Being a Heart-Centered Human in a Mind-Dominant Culture (Part I)

A prayer from my heart:

Father-Mother-Creator...
Your light is within me and your love surrounds me.
I embrace this love as it flows through my heart... my knowing... and my feelings.
I open to this love as it guides my mind... my thoughts... and my thinking...
I accept this love as it becomes my body... my presence... and my being...
I allow love to flow through my heart, mind, and body joined together as one.
Father-Mother-Creator...
Your love is within me and your light surrounds me.
Amen. Amen. Amen.

What does it mean to be heart-centered? Being heart-centered means that one uses their “heart” to initiate and guide every thought, feeling, emotion, word, and action. This sounds wonderful, yet can we truly use our hearts in this way and fully relinquish the control of the mind in our perceptions?

Many people in our culture define themselves by what they do, what they own, and what others think of them. Our definition of self emerges from our belief systems. Mind-dominant beliefs are pervasive throughout our culture.

The beliefs of the mind cannot be addressed at the level of the mind, but they can be transformed through the heart. We can transform these beliefs through heart-centered awareness. Living from that sacred space within our hearts liberates and transforms our minds into empowered tools of creation.

Our thoughts, thinking, and mind do not originate in our brain, yet our brain is a medium and pathway for of our thoughts to flow. Our emotions and feelings do not originate within our heart, yet our heart is a pathway for our emotions and feelings to be felt and expressed. Our thoughts do not define us, yet our emotions and feelings are clear expressions of who we are as human beings and how we perceive our world.

Much of our emotional stress and disharmony occurs when the egoic mind becomes out of balance with the heart. There are two levels to our mind, the higher mind and the lower mind. The higher mind is a bridge to our hearts, our divine mind, and all that is. The lower mind is our ego. Our ego is that part of ourselves that identifies us as an individual.

The ego and mind work together. They are partners in creation. In becoming heart-centered it is essential that we first identify the ego and understand how it influences our thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.

Through years of conditioning in a mind-dominated culture, our egoic mind becomes imbalanced and begins to dominate our perceptions. When the ego dominates our perceptions it blocks our connection to our higher mind, our divine source, and ultimately our heart center. If we do not balance the ego with the compassion and love of our hearts, our path to true heart-centeredness becomes distorted by the illusions of an imbalanced ego.

As we develop heart-centeredness, it is essential that we discern the energies and influences of the egoic mind versus our heart. The imbalanced ego maintains it superiority over heart-centered awareness through the construction of many belief systems. These beliefs form deep patterns within our individual and collective consciousness. They are ultimately illusions, yet the imbalanced ego perceives them as very real. Some beliefs of an imbalanced ego include:

• I am what I have (my possessions define me)


• I am what I do (my job defines me)


• I am what others think of me (my reputation defines me)


• Everything that is missing in my life is separate from me (my life is in a constant state of lack)


• I am separate from everybody else (my body defines me)


• I am separate from God (God exists outside of me)
  

As we begin to identify the imbalanced ego with the compassionate understanding of our hearts, we ask ourselves: “Is this the truth of who I am?” As we observe the many false beliefs of the egoic mind within our culture, we begin a spiritual journey inside ourselves – inside that sacred space within our hearts – asking, “Is this the real truth of who I am?” The truth of who we are can always be found within that sacred space. Dissolving the egoic beliefs through heart-centered-awareness transforms the ego through the innate knowingness of the heart. These false egoic beliefs mature and transform through the radiant truth that resides within every heart:

• I am what I have – becomes I am the essence of my heart


• I am what I do – becomes I am the state of being that continually radiates from my heart


• I am what others think of me – becomes I am what I think of me.


• Everything that is missing in my life is separate from me – becomes I am abundant and attract what my heart truly desires.


• I am separate from everybody else – becomes I am connected to All that Is.


• I am separate from God – becomes God and I are One.

The moment we become heart-centered the egoic mind aligns with our higher mind and heart. This process continues until we are heart-centered at all times and in all ways. The goal is not to dissolve, reject, or undo the ego. A wise teacher once said, “To apply force will only bring resistance”. The ego’s primary motivation is survival. When it feels threatened it responds in imbalanced ways, fighting for survival and control. As we try to force or reject the ego it will resist with an equal amount of force. This inner struggle is like a wounded child always seeking attention and thriving on guilt, competition, and control. The ultimate goal is to integrate and transform the ego – our wounded child – through daily heart-centered awareness and practice. Observing and balancing the egoic mind requires conscious intent and a daily spiritual practice. Through heart-centered awareness we bring truth to the illusions and false beliefs of the ego. Bringing this level of truth to the illusions of our ego can initially be a struggle because of the firm hold the imbalanced ego has on the mind. Through many years of conditioning, our egoic mind can create a strong influence over our perceptions. The ego and mind are valuable tools of creation, but they do not define us.<>It is the heart’s role to choose and do. Dissolving the ego through compassion, mercy, and love engages a transformation of our perception and consciousness. We align who we are and how we see our world with our hearts and not our heads. With grace and power we begin to use our heart as a guide for every thought, emotion, feeling, word, and action. A heart-centered human being embraces this awareness with grace and honor, because they know that being heart-centered dynamically impacts All that Is. Stay tuned for part II…