision of courage and daring for your vision of safety. Do not continue to inhibit your growth by giving in relentlessly to ways which will bring sorrow. Together we will work to build a new life I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... there is much work to be done and I borrow some words from a very learned and loving script.
“No matter how hard the task, one should never lose courage. Courage is the key to success. To lose Heart is to lose everything.”
Do not yield to despondency which is unworthy and dishonoring of your true nature. When you become enveloped in doubt, come to me. Can you expect a new life without any effort on your part? Can a worker expect an honorable wage if he has been idle ? Are you willing to prepare the field for the harvest you expect? Dreams of happiness and contentment will simply remain dreams if no action arises out of the inspiration. Since dreams of worth are implanted like a seed, (a gift no less), it is up to the individual to bring the dream forth into reality through effort and concentration. The substance of dreams is itself flimsy and vulnerable, but the reality of a fulfilled dream can only go on to inspire ever greater achievements. There is always invisible assistance at your disposal, for faith is a magnet that will draw energy for your efforts, and grace you with amazing events to unblock obstacles and give you many clear understandings.
But I hear you say, “Faith !... Yes, I believe in God”. But tell me... do you believe in what God can do ? I sense the birth of a million answers to the single question I have put before you, but don't be concerned too much by them though, it is your nature to learn. It is your duty to seek life's questions as well as life's answers, however, should you find difficulty with the question of believing, then start by believing in yourself. Believe in your own goodness. Believe in the quality of your longing to want a good life.
Are not your fondest dreams worthy of high appraisal?
Would the simple and good things you truly seek out of life bring disarray to yourself or anyone else ?
Be very sure of the Motive behind your Dreams and Prayers. Should they become fulfilled, would you then lie back in idle comfort, satisfied with a prize that you would perceive as coming through your own efforts. Or would you become empowered by gratitude that good fortune has indeed smiled upon you. Could you then begin to lead a life in simple service to others simply by being ready to give a portion of the things that are now a part of your good life ? And would you let the river of good fortune CONTINUE to flow through you unblocked by selfish ignorance and unawareness ? Could you adopt the philosophy that says..
."Freely you have received, now freely give unto others".
The gifts of the Heart are living and need to be transplanted time and time again in order that they might thrive and flourish. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... so you say that this is all very hard work. Well, you are right, but years of neglecting what you have perceived as seemingly small and insignificant truths, will require a great commitment to courage and Love in becoming new. When that which is denied is called trivial, the way is then laid for more important things to fall victim to the same rationalizations. There are many old books that you will have to clear out of your secret rooms. You know a little of kindness, affection, and Love, but you know nothing of the Power of Love. Courage, I know you understand, but are you ready to employ it? Will you let me lead you to a glorious new life ? Victory can be yours, even though every victory requires a battle. But fear not, for in this battle there will be no scars left to bear... rather, there will only be healing of scars that already exist.
On my advice to throw away those old books, will you heed my words and begin to discard, or will you retreat for advice from the very books that have failed to serve your welfare ? Don't look back and forth between me and your dusty old notes. My words offered to you are always Truth. Your very indecision indicates the challenge I put before you and your books. Poor sweet ignorant mind, troubled only by your state, I seek not power over you, I only wish the best that life can offer you. Come here and let me embrace you. Oh troubled mind, my peace I would give to you if only you would take it. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... I am ageless and full of learning, but in the infancy of the body, you had no acquired learning. You were pure and totally dependant. It is you who have to gain understandings of life. It is you who has to learn from experience. I have nothing to learn for I am Love. I have always known how to give Love, and I have always known how to receive Love. You however have the task of understanding the meaning and the power of Love. You must build a life of knowledge from a point of view that you humbly know nothing. What you do become familiar with, treat it as though there is still something hidden that awaits a wonderful discovery by you. You must be open to a greater source of knowledge. Never think that you are a source of knowledge. Only seek to acquire knowledge that you may come to understand the Source. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... everything must be new. Consider yourself the pure child once again. Be open, eager, and receptive to the continuity of life's ongoing challenges. Learn everything anew. Cast out all your old books written in darkness.... black and dusty and bound in fear. Everything will be new. Come to me if you feel a need to read. Delve into the book of the heart. Its gleaming white pages and golden ink will reveal the answers that you have always sought, for this book is bound in Truth. Its pages are few, and there is only one volume, yet it contains all the wisdom and knowledge of the Universe. It is a living book, it is God's nature, and it resides in all people. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Oh Mind, whenever you find events require my guidance, I will always speak to you in “Soul Words”. Understand that though I use the term “Hear”, you will never actually “Hear” these words... but rather you will simply know them... you will “Feel” them. Such “Soul Words” are very few, but are concentrated with meaning through the power of Love. It is your “Mind Words” that are many and sometimes endless. It is your “Mind Words” that proliferate and smother my silent message to you. It is your “Mind Words” which disturb the fine balance of Discrimination, Intuition, and Reasoning. The Mind must therefore be employed in maintaining and sustaining the harmony that the Soul has to offer you. Any state of confusion comes from a lack of unity and internal division. Mind... whenever I prompt you with my Love and my words, it will be for the benefit of your life... it will be in service to that which is good. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... your activities in looking for peace are innumerable. If you would only begin to realise that it is all so unnecessary. You too can be a great source of peace, but it is you are the one who has been dictating the state of well being and stability for the life you are maintaining. So actively you pursue contentment by employing the five senses to absorb outside experiences. Never once bothering to consider the ocean of serenity that might lie within as one of your options to pursue. Oh how you have forgotten me... you have lost me. You have lost sight of my Love and my Light like a ship gets lost in a fog. In a cloud of restlessness and ignorance you seek and seek and seek. But if you would only sit for a time and watch how the mist is dissolved by the rising Sun, you would see your direction in life become perfectly clear. Now... in this moment... through my Love I can show you how to rest in yourself. Go to the quiet place within. Close your eyes and soften your breathing. If your thoughts begin to wander, do not bother to pursue or entertain them. Though they will surely be there, simply watch them without involvement; in time, a new peace will come upon you. Whilst also in this meditative state, have tender remembrance for God, whatever that perception might be. For you... might you perceive God as a awesome heavenly deity?... Perhaps divinely played music... Is God the wonders of nature?... Do you find God in knowledge?... or is God simply the Truth? However it is for you, be peaceful, be gentle. Come to the silent inner space with reverence and Love knowing that you are always so very welcome. Give yourself a chance to experience a wonderful gift. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... silently I watch all your activities; all your thinking; all your desires. Unaffected by your choices and dramas, I remain ever faithful to you in offering my continued Love and Guidance. Never will I reprimand you for any foolish thing that you might do. Any anguish and guilt that you suffer from is of you own making. Whenever a regretful act is realised, it is you who does the chastising. But what is the use of such thinking. How will you ever grow in Love from a past act by agitation and self condemnation? Only in peace will you gain understandings of yourself; of your choices; and of your ways. In this way you will learn to empower yourself from the Truth of your nature. Acceptance of yourself and all your ways will then lead you to clear understandings... bright and shining jewels to always be available as guides to your ongoing life. As these understandings of yourself and life increase, you will be more easily prompted to the Truth of new situations that come your way. You will find ease in finding what is right for you and what is right for your life. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... so often you are very eager for new things to be a part of your life... even good things... even the highest things. The want to have such things is wonderful, but when your zeal is not tempered with Patience, anxiety becomes linked to these good things. Tell me... does such behaviour serve you ? Does anxiety go hand in hand with the attributes of the good things you seek? In your searching’s for happiness, you will naturally want to escape discontent as fast as possible, but how often have you found yourself simply going from one experience into the next. In time, what was once new becomes old and familiar. Discontent again manifests and a cycle repeats. Know what it is that you are reaching out for before it is yours. Learn Patience and let peace always be associated with that which you seek. Sometimes waiting requires courage... sometimes endurance, but in such a time of transition, take stock of where you are in your life. Contemplate past experiences and extract learning and value from them to prepare you for the next phase of your life.
Oh dear Mind... I am the Heart and I can wait forever if I have to. Since I am Love, I am gentleness and calmness. I am peace, and I am tranquility. I am free of support and always content in myself. However, I would never need to wait for anything, for I have everything, I am everything. I can only give, but you are the seeker of that which I am, and your ways of acquiring the attributes of my nature only bring you a temporary peace which then make your searching’s endless. Can't you see that it is I that you seek ? When you merge with me fully, you will have fulfilled your deepest longing. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... sometimes you hear my words quite clearly and then begin to consider their worth. Yet so many times you will disregard them as trivial or unimportant... you evaluate what I have to offer. But tell me, what are you comparing my words with ? What is the counterweight on your scales that are used against my words of pure Gold ? Can Truth ever be measured by anything else other than Truth ? I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... what are you doing. In the past few days during our talks, a new peace has come to you. You have been listening so very carefully, that the light of Truth has illumined many shadows, yet I sense that you are afraid. You are uneasy in your stillness since so often you have lived with tension and anxiety. Now you have a new fear that something is wrong since you are out of what you might call your natural state. Though this state is truly not natural for you, it is so very very common to you. Believe that stillness and gentleness is the true indication of the natural state. You are a ray from the Supreme source of Love, and all your activities should be aligned to the nature of the Source. Through the power of contemplation and meditation, you have touched upon your true nature. Through it, you have been building a reserve of strength and Love to see you peacefully through your days. See also how the body has responded to these efforts. It too gains strength and endurance. It functions efficiently, and its daily encounters are dealt with in a confident and determined manner. Oh Mind... see how you can be a Destroyer or a Builder. Such a misfortune it is for a Soul to bear the burden of a restless Mind. Fragmented thinking will bring you a fragmented life. Focused thinking will bring you a focused life. Know that if out of Love for me, you build a strong and pure Mind, then I will surely build you a “New Life”. This is the promise of the Heart, for I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... In regard to the natural knowledge of the Heart, pray that these truths I unfold to you, come to reside deep within you as surely as your very name does. In all circumstances they must be among your first responses to events in your unfolding life. Even the wisest and best men can neglect their duty in carefree and easy times, so always be watchful of your ongoing need to maintain awareness and openness to learning.
“Those who are given much, much is demanded”,
...says wise Scripture.
Continue to search and enquire; soak up the abounding knowledge that is available in Sacred texts and Philosophies. Do not read too much at one time and expect all understandings to stay a part of you, but identify that which calls out to the Heart and begin to build upon that. I will mirror such things for you by sending them back in streams of Love as new Truths for you to pursue. Always be available to the kindly promptings of long ago learned wisdom. Let great knowledge continue to be re-discovered time and time again, for truth in the written word is most blessed amongst all gifts. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... remember also the experience and guidance that others on their own path can give you. There is so much to learn of life, that the time allotted to one lifetime in inadequate to secure the wisdom of the ages.. and rightly so... for this ensures the need for an ongoing interaction among all Peoples. The requirements of the NEED to give and the NEED to receive are born out of unbounding Love. Remember how much there is to know and how little you know, but always do this with kindly thoughts of yourself. This way, you will always be open and eager to allow new experiences and knowledge to come to you and live permanently within you. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... as you progress and advance in knowledge and understandings of the Spiritual nature of life, you will encounter many people who would be bound in fear as you have known. It is here that you must recall how it was for yourself. Oh how it is so easy to lie back in the comfort of one's acquired peace regardless of how much merit may have been involved in the learning. Again, it is so easy to forget the struggles of learning that one can become insensitive... perhaps intolerant of those who are in the process of their own learning, or of those whose actions are still enmeshed in fear. It is here that the wise person will call on compassion at ALL such times. Compassion is a quality of sympathy and caring that has undying remembrance in the struggle and pain of ones own lessons. Therefore, it is only in the light of ones own acquired peace and awareness, that the truest Love can be given out to the one in need. Remember your own struggles, and always be aware of the struggles of others. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... always remember that you are a vessel of things which have become known, but the Heart is a vessel of All things. It is your nature to exercise effort in building and giving a form to something in order to understand it, but my nature is content with a formless invisible feeling. It's knowledge of a thing is not built. It simply exists and is immediately embraced with great Love and unquestioning Faith. Oh Mind, be sure that questions are never associated with the Heart, for it is always content. The Heart is always willing to delve into the unknown. You however, will always relate the essence of an event with what you have already had experience of. The Heart is faith and trust; it cannot be hurt and is always ready with pure and silent courage. There are no questions in the Heart, there is only the issuing of the faith of Truth.
Are you anxious?
Are you in doubt?
Are you afraid?
Oh Mind, if such things are visiting you, then you cannot be visiting me. Come to the Cave of the Heart. Rest. Wait for my gifted Truths for you to spring forth and satisfy your needs. From these things, it should be known that when the Mind has had an experience of the fruits of the faithful and daring ways of the Heart, it can then be used in a most magnificent way in the building of a great life for the Souls journey of which it is assisting. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... when you Truly become one with me you will be fearless and will never be prompted into action from choices that are linked to fear. As you develop in your new thinking, more and more you will find yourself coming to me. The effort needed may be demanding at times, and there can even be a fear of breaking through the barrier of fear. This is where faith and courage must be called upon since what lies beyond fear is really another unknown for you. Such fear is well and truly understandable. However, what really lies ahead for you is only great Love... Love and Grace will be poured out to you as you conquer the major obstacle of life... and that is Fear!... the birthplace of doubts and wrong action. It is the most destructive and limiting of all the attributes of human nature. Remember, things do not always have to be like they have been. You possess great power and abilities. You are beautiful... You are Great. Oh mind... one day your first thoughts to any situation will be pure and untainted. One day your power will come from your purity. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Oh Mind... you've been quite for sometime now. Can I guess what you are feeling ? Where do you think this peace comes from ?... it comes from unity Where does the unity come from ?... it comes from grace. Where does grace come from ?... it comes from God. How has all this come about ? ... through struggle ? Yes! ... there has been a struggle... but struggle itself cannot be a source of peace. It is your devotion to build a new life being the reason for your new peace. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... what do you have to say in response to my words ?
Oh Heart... somewhere there is a new world. Somewhere there is a new life. I understand that my focus on life has been one of protection, and in so many situations, I have chosen the response that has had a motive of fear. But the case as you have put to me leaves me in tears as you highlight the truth in my behaviour. However, be sure that they are not tears linked to self condemnation, but of the pitiful waste I see trailed behind me. Yes!... It is true... I am tired of my shadowy rooms, and everytime you invited me into the light of the warm sun, I knew that this was truly where I would rather be.
But I have been so afraid all my life, that even the experience of the light bedazzled me as another unknown that I should then seek safety again. Often I would run back to my shadowy rooms to the familiarity of my darkness, yet at the same time, I would miss the blessed peace that I experienced whilst in your company.
Why? ... Why is it like this I began to ask ? It made no sense to wallow in sadness. You have brought a glowing ray of hope to me and I dearly want to follow it to the Source with you. Yes Heart!... I believe in you. Please teach me all there is to know about living in the light. Let me know all there is to know about Love. I know things about kindness and caring, but you are right! I know little about true Love, and how to Love truly. I will climb a ladder of growth with you, and each step I will consolidate as a stage of learning. This I shall do with contemplation on the effect it has had upon me and others alike. Your ways are the best, and I always want to be with you.
Please... I accept your offer to join hands and unite as one force. I have many abilities that can be of assistance in building a new life. You have shown me that I have great powers, but until now, they have been foolishly squandered on things I now seen as mundane. Oh Heart... I see that it is you I need to seek for guidance and counsel. It is you who should take charge of this life. What sadness I have brought upon this life. So many tears that have never needed to be cried... but I was afraid, I believed I was doing my best.
Mind... do not berate yourself. Your motives were always good, but again I say to you, it was only your choices that have caused you your pain. You may have done foolish things, but you are not a fool. You must Love yourself as I Love you. You are worthy of the highest respect. It is good that my words have settled within your quite place, for now as you learn to become quite and still, you will find my Love always waiting for you. As you understand more and more about the ways of Love, you will find more and more peace as you learn to abide in my Love. For far to long you have acted independently from me, and time has left a weary mark upon your brow. Remember when you were a child. Remember the freedom you possessed when you were pure and innocent.
Dear Mind, now is the time that we can be one again. Now is the time to re-discover your childhood innocence and your childhood purity. Now you must look at all your accumulated knowledge and decide what needs to be discarded and what can be employed in building a life linked to Love. Wherever there is fear, immediately you will know that you need to call on me for guidance. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... there is still much more that I want to talk to you of. Be still once again as I continue my loving discourse. When harmony and balance are cultivated, a gentle gratitude will begin to bubble up from the Well of the Soul. A sense of quiet contentment will bring a feeling that will enrich the awareness of all the good things that are a part of your life. What was once blindly ignored one day, can be seen the next as something that is in fact a wonderful asset. In simple things great contentment can always be found.
Oh Heart... why is this great happiness you speak of found in many simple things ?
The link of happiness and simplicity that you so eagerly identify with, is simply an attribute of Gods nature coming alive within. Since God will always provide the things that are important for one's life, the presence of contentment is a powerful indicator to the alignment of one's life unfolding in harmony with what God has given you, and with what God wants for you. In short... you are in tune with God's entire Universe as it was meant to be for you. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... let me talk to you about "Action and Fear". So often you have ignored my Truthful promptings through a fear of the effort involved. You may consider the necessary action a bother or that it may be too tiresome. But the Mind cannot become tired as the body does, it's sluggishness comes from an unwillingness to send the body into action since it will take in and absorb the sensations of the body being tired. Our essential natures are consciousness. Mine is pure, free, and as expansive as the breadth of the Universe, but yours is in a contracted state and bound to a comprehension of only finite things. Because of this you have been set the task of being the Instrument of experience and the gatherer of understandings. Do not be put off by work involved in a task I offer you. You have no future vision and cannot fully anticipate how my guidance will ultimately serve you. I always put forth my options for you because I so dearly want you to learn of the power of the “Lessons of Love”. This is the one true way of learning. Constantly, you will hear my words as I inspire you with my guidance in a multitude of daily activities. On and on I will prompt you, tireless and relentless in my advice for you. But I do this so that the recognition, and hence the appropriate action for the Truth I give you, will eventually and Lovingly become first nature to you. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... let me talk to you of Surrender. In your willingness to grow in the ways of Love, you must yield to, and accept all that will come your way. For Love will surely test you; Love will test the purity of your want for a better life. Love will purify your being by reflecting those parts of you which hold you back from living life fully and properly. These parts of your nature will be mirrored back to you in “Life situations”. What is required to highlight such things can be demanding and may require you to call on courage and endurance, but always remember the motive of Love and the chance for freedom that lies beyond struggle and pain. If one is to surrender to a higher wisdom, one must exercise flexibility, awareness, faith and courage. Denial of these qualities will manifest as Rigidity in the Acceptance of life's events to reinforce the difficulty of escaping the dark form of ignorance being cast over you. Therefore, be open to change... Be open... Be spontaneous. Mind... if you are willing to listen quietly and attentively when you truly feel a need for my help, I want you to actually say these words... “Oh Heart, what should I do about this problem?”
Be very still in your thoughts. Become still within and continue with whatever duty the present has asked of you. Wait in patient peace for my "wordless" answer. As you develop in strength through the ways of Love; as you become closer with me, you will become like me in all your worldly and spiritual activities. Remember, I am Peace, Calm and Steadfastness. In all things, never act with undue emotion. Be gentle in everything you do. Be steady, be sure, be Peaceful and unhurried. Know also that to act out of unchecked enthusiasm can be just as hazardous as acting from feelings of confusion, unsuredness, and even fear. Understand that there is a danger from impetuous behaviour, as the thinking that is born of this, is often highly excited and coloured. Truth often stands in the distance, and short sighted people will always fall victim to impatience. Take your time in coming to new understandings. Make sure you clearly see and know a thing before you use it within your life. Unity with me at all times is your goal. You will never see me enthusiastic, despondent, joyful or upset, for I remain in the Steady State and so must everything about you. Do not fear this as being Lifeless, but rather know that it shall empower you to live life's every moment fully and wholly. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... let me speak to you of Learning and Knowledge. Be sure that greater things will ALWAYS await you. Be open to constant change. Have the foresight to see that when times are difficult, forces are silently at work for your benefit. Take a look back at your own past difficulties and see how ultimately they have all been resolved. Oh Mind... since so many of your activities are based on past experiences, does it not make sense to at least ponder your previous outcomes to help you through difficult circumstances of the present? As your learning progresses, great and wonderful knowledge will come to live within you and support you as you walk your path. However, I now present a contrast in thought for you. After achieving knowledge from the quiet spirit of contemplation, one can tend to become comfortable through living with such new knowledge to the point of becoming static. During the times that required the best efforts of strength, one can become despairing to such a degree that it seems like the path is leading nowhere. Feelings of being sidetracked or even of being lost can manifest. However, be sure that there are always lessons and learning in the making. The one who is dedicated to finding a new life will never become lost, but will always be graced with new situations, understandings and knowledge. Through the want to obtain a higher knowledge of Life, Love and God, the persistent person will always succeed in the quest of building a new life. Your want to learn will bring you great merit as you obtain that which you seek.
Aspire to tenacity to live out any new knowledge or understandings you acquire if you find it begins to test your mettle. Oh Mind, what good are new understandings if one has not the courage to act upon them. Likewise, in the state of living with the benefits of any new understandings, always be considerate of the state of another's learning and the various stages they are at. Do not become caught up in a new ignorance which blinds you to others in the infancy of their own spirituality. Keep a watchful eye upon yourself as you see others wrestle with concepts which are beneath those of which you have mastered. Never become impatient or intolerant of people to the point where you find yourself slipping behind on your own path. Remember, the same Love which nurtured you in your tender years is also at work with all others.
Oh Mind, in your quest for newness, know that the newness you seek will itself be superseded by newness. In setting out to obtain goals and objectives, new inspirations will come your way to further clarify your goal. Your initial goal may seem very clear to you as you start out, but be aware that your ultimate goal will become clearer and clearer as you advance in Truth and Love towards your ideal. Stay with me always for, I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
Mind... let me talk to you of Discrimination or Discernment. In ignorance, there is no understanding. In knowledge there is understanding. Discrimination is therefore the most suitable use of ones acquired understanding so as others, as well as yourself may benefit. The more knowledge and understandings gained through the experience of life, the more refined becomes one discrimination. As the great picture of life is revealed more and more through developing ones awareness, life's mysteries merge into and expand ones existing knowledge.
This allows a higher command of life as judgment has more Truth at its disposal to affect the best outcome for all concerned. Though one may have led a life that has brought many great understandings, all the wisdom in the world will be worthless if there is no Love behind it. Love, along with compassion will enhance the application of ones discrimination to impart judgment with thoughtfulness and caring. Many times life's circumstances will require you to call on your highest awareness, and as such, you must regard all your decisions as having equal significance in your unfolding life.
Understand that the purest discrimination is never influenced by the obstacle of pride, since this quality will always undermine the relationship of “the Truth of what is”, and “the Truth of what is sought”. Oh Mind... it is so very important that you develop discriminative reasoning to allow confident choices in your daily life. Don't listen overly to other people for they are surely guided by their own experiences in their own way;... that most perfect way suited expressly to themselves. What is perfect for one is not necessarily perfect for another. One persons Truth, (Though it be The Truth), May not always apply to another. Through ones personal evolution, one becomes ready for a Truth only when the proper foundation of experience and knowledge has been established. Therefore, the Truth for one can be misunderstood, beyond comprehension, or even mocked by another who learning is incomplete.
The wise person will therefore recognize whether or not another could peacefully hold the truth of someone else. As such, they can withhold any such knowledge with great Love so as to protect the person from the “Traps of Ignorance” I have just mentioned. Through wisdom, one can also deliver a Truth with a knowing that a challenge can initiate deep and probing questions in a seeker who is ripe for understandings. These are all aspects of discrimination. But know also that those whose lives are still enmeshed in ignorance, fear, and unknowing, may view Perfect Wisdom and some of it's implications as unkind, heartless... even cruel. But such thinking stems from incomplete knowledge of the magnificence and greatness of Love and life, and what is required to participate Fully and Perfectly in Love and life. At times my silent words to you might seem strange or confusing through your own limitations, but if you still peacefully recognize it as from me, then act in Love.
If however you make a mistake, then know that through my Love for you, everything is still fine. Simply acknowledge that mistake as my next word of Truth for you to act upon. Be peaceful as you continue your dedicated and brave efforts to become new. By practicing moderation in all things, you will allow the great Omnipresent Love of God to always be felt. This will help you tremendously on your journey. Know that the silent words of the Heart will always be present before any doubts, since doubts are a response of a Mind that begins a challenge. Be very sure that you understand this concept, for it will allow you to master a discrimination of actions motivated from Fear. If however, you have clearly heard my words and are still afraid to act, then admit your fears clearly to yourself.
Do not deny the motive of a choice of fear from yet another fear. Be free in yourself to tell me bravely that you cannot act upon my words. Do you think I'd Love you the less for such an act of Truthful courage? However, as you accept the admission of your fear, then you must also accept any consequences of not following that which I have given you to call “Your own Truth”. Again I say to you. Listen to the silent wisdom of the heart. Listen to the voice of serenity that guides you by feelings. Get to know the true ways of the whispered truth. See how my gifted insights to you will have endurance, and see how you can come back to them after a time to find the treasure still sparkling. Without any prompting, you can stand before it in silence and be washed in gentle comfort to know that you are being safely guided. Understand also that there is a peace that is not true being born of desires, impatience, anxiety and rationalizations. It is calculated and constructed. It is built. It is a false peace... it is a fools peace and it will delude you time and time again if you do not contemplate the nature of the deceitful ego.
Oh Mind, learn with Love from your mistakes and move ever forward in life. But oh how the Truth Commands silence in Lovers of the Truth. Oh how it shines in radiant serenity when it manifests to Hearts and Minds alike. Doubts do not dare rear their fickle heads lest they be annihilated by the supreme power of virtue. Cunning are the ways of fear and doubt that they know their only strength is in your weaknesses.
Oh Mind, build huge reserves of the Fighting Spirit of Warriors, for you alone are an army against a legion of destroyers. But guided by my commands, you will become invincible. Oh Mind, sleep with one eye open for your adversaries are always at hand. Keep remembering that "Your Own Truth" is my command for you and you alone. Learn through experience of that which I ask of you. From this, you may then be able to compare it to the subtle and insipid ways of fear that can violate so many of your best efforts; your harmony, and your welfare.
Oh Heart, apprehension I feel... stricken with a disconcerting awe... afraid to even turn my head as if in the company of the most dreaded foe. This understanding of fear and it's subtle nature of deceit... Oh Heart, the invisible enemy makes me cringe even though your protective awakenings have enarmoured me. But I look around to my Brothers and Sisters and a tear begins to fall, for so many I see do not possess the liberating word. For a man to fight the invisible enemy is demanding enough, but a blind man trying to fight the same battle makes me fall to my knees and bury my face in my hands. He is most wretched of all since he cannot even search for assistance. He calls in darkness not knowing in which direction to call. He knows not who to call to for he knows not who is at hand. It is indeed a saddening thought.
But wait!... As I speak these very words, a new light begins to dawn within me and I am called away from my distressing thoughts by blessed memories of ancient wisdom. “Blessed are the humble”. “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth”. Oh Heart, now I understand these phrases. The meek... the kind hearted who remain in their kindness amid life's madness are unknowingly very courageous.
Oh to possess such kind and simple natures whilst ignorantly bearing the burden of ignorance. What honor they are truly worthy of. What strength in their humility. To think that my understanding could further expand from such soft simplicity. Such as it was for myself before you came to me with the lamp of knowledge. Oh Heart, what should I do when I see the blind man fighting ? What can I do ?... How can I help ?
Dear Mind, your primary duty lies in the building of your own life... your own understandings... your own power and freedom. Can the student assume the role of the Master ? Who Loves you dearest of all ? Who watches in supreme silence and casts the ever-loving spell of compassion as it is needed ? Who maintains the awesome hearts of the Stars, and the tender Hearts of Men ?
Oh dear Mind, I remember your every Loving thoughts and actions, and I have remembered how through your simple kindness to others you have set them free... you have given them hope. You have allowed my very own Love for you to come to people who have no ears for the Heart. The peace I have created for you... you have in turn created for them. Together we are building the world. Create with me... stay with me more and more. continue to create with me. Together we can build a better paradise.
Dear one, you would always be called on to assist when the Moment finds that your tender Love has its place. Through your Love, Faith, and Devotion, you can contribute to the world through an incredibly powerful secret serenity. Through your Love, your own merits can silently serve others as you casually go about the business of the day. Keep pure in your thoughts and actions so that the power of Love may multiply and serve the many at the same time it serves the one.
Find ease in identifying my Truth for you and build many great understandings upon it. Use these Truths also to help others identify their own Truths, but always be remembering of the honor bestowed upon you in being able to help another. I am the Heart and I always speak the Truth.
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