Heart Reading … Day 74
Re-engaging the heart after it has shut down
The heart has been likened to an engine because it powers the body. But it also can figuratively turn on and off emotionally. When it turns off in this way life can truly seem to lose its color, its vibrancy, its magic.
Life happens.
We are always energetically either becoming more “on” or becoming more “off” with respect to this heart energy. We grow towards each other or we grow away from each other in tiny increments or in tidal waves.
I recently took a nap in the middle of the day because my body was tired but I couldn’t fall all the way asleep. In this restful state I was considering this on and off state of the heart. I have yet to tire of these heart readings and find myself growing more and more intrigued about how multidimensional the heart is!
Having recently gone through a sudden and dramatic heart shut off I have been particularly curious about the ebb and flow of this state — though the heart shutting off in this way is more like a car crash that leads to a near death experience that (eventually, hopefully sooner than later) leads to a renewed sense of hope and trust.
This was not my first rodeo, so to speak.
During this nap I had a hypothetical conversation with the world and I was asked by some mystery person, “Karen, if you were able to say one thing to all men, what would you say?” To this I replied, “If you are in a relationship with a woman or a man who tries to help you feel and express your feelings, consider yourself very lucky.” I went on to say stuff like: even if we are so angry, sad, frustrated, or hopeless that we do not feel one bit like trying to reconcile with our lover, we can at least tell them we wished we felt like trying (which could bring some welcome gentleness to the situation), and we all can be more skillful and open hearted, etc.
This sort of musing reminds me of a scene in the book/movie Eat Pray Love where Elizabeth Gilbert/Julia Roberts goes to Indonesia to see a shaman named Ketut (sp?). She’s traveled halfway around the world to have this special visit, to ask this man her one big life altering question, and she asks about her current relationship (as, she notes, most women do).
My partner created a heart space like this for us a few days ago and it has helped tremendously.
Of course the heart can turn on or shut off energetically about lots of things — work, friends, hobbies, special places, ideas. It is wonderful to notice others’ in their flow — to notice when we’re shutting off and they are turning on or vice versa. We can be supported by others’ energy and we can support others’ energy with a simple realization like this.
