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Opening the Heart: Embracing the Spiritual Dimension in our Lives

by Deb Schnitta

An open heart freely invites the world around it to enter and engage. It acknowledges the wisdom within and creates opportunity for expression of this largeness out into the world. Part of the path of enlightenment, an open heart is one without limitation. It is the doorway to deeper spiritual connection and service. When the heart is open, there is deeper capacity to manifest. The open heart supports guidance, health, and the ability to be in the world from a place of largeness, as a Soul, in every day life. An open heart is necessary to raise the spiritual vibration for evolution.

To be openhearted is to allow the world to move freely, without the need to control circumstances and individuals in that world. It occurs as the heart is able to discern what is truly occurring in the moment. Having an open heart takes practice and discipline to achieve and begins with clarity of mind. When clarity is present, the mind does not react from past history and distortions overlaying these onto current events. Rather it sees the situation at it truly exists. Often factual and devoid of drama or excitement, the presence of clarity is a simple statement of what is currently unfolding around you now.

Through years of history and life experience the mind has become cluttered with perceptions and opinions. Although useful in some venues, these attributes do not contribute to a clear mind. To begin the process of opening the heart then requires a mind that is quiet, one that can observe what is transpiring and witness the components as they unfold. Often the act of stepping back from what is occurring and seeing it from a larger perspective allows the mind itself to learn more about the situation than it could from its previous vantage point. As the heart opens, access to higher wisdom, soul presence and divine energy are all possible. From here the personality, including the mind, are supported to relax, and open to these higher possibilities.

The heart opens in stages, rather than like a light switch that is on or off. As the heart gains comfort at one level of opening, it acclimates and seeks out new opportunities to deepen its capacity to open further. With greater opening comes a deeper capacity to love, not just as a personality, but as a Soul. Here Soul qualities emerge, such as love, compassion, peace, and inclusivity. An open heart is necessary for life work, the extension of the soul’s contributions out in to the world, as well as living the fullest life possible here now.

Oftentimes life experiences have provided the opportunity for defenses or strategies to not be hurt to be formed. Although useful at that time in history, they remain and color the current experiences in ways that prevent ease of heart opening. As the heart opens, layer by layer, it resembles a flower that opens one petal at a time. Each petal has consciousness, stored life experiences and expectations, which are useable energy to sustain the open hearted state. Exercising the heart’s capacity to open supports its ability to remain open, even when life circumstances mimic previous hurts or disappointments. Healing occurs in this process, as both the heart and mind begin to recognize the capacity of the heart and that similar circumstances do not mean similar outcomes. In this way the individual has learned to move past their history and create in new ways.

Regardless of the capacity of the heart to be open, there is always a deepening that is possible. As a conduit to higher consciousness, the heart plays a pivotal role in spiritual development, as well as the experience of joy in everyday life. The stages of heart opening fall into three areas of exploration: receptivity, generating, and service (or outflow of energy and light into the world.) As the heart finds comfort in its new layer of opening, the stages repeat, the next time often easier and softer, or even faster in pace. Each wave of opening creates the opportunity for the next. The receptive state of the heart opening is required for the other two stages, generating and service, to be present. The degree of receptivity impacts on how much generating and service can occur.  For this reason it is explored in depth here.

To begin to cultivate receptivity is simple.

Practicing three organic steps to quieting the mind begins to produce results that the mind itself recognizes as helpful. Since the mind is more likely to engage with something it identifies as beneficial, we begin to see the forward movement as desirable, rather than something to resist. In any given situation, practice these three steps to cultivate receptivity:

Step back -- create the environment of the observer. Witness what is occurring as if you were watching a play or reporting the facts for a story. In the beginning or during an emotionally charged moment, this may require removing yourself from the event that is transpiring and reflecting back on what has occurred.

Neutrality -- “What do I know to be true right now?” Here the mind begins to offer up the facts, like the items on a shopping list. If you notice the sentences are long and defending a particular position, you have lost the moment of neutrality. Take a breath and return to the grocery list approach to listing the facts, without attachment.

Cultivating Peace -- an ongoing process that allows the higher mind as well as the spiritual mind to step forward. The higher mind offers insights into life events in ways the mind of the personality would not. It is compassionate and inclusive, not blaming. The spiritual mind exists in a place of knowing; it is quiet, devoid of thought but extends its wisdom through presence. Peace emerges as the higher mind assists the personality to open to greater flows of energy and allow the spiritual mind and presence to move to the forefront.

Simple acts in every day life that assist to cultivate peace include: spending time free from the input of external sources such as television, walking in nature and connecting to the earth, and meditation.

As the mind develops comfort in quiet, it will become more receptive. No longer feeling the need to be on output, either by having an answer or knowing what is next, the mind then opens to the receptive state. Receptivity invites what is next to step forward. It includes all aspects of consciousness as contributors of value even if it does not understand the role or significance. The quiet state of the mind promotes receptivity of the heart. The receptive state of the heart promotes receptivity in the mind, as higher understanding and awareness prevail, even if it is without words. In this way, the mind begins to touch in with knowingness, an understanding that exists beyond words and brings deeper understanding.

As the mind is nourished here, its world view begins to change. Events previously seen as stagnant are now easily transformed. Often one small change from this place of awareness and receptivity provides a great yield. The open hearted state continues to grow allowing for more useable energy for creating a life of joy and ease.

Transformation of old held consciousness opens the doorway for ongoing evolution and heart opening. Each time we engage with what is here right now we learn to open to the depth of who we are right now, not who we once were. In this single choice we open to the divine, we choose our path and we invite our spiritual dimension into our daily lives as a partner along this path of evolution.

For those desiring support in a step by step fashion to open to the depths of their capacity we suggest: Transforming the Personality, a series of eight energy programs and written teachings to transform issues of lack, anger, love and more, to open the heart to what is possible from our largeness.

 

Deb Schnitta, RN is a leading pioneer in healing and consciousness and the originator of Cellular Expansion and Healing TM (CE) a revolutionary energy work that supports the resolution of constrictions and illness at the level of the cells. CE affects the consciousness stored within the cells and provides connection to Soul and the Divine.
 
An author of many books and Meditation CD Energy Programs for living a life connected consciously to Soul and Spirit, Deb supports individuals seeking healing, spiritual development and enlightenment. She has co-founded Vanati: A Center for Energy Medicine and Consciousness with her partner, Pauline Dishler M.Ed. Information about their revolutionary approach to healing, free distance healing, and dynamic Meditation Energy Programs can be found at  www.vanati.com.

 

For more information about this article, email vanati@vanati.com.