Ailish
Administrator Emerita
I’ve had a few discussions recently with Deborah regarding the seat of the soul in relation to reincarnation and remembering past lives.
Something that I realized – was that several members on the forum have spoken of “going into the heart center” when meditating. For me personally – it was something I just did intuitively, not something I was taught. I also understood from my discussions – that not very many people were familiar with the concept of the heart center – and had no clue what I was talking about.
Heart is called Hridaya in Indian languages. It is derived from the Sanskrit word Hridayam (hrit + ayam), which simply means "this is the center.”
Naturally, I am curious how “going into the heart center” affects the way people experience and remember past lives.
Brian Weiss says that we are born with certain values and ideals: “They get ingrained, not at the level of the brain, but of the heart, the soul. That's where real learning takes place."
Over the centuries, the heart has been spoken of as a source of wisdom and feeling in almost all cultures. Among the ancients, the seat of the soul was always in the body, usually in the heart. I firmly believe, as did the ancients, that the seat of the soul – is in the heart center. I believe that when I am looking within – going deep into the heart center, I am in a place of profound understanding. There is a balance between thought, feeling and emotion.
The Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Babylonians and Greeks, maintained that "the primary organ capable of influencing and directing our emotions, our morality and our decision-making ability was the heart; and they attached enormous emotional and moral significance to the heart."
In the Kabbalah, “The heart is the Central Sphere, the only one of ten to touch all the others, and it’s reputed to hold the key to the mysteries of radiant health, joy and well-being."
In traditional Chinese medicine, “The heart is seen as the seat of connection between the mind and the body and it forms a bridge between the two. It’s said that the heart-blood houses the shen, which can be translated as both 'mind' and 'spirit'. Thus the mind or spirit is housed in the heart."
Interestingly enough, I read that the Chinese characters for ‘thinking’, ‘thought’, ‘intent’, ‘listen’, ‘virtue’, and ‘love’, all include the character for “heart”. An ancient Chinese dictionary describes “'silk threads' that connect the brain and the heart." In the Japanese language "there are two distinct words to describe the heart; shinzu denotes the physical organ while kokoro refers to the mind of the heart."
The Charaka Samhita, a classic Ayurvedic text, states "...the center of the five senses, the mind is located in the heart. In it also are the seat of excellent ojas and the reservoir of consciousness."
In my experience – when I go into the heart center – the deeper I go, the more detailed and accurate the memories are. I am experiencing everything again – all the senses are heightened. I have never had a problem separating past from present, nor understanding the lesson behind each life memory – even the “emotional” ones. I seem to be able to view everything that happened, from a place of love, acceptance and compassion.
I read that “Heart intelligence is the flow of awareness and insight that we experience once the mind and emotions are brought into balance and coherence through a self-initiated process. This form of intelligence is experienced as direct, intuitive knowing that manifests in thoughts and emotions that are beneficial for ourselves and others.”
That led me to wonder – if individuals process things more easily, when they view them from the heart center?
The Heart means essence, core, center, and the divinity within. Ramana Maharshi said "Call it by any name: God, Self, the Heart, or Seat of Consciousness. It is all the same. The point to be grasped is this, that Heart means the very core of one's being."
What are your thoughts on the heart center?
Does anyone else go into their heart center when meditating? What is your experience when doing so? Do you feel that in going there – you are more balanced, better able to process and release the memories and emotions held within?
Ailish
Something that I realized – was that several members on the forum have spoken of “going into the heart center” when meditating. For me personally – it was something I just did intuitively, not something I was taught. I also understood from my discussions – that not very many people were familiar with the concept of the heart center – and had no clue what I was talking about.
Heart is called Hridaya in Indian languages. It is derived from the Sanskrit word Hridayam (hrit + ayam), which simply means "this is the center.”
Naturally, I am curious how “going into the heart center” affects the way people experience and remember past lives.
Brian Weiss says that we are born with certain values and ideals: “They get ingrained, not at the level of the brain, but of the heart, the soul. That's where real learning takes place."
Over the centuries, the heart has been spoken of as a source of wisdom and feeling in almost all cultures. Among the ancients, the seat of the soul was always in the body, usually in the heart. I firmly believe, as did the ancients, that the seat of the soul – is in the heart center. I believe that when I am looking within – going deep into the heart center, I am in a place of profound understanding. There is a balance between thought, feeling and emotion.
The Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Babylonians and Greeks, maintained that "the primary organ capable of influencing and directing our emotions, our morality and our decision-making ability was the heart; and they attached enormous emotional and moral significance to the heart."
In the Kabbalah, “The heart is the Central Sphere, the only one of ten to touch all the others, and it’s reputed to hold the key to the mysteries of radiant health, joy and well-being."
In traditional Chinese medicine, “The heart is seen as the seat of connection between the mind and the body and it forms a bridge between the two. It’s said that the heart-blood houses the shen, which can be translated as both 'mind' and 'spirit'. Thus the mind or spirit is housed in the heart."
Interestingly enough, I read that the Chinese characters for ‘thinking’, ‘thought’, ‘intent’, ‘listen’, ‘virtue’, and ‘love’, all include the character for “heart”. An ancient Chinese dictionary describes “'silk threads' that connect the brain and the heart." In the Japanese language "there are two distinct words to describe the heart; shinzu denotes the physical organ while kokoro refers to the mind of the heart."
The Charaka Samhita, a classic Ayurvedic text, states "...the center of the five senses, the mind is located in the heart. In it also are the seat of excellent ojas and the reservoir of consciousness."
In my experience – when I go into the heart center – the deeper I go, the more detailed and accurate the memories are. I am experiencing everything again – all the senses are heightened. I have never had a problem separating past from present, nor understanding the lesson behind each life memory – even the “emotional” ones. I seem to be able to view everything that happened, from a place of love, acceptance and compassion.
I read that “Heart intelligence is the flow of awareness and insight that we experience once the mind and emotions are brought into balance and coherence through a self-initiated process. This form of intelligence is experienced as direct, intuitive knowing that manifests in thoughts and emotions that are beneficial for ourselves and others.”
That led me to wonder – if individuals process things more easily, when they view them from the heart center?
The Heart means essence, core, center, and the divinity within. Ramana Maharshi said "Call it by any name: God, Self, the Heart, or Seat of Consciousness. It is all the same. The point to be grasped is this, that Heart means the very core of one's being."
What are your thoughts on the heart center?
Does anyone else go into their heart center when meditating? What is your experience when doing so? Do you feel that in going there – you are more balanced, better able to process and release the memories and emotions held within?
Ailish