Heartfulness
We hear a lot about mindfulness these days. And it’s a good thing we do. Being awake to our surroundings, our sensations, our emotions, our reactions give our lives depth and significance. Mindfulness can help us live with joy as well as pain, with the pluses and minuses, the ups and downs of life that are inherent in being human—particularly an older human.
Our minds are remarkable tools that help us navigate the world. Our hearts are essential tools that read the map of the world. Heartfulness is a word I thought I made up! Little did I know that it is a ‘thing’! There is even a Heartfulness Institute where one can learn heartfulness meditation!
To me, though, without monetising the heart, heartfulness seems a way to live in awareness of the heart and its messages to each of us. We all know, innately, what our hearts tell us, where they guide us, how to proceed in life.
Heeding those messages, that whisper in our consciousness’s ears—“that still, small voice”—most often take us to the ‘right’ place, even if the message is opaque at the moment, or contradictory, or seemingly confusing. Certainly following the heart without reasoning can be fanciful and sometimes dangerous. Mostly, though, those indications lead us to clarity and to connecting with our bravery, our willingness to step into unknown territory.
Respecting our heart’s voice can lead us to tranquility and peace. We do that which is right for us, at the right time, in the right place. We see the world around us as it is, and we see our place in it in each present moment.
Heartfulness, acting as we are led, also brings us to caring for others, compassion. When we listen to the voice of our own heart, we are hearing the heart of the world. When we suffer, the world suffers. When we are joyful, so is our world. We can, with heartfulness, connect with others because we know that there has never been a life without pain, nor a life without joy, just like our own.