The Luvvvvv Lens

Whew!  Haven't had time to blog in a long while!  And, looking at the date of my last post, it's been longer than I thought!

Here's the thing that's been most on my mind...

I was having a convo with a dear friend recently and she mentioned that her vow to herself is to "follow her heart."  I said that mine is to "be authentic."  Pretty cool chickies, eh?  :)

Now, as background, it is important to note that both of us work from home and have our own businesses, so I think it's safe to say that our personal vows spill into our business and vice versa.  I also think we are both doing a pretty good job!

I couldn't stop thinking about her philosophy - "Follow your heart."

Follow your heart.
Follow your heart.
Follow your heart?

REALLY?

REALLY.

REALLY?!

I had to really think about that.  I mean, here's a person whom I really respect, who has great family relationships, many friends, a very successful business, and... she gets there by "following her heart"?  Waaaaaiiiiiiit a minute.  Wow!  Hmmmm.  I started having conversations with myself about the idea.  Honestly, I'm not sure I have ever really tried it before - this following your heart thingie.  Or, maybe I have and just don't remember?

I started thinking about the chakras and wondering if she really meant her heart - or did she mean emotions - or did she mean intuition?  In any event, I decided that if she could follow her heart, I could follow mine!  :)

This lasted maybe two days.

G-O-N-G

*chuckles at Self*

See...I am one of those wayward-heart kinda people.  My heart does not have a level head!  I was quite literally dizzy after two days of trying to follow my heart - head in the clouds, or in the Caribbean, be that as it may...Thinking of adopting goats for my backyard, or ditching everything for a stint with Royal Caribbean...I almost painted my living room green...not that there's anything at all wrong with green, but my living room is yellow and I love it being yellow!  Whew!  I'm losing my mind and have to get in child pose for a while!

"Maybe I need more practice or something," I thought to myself.  "Is my heart too soft?  Is it too hard?  Too big, maybe?  That's it.  My heart's too fat.  Yeah."

"Ummm......noooooooo, Tina.  You know better than this.  It ain't gonna fly - with you or anyone else."

By now I am 99% steeped in self-doubt and have to dig out my chakra books.  Not that ten years of study hasn't sufficed, mind you.  Why do I just now think I don't know what I'm doing?   heh.

OK...

Root chakra - foundation, security, stability, survival

*got it*

Sacral chakra - simple pleasure, magnetic energy, "go with the flow"

*got it*

Solar plexus - will power, principles, self esteem, transformation

*check*

Heart chakra - open heart to all, unconditional love

And, to go even deeper...

The fourth chakra, the heart chakra,rests in the center of the chakra system, at the core of our spirit. Its physical location is the heart, upper chest, and upper back. The fourth is the balance point, integrating the world of matter (the lower three chakras) with the world of spirit (the upper three chakras). Through the heart chakra, we open to and connect with harmony and peace. The health of our heart center registers the quality and power of love in our life. In Sanskrit, the heart chakra is called Anahata, which means “unstruck” or “unhurt.” Its name implies that deep beneath our personal stories of brokenness and the pain in our heart, wholeness, boundless love, and a wellspring of compassion reside.

*revisit*

Throat chakra - communication, speaking your truth, expressing your own creativity to the "outer world"

*got it*

Third eye - intuition, visualization, clairvoyance

*check*

Crown chakra - connection to spiritual source, sense of "Oneness" 

*yep, got it*

 

 
So, back to the heart chakra:

Yes, the fourth chakra is the bridge between the upper and lower chakras; the center.

I ponder that for a moment...

So, if I (or anyone else) don't follow my heart, then what am I following?

The answer comes instantly:

My intuition.


Yep, that's it.  I'm an intuition kinda girl!

And, let's add wisdom too!  

Whew.  (Glad I pegged myself as something!)

Cross this project off the list.

But...wait a second...a girl can't live on third eye alone, can she?

Now I'm seeing the heart, not only as a bridge, but as a filter, or a lens.  Yeah.  How about that?  How about if the first, second and third chakras are balanced and feeding through the heart - the center.  And, the fifth, sixth, and seventh chakras are balanced and feeding through the heart?  Now, this could be g-o-o-d!  Yes, this I think I can do.  Or, at least try!  :)

Another friend had said to me earlier this week, "How is it that you are always so rational?"  heh.  That's mostly those upper chakras, isn't it?  Being so-called rational is not emotional or necessarily pleasurable.  It's pretty much black and white.  I'm known for saying things like, "It is what it is.  Now let's get on with the program."  I'd certainly like to think I'm always respectful and courteous and conscientious of others' feelings.  Yes.  But, I also have never thought of filtering everything through a love lens.  Maybe I could.  Maybe we all could.  It doesn't mean we have to be ooey gooey, blissed-out, head in the clouds, or Mother Teresa, does it?  It doesn't mean I have to go around talking about, "love, love, love."  But, it might be a more palatable way to integrate and open that heart chakra for those of us who are not really "follow-your-heart people."  :)

This was not the easiest exercise, for certain.  But, I'm glad I did it, and learned from it.  Just goes to prove that - whatever your personal philosophy or vow or mantra is - it's always worth revisiting, relearning, and tweeking as necessary. 

*info on chakras from:  Moi, Chakra for Beginners by David Pond, and Yoga Journal.

*for beginners who are interested in learning more about the chakras, I highly recommend Olivia Miller's Chakra Deck. 

*"Love might be great but why lose your head?" ~ Sheryl Crow ~