The Mini-book

Posted by: vkwspirit / Category:

HEAD TO HEART TALKS - Ways to Find Balance in Your Everyday Life

INTRODUCTION

It has been said that the greatest distance we travel in our life is the eighteen inches from our Head to our Heart. In this mini-series we will offer some (food for thought) that provides a way to bridge that connection. Our Head and Heart are the means in which we move through life, and are designed to assist us as we maneuver through this Earth experience.
In this series we will reconnect to our center—to the place where Truth resides. Much like the belly button provides the nourishment needed while in our Mother’s womb, so our Heart is the gateway to the divine. When that connection is active and working in collaboration with our Head mind our life is based on our authentic self. Anything else is an illusion and is defined by exterior rules and interpretations of Truth, and, in reality, cuts us off from our true self.

We will explore and deepen our visits to our true source—our (Heart center)— in a series of mini stories. These stories come from teachings shared by human experiences and the wisdom gleaned from observing the habitants in nature.
In addition, we have a blog where you, the reader, may share insights and stories: in order to deepen and expand the community of like-minded people seeking to live an authentic life:
www.headtohearttalks.com

To live from your ‘Heart center’ requires a simple commitment to show up and pay attention everyday! Fretting and regretting keep us from the being in the moment. As the saying goes, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and all that we have is this moment in time.” Welcome Home! Take a deep breath, feel the earth beneath your feet and prepare for an amazing journey!
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STORY ONE -  Being in the World

An old woman once lived deep in the woods, far removed from city life. Whenever people felt confused about life, they would travel the well-trodden path to the old woman’s home and ask for a story. The old woman was known for not engaging in “idle” conversation; she was clear that she did not give advice: everyone had to spend time “figuring things out for themselves.” There were stories of people who had made the journey and asked too many questions only to have the old woman get up and move to her garden.

On one particular day, a young man made the journey to her cabin and asked the old woman how the world became so complicated, and how life became so focused upon “doing.” The old woman picked up a bag that was lying beside her and pulled out a very small wooden object with white thread coming from it. She pulled some thread out of the object, wrapped the string around her fingers, and began to gracefully move the thread with both of her hands. The old woman began her story:

“From the time we are born we know how to ‘Be’ in the world. We know that we are a unique, loving being, and we believe everyone else is the same. We ask for what we want without hesitation: when we are hungry, have messy diapers, or want to be held, we cry. We innately know our need will be provided because we are living fully from our ‘Heart center.’ We know that we are loved, and life is very simple.

As we move through childhood, we begin to notice that our caregivers are less receptive to our cries. We learn about human emotions and responses and begin to realize that certain behaviors are received and responded to differently. It is a mixed bag of actions/reactions as we begin our journey towards learning what ‘works’ in order for us to receive love. What once was natural, no longer works as we are now expected to remember the rules. Thus, we are introduced to our ‘Head mind.’” The old woman paused her handwork and touched a finger to her head—“the great ‘computer’ that keeps track of what did and did not work in order for us to feel loved. IT IS THE GREAT DIVIDER.” She looked out to the woods for a moment, shifting her attention back to her handwork and continued her story:

“When we enter school, life is catapulted into volumes of ‘rules,’ and they seem to change depending upon the circumstances or people with whom we interact. We are prepared for adulthood by being taught more rules: how to memorize facts, compete with others, measure our worth by test scores, grades, awards, etc. It is interesting that as the list of rules grows, our knowledge of Self becomes amazingly ‘smaller.’ We become so burdened beneath the ‘to do’ list we completely forget who we really are, and our once simple life becomes complex.

Thus begins the journey from knowing we are loved and having the courage to ask for what we need, to measuring ourselves by what others around us have to ‘say’ (whether in word or deed) about what we are ‘doing;’ if we are ‘good’ our caregivers will be happy, and when they are happy, they will love us. Of course, that ‘good’ is measured by what our caregiver have taught us: i.e., which of our behaviors made them smile, give us a hug or a kiss, or tell us what a special boy or girl we are... and all too often that changed depending upon the caregiver’s mood!

We begin to forget that we naturally deserve love, and to focus upon how to find it.” The old woman ceased moving her hands and moved them to her chest. She closed her eyes and with a soft, almost sorrowful voice said, “We forget that our love resides within.” There was a moment of deep silence as the young man felt a tightening in his throat; the emotions expressed by the old woman touched his heart deeply. He felt his heart beating in his chest as he watched the old woman demonstrate what ‘being’ in the world was all about.
The old woman slowly opened her eyes, returned her hands to her lap and resumed curling the threads between her fingers as she continued her story.

“Now we seek to find the love from outside ourselves; we seem to have fallen asleep. We have moved from being ‘in the world,’ bringing love to it, to being ‘of the world,’ constantly seeking to find that love. Throughout this process of learning the rules, we are subliminally taught that we are not whole and complete; that what we do is not enough or is done incorrectly. We distance ourselves from our ‘Heart center,’ and our ‘Head mind’ now defines who we are by becoming the giant critic—judge and jury—for all our actions.”

The old woman put down her handwork, set it on her lap, and picked up a very worn
leather satchel from the other end of the porch swing. She opened it up and pulled out three sheets of paper and a pen. She handed the young man the materials and without looking directly at him said, “Take a few deep breaths, feel the earth beneath your feet and when you are ready, write ‘Head mind’ at the top of one sheet of paper; on the second sheet write, ‘Heart center’; and on the third sheet write down these three questions:
1) Who am I? Answer this without using titles or labels with which you identify.
2) What do I like most about myself? Answer this without making references to your physical appearance, possessions or income.
3) What did I come here to do?

Now, while answering those three questions, every time you hear critical or judgmental words, or ‘should’ remarks, write those down on the ‘Head mind’ sheet. If you begin asking, ‘What is the best answer?’ write that down. On your ‘Heart center” sheet write down everything you feel while doing this exercise. Record every single comment you hear or feel. Do this uncensored! Remember, there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers! Some of these questions are tough ones, but just go with what comes through your pen to the paper. Try not to ‘think’ about any of this... just write.”

The old woman put the satchel back on the swing, picked up her handwork and began twirling the thread. The young man had many questions in his head, and he struggled not to ask them; however, out of respect for the old woman’s request, he remained silent. He sat quietly, carefully considering the three questions. At one point he thought about waiting until he got home to do the exercise, but something told him to take action with what was in front of him. He watched the old woman curling the delicate thread and noticed how smoothly and rhythmically she moved her hands. 

He then turned his eyes to the papers in front of him. He remembered to breathe and feel the earth beneath his feet, and the pen began to move across the paper. When he heard ideas and experienced various emotions, he placed them on the respective pages. He found himself lost in the three pages oblivious to the time that had passed when the old woman coughed and cleared her throat. She began speaking again: 

“Now would be a good time to reflect on your ‘Head mind’ sheet. Where did those thoughts come from? Understanding how they got into your Head is very important. Beside each statement you have, write down where you learned that phrase; put down the initials of a person or place that taught you that idea. For example, if you hear, ‘You cannot describe yourself without a title or role; it is impossible,’ put an “M” if it was your mother, “D” for your Dad, or “GP” for Grandpa. Keep in mind, there may be multiple people who taught you, including from school, church (or religious gathering places), work or the likes.

"Now take your ‘Heart center’ sheet and read through your feelings. Put a plus (+) beside those that are positive and a minus (-) beside those that are negative. After doing this set both sheets aside and read through your answers to the three questions.” She paused and looked away into the forest for a few moments, then continued: “How do you feel about those questions? What does your ‘critic’ say? Overall, do you feel you are driven more by your ‘Head mind’ or ‘Heart center?’ Do not judge your words or feelings, but simply observe!”

As the young man placed the sheet with his responses to the three questions in front of the other two sheets, he took a deep breath. This was more difficult then he had anticipated. He thought to himself, No one told me I’d have work to do. As if to read the young man’s mind, the old woman interrupted his thoughts and said, “The purpose of this exercise is to discover which thoughts you have that support your life and which ones hinder you; then you can decide what you want to do about them. This is about choosing what you want for your life. It is not about pointing fingers or placing blame. Those in your life taught you what they knew; it is time for you to take responsibility for your life by making your own choices.”

Without missing a beat with her handwork she continued: “This exercise is good to repeat from time to time, for as life changes so do you. It is a good way to take an honest look at how you choose to ‘Be’ in this World. If you are driven primarily by what your ‘Head mind’ determines is best, then you are like eighty percent of the population and ‘of’ this world, guided by doing whatever it takes to be successful. You also are spending little time in the moment where Spirit resides.
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Attempting to anticipate what others might think puts you in the future, and staring at your past so as not to make a mistake makes you trip over the moment. And, missing that means not seeing that squirrel that scurried in front of you, or the bright red cardinal that has been staring at you from the tree limb just to the left of the porch.

We need to ‘consult’ our Heart on a daily basis to make certain we are living in this moment. When we live in the moment, we remember that we are all sacred beings, and we can feel and observe love being shared. We see the sacredness in all beings on this planet and we respect the choices others make knowing they are based on the ‘rules’ they were taught. Believe it or not, when we come from our Heart, we help the birds migrate north in the summer; it is really that much of a natural place to ‘Be’. When we come from our ‘Heart center,’ we offer love as our guide when confronting the challenges before us by being ‘in’ the world. There would be no senseless ‘doing’ and we would ‘Be’ in the world sharing our love... can you imagine the possibilities?” With that she paused, then simply said, “These are my words.”

The old woman held up the long chain of tatting she had been working on and held it to her mouth to cut the thread. She slipped a knot to secure the end and without looking up, handed the piece to the young man. Then the old woman put her shuttle and thread back in the bag and placed it at the end of the porch swing next to the old leather satchel. She got up, straightened the wrinkles on her skirt and walked toward her garden. It was full of beautiful colors as the wind blew gently and the flowers waved with the air as if to greet the old woman. A humming came forth from deep within the earth...it was as if all of the land was happy to have the old woman’s feet back on the soil.

While the young man still had many questions, he gathered the papers, yellowed with age from being stored in the old woman’s satchel, placed the pen in the seat where the old woman had sat, and moved to the steps off the cabin to the earth. As he neared the end of the steps, he bent down and dropped a gift for the old woman in a beautifully crafted bowl made from twigs and branches of the forest. He did this as a way to complete the circle and return a blessing to the old woman, in exchange for the one he received from the story she shared. 


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1 comments:

  1. Eshta Says:

    As thoughts were penned onto the sheet tears flowed across my cheeks.. thank you

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