anahata

a boy i know is struggling to find himself, to know himself, to love himself.

actually, i know quite a few people who are on that path.

here is an excerpt from my note to him:

                           

i agree that the world is a sad place, full of ignorant people without any spiritual connection.  religion and dogma, power and corruption, lust and desire have shaped our culture to value more knowledge and more power and more lust.  my "breakdown"--or whatever you want to call it--my journey--has transformed me from an academically gifted, self-absorbed girl into a human being who recognizes both her pitiful, self-imposed limitations as well as her sublime and perfect connection to the Divine.  because i came so close to death, i had no choice but to see it.  i hope that, like you, more and more of us come to realize our interconnectedness...our common thread that weaves us to the Source from which we--and all life--came.  this is not to say we should all forsake our logic, our pragmatism, our possessions, or our identities.  rather, we can take root in the awareness of Divine wisdom and consciousness, and from there, nourish our individual gifts and unique perspectives to allow for the realization of our Highest Potential.

i wish someone would have told me, when i was in a similar place, that knowledge can only take you so far.  at some point, you will need to let go of everything you have ever known...surrender and make yourself utterly vulnerable.  only when the vessel is empty can it be filled.  this applies to my heart, to my wallet, to my schedule, to my cereal bowl.

ironically, i drew The Hierophant in my daily Tarot reading.  The Hierophant is a symbol of spirituality, but also of orthodoxy, ritual and tradition.  For me, the importance of this figure lies in his break from convention as much as his adherence to it.  Question all that you have ever learned.  Dare to allow your dreams to be Truth, for even though you may not understand them, in time, they will show you exactly what you need to know.  let's move out of the solar plexus, the power center, the burning of activity and metabolism and digestion, and into the heart center, anahata, "the unstruck," where we stop grasping and grabbing and taking, and start to open, to receive, to share and to serve.

no matter how many times my heart breaks wide open, i still love.