HeartSounds

The Voice of an Angel...Andrea Bocelli...
  my go-to place for heart connection!


Italian tenor and singer/songwriter Andrea Bocelli is a very important part of my morning ritual.  I am not by nature a morning dove...rather a night blooming jasmine.  But when this jasmine awakens to (very slowly) acclimate to the morning, Bocelli's music is what begins the process of my energizing.

I've been listening to and loving Bocelli for quite some time.  His voice connects with my soul and though I studied a little Italian in preparation for a beautiful encounter with Firenze several years ago, the fact is I do not understand what this impressive tenor is singing.

And it makes no difference to me because it is ONLY the words I do not understand. 

The FEELINGS expressed by his beautiful voice ARE  the MESSAGE and they SPEAK to me.  And they do MORE than that...they vibrate with the sweep of my heart.


And I am mesmerized by this vibration...it SUSTAINS me.   This impulse tells me it is my HEART that is designed to direct the music of my life...not my intellect (though I dearly love to exercise it).     

I believe this is true of everyone.

In some individuals the heart may be sleeping...hibernating...because of unhealed pain, protecting itself from life's countless and often unpredictable adventures.  But the desire to FEEL is a human need we all share.

And the OPPORTUNITY to feel and to have the feeling RECOGNIZED is a Gift of Life.

The Divine Universe is unendingly creative in the way it sends its messages to us. Just this morning I realized I had received another tapping of this awareness a few days ago when I attended a planning meeting in Florida with David Webber, Chief Operating Officer of Practice Technology, Inc., who commented to me that he always reads his email for the FEELING of the writer, not for the words. 

It is not the words of Andrea Bocelli that affect me so profoundly.  It is the WAY he sings those lyrics.  And it is not the words of an email that David Webber "hears"...it is the message of a heart.


Is your heart vibrating with emotion?  Have you given yourself permission to feel this primal longing?  And do you "hear" the HeartSounds of everyone around you?


                                                                                                         
                                                                                                  Marie Helena 





image of Andrea Bocellil from sonbab.deviantart.com 
Andrea Bocelli by sonbab

THE CUTTING EDGE: Keep It Moving

It is inevitable that we will sometimes encounter experiences that are aggravating to our spirit.  And when someone says or does something that is intensely annoying to us, there is a very powerful impulse to try to change their behavior so that we will not experience this kind of moment again.  And this is difficult, draining work...all that explaining, justifying and pleading for what we prefer, trying to talk people into remembering in the future how we would like things to be.  But the fact is there is not enough time or energy in the world to change ALL of the people whose way of doing things triggers us and to get them to do instead what makes us feel comfortable.

And yet it is SO tempting to try to do this...and it would make our life so peaceful,  we think.  And so we try...and try...and try...

and we suffer when it doesn't work.


But it is not our job to change people. 
 
We can't really do it anyway.  Change is an inside job...and that is where it properly resides.  We CAN, however, do our own inside work...do the work on US, not them. Go the direct route, targeted for action and relief...a cutting edge move.

 
When we are triggered, the energy of the reaction which is kicking up inside us is lodged in our emotions and that is precisely where we need to direct our attention.  We need to MOVE that energy out from where it is stuck and we need to TRANSFORM it before it moves.  Help it to flow freely.  We can transform the energy by offering compassion to ourselves and the other person for what we are both experiencing.  Transform it into a gentle, straightforward statement...acknowledging the emotions we perceive are being expressed by the other person, acknowledging the distress we are feeling because of this and acknowledging the reason for our reaction (if we are aware of it).  Then, explaining gently under what circumstances we could better receive the message they are sending.

Here's the critical point in this approach.  We are not delivering OUR message with the intention of getting the other person to change (though this may happen), we are delivering it only to MOVE the energy through US...and to do it in a way that helps us respect ourselves.

MOVE THE ENERGY.  Keep it F L O W I N G.  Move it out and through us. Direct it onto a new and more enlightened path.  Give it clarity and compassion.  THAT is where the power is.

Similar vibrations magnetically attract each other.  When we choose to communicate from a position of acceptance and understanding, that is what we will receive in return.  (And, if the other party in our transaction cannot reach that same vibration, he will move away from us.)

Now we've turned the irritation into an OPPORTUNITY to step up into a higher version of ourselves and we've cleared out our inner static and energetic debris.  We have also safeguarded our feelings of peace and calm, no matter what is transpiring around us. 

This is also a powerful way to protect our own power, to decide for ourselves how we want to proceed when faced with an unexpected catalyst which has activated our own unhealed pain.


And, for our efforts, another elegant outcome cascades gracefully from our action:  We become the change we wish to see.  And, by becoming it ourselves, we create an oasis where we can reside while others work out the byways of their own individual journeys.


                                                                                         Marie Helena

  

image from wallpaperdisk.com. 

THE CUTTING EDGE: Here Comes Da Judge

The great spiritual teacher J. Krishnamurti said the highest form of human intelligence is the ability to observe ourselves without judgment.  And this is no small task for we all carry an imaginary presence inside of us which we automatically gift with authority and respectability (even though its voice is a hindrance and not a help).  

 My sister calls the arrival of our guest "Here Comes Da Judge".


Imagine our magistrate attired in formal black robe and the British judicial white wig altercating furiously for air time in our consciousness.   If he wasn't so annoying and didn't dredge up old feelings of unworthiness, this creature would be quite amusing.  But the fact is the appearance of our judge introduces negative energy into our aura. Yikes!

What in the world can be done about this vexing creature?

I am thinking this is the perfect time to call in the resources of our Left Brain and turn this disturbing image into a Subject of Study rather than a schlepper of suffering. 


It's "white coat time" and, though you will not be donning the pristine uniform in reality, at least "white coat" your mental process and steer yourself away from subjugating your psyche to the judgmental pronouncements. 

Collect data.  Be curious.  Experiment.  Be a scientist.  Watch how often your "Judge" makes an appearance...and under what conditions and circumstances.  Look for patterns in the magistrate's behavior.  Note his verbal nuances and the disapproving posture and attitude. 

Why would Krishnamurti call observation without judgment the highest form of human intelligence?  Because we cannot attain wisdom (sense of or understanding of something) while we are mired down with the weight of self condemnation. 

 Instead, we need to be able to see the broader view of what is transpiring, how it presents itself, what connections exist within the issue, how we fit into the equation.  We must be free from self judgment for self judgment obscures our vision because of the heavy emotional outlay and prevents us from ascertaining the energies at work.

Once we can see those energies (expectations of society and figures of authority, cries of the ego for attention, co-dependence on others' emotions, etc.), we gain clarity regarding where we are giving our power away and we can make choices regarding how WE choose to respond to the opinions and expectations of others.


It is a natural, human reaction to fall under the heavily subjective influence of our "Judge".  It is cutting edge to take an impartial look at how this magistrate's leverage has materialized.  And it is cutting edge to release this figure's hold on our emotions.


                                                                                               Marie Helena



graphics from can stock.com