“I am knowing what I am knowing and what I know is…”
This is a great internal sentence starter, because the next bit is always an insight, nay revelation. Man, the truth our inside voice will tell us…! AND, most of what that voice has to say is really, really good: affirming, complementary, celebratory – and occasionally, it is guiding or advisory. Like you, dear inner/higher/heart-centred me.
Yesterday, G and I went on an epic and idyllic 8 mile walk in Wiltshire, from All Cannings, along the grassy canal path to Honeystreet Mill Cafe, up and along Milk Hill past the Alton Barnes White Horse (also site of the massive Milk Hill Galaxy Crop Circle, among other crop circles, we learnt from the cafe exhibition). The day was warm and sunny, and from the ridge of Milk Hill (the highest hill in Wiltshire) there were views of 20 miles and more. With such expansiveness, one can really think, and not-think-but-be. In that space, the inner voice becomes even clearer.
And what is that inner voice saying?
It’s reassuring me, I think. And encouraging me.
And how will you act upon the voice you hear?
With this concept of ‘kindfulness’ I think…
How are you defining ‘kindfulness’?
I guess it’s about maintaining a mindset of compassionate awareness, towards self and others. To me that also means not following the mental avenues of worry and concern, where possible, because I know they are just dark cul-de-sacs. It’s about being future-focussed in a solution-orientated way. It’s about consciously creating the thought patterns that make me feel good, and that energise me for action.
What action is that?
Getting stuff done. Being creative.
How will you be creative today?
Um, this… Getting my bike out for the first time in years… I don’t know. It’s another rest/activity day. I want to unfurl, unwind, gather steam, build up my batteries. I dunno, mate. What are you saying?
Sometimes the most creative thing you can do is to teach what you know.
To whom? I know that people in our own circles to not want to be ‘taught’!!
No, we all are taught by and learn from the ones we are next due to have teach us.
How do we identify our next teacher?
Eventually, we find it in the next student.
Ah, we learn from the act of sharing what we know. Yes. This is true. And the eternal quest for our own next teacher is maybe an exercise in actually avoiding sharing what we have learnt. I’m so grateful to my teachers along the way, who shared what they know…
Which teachers in particular are you grateful to?
Marianne Williamson, Pema Chodron, Abraham-Hicks, Elizabeth Gilbert, Chogyam Trunga Rinpoche, Matt Kahn, my qigong teacher Jeremy Colledge, Abdu’l-Baha, Heidi Sawyer, Lisa T Brown, Tiara Kumara, Vadim Zeland, Wayne Dyer, Louise L Hay, my TRE teacher Deborah Maddison, my swimming teacher June Heath, my children, G, my family, A Course in Miracles…
It is good when people share what they know. It is an act of generosity, and civic responsibility even, to be open with what we have learnt.
What have I learnt??
You have learnt about self-management.
I have! That is true. I am glad and grateful of that. I think I am sharing some of that learning here albeit to myself.
Sharing our learning is an art.
So true. No one, like no one, wants to be lectured at.
That is what art is for.
Art can be a little more playful than ‘instruction’, right? It’s a way of saying, this is how I see that I see.
Exactly and your heart sees so much. You are willing yourself to say what you see all the time.
What would my heart say?
Your heart would say: It’s all ok, you know? We are all here to love each other. That is all. Nothing else matters. Personal ambitions are mirages of the mind. We are but one mind in many bodies. We are invited to unite.
And then why doesn’t it say that good stuff out loud to the whole world?!
The mind’s reticence.
How do I step out of this bifurcation situation (heart and mind at odds), once and for all? Reality Transurfing (the huge book I read in 2018/19) was all about having a united heart and mind, in order to realise our intentions. My heart and mind are like the overtiming creatives and the rule-driven trade union reps, constantly slapping down each others’ best efforts. May my heart and mind become united in their purpose, mission and zeal. This is my intention, my request, my aim.
A united heart and mind, you say? What sits between the heart and mind? Hm? (Think of chakra points, if you like.)
Ha, the throat. The voice.
Ah. Ok. The voice. So this is what unites the heart and mind. Our words are spokespeople to our heart/mind, but also the mediators of the heart and mind, no?
In other words, can you mediate between heart and mind, and find, not compromise but win-win? Can you support them to find an agreement which meets both their ‘needs’ (vs one of their ‘positions’).
Yes. Sure! I think. I need to be able to hear both so clearly though, and understand what their positions/needs are.
Let’s experiment. That course you are thinking of teaching. [Good Chat] What does Heart have to say, and what does Mind have to say?
Heart: This course is literally the way to channel what we have learnt, and to connect to souls, and to support those who are willing to step forward and develop their communication skills in a way that they are longing to do, and which society has never supported them to do.
Mind: This course is a distraction from client work. As the course approaches, you will be overcome by distress about not selling out all the tickets (“rejected!”) and by anxiety about performing and giving people their money’s worth. It’s simply not worth the strain, stress and uncertainty.
Heart: Maybe that’s a rather selfish stance to take. Maybe it’s up to just a few people to come forward if they would like. You don’t know who’s out there.
Mind: It’s really not about who’s out there, it’s about knowing our Person. She’s a bag of nerves when it comes to going out in public solo.
Heart: Could she do it with someone else then? Share the strain and pain? Get confidence?
Mind: Sure, if she wants to give away the money yet again…
Ok guys. I hear you. Let it go for now. I see there is a disagreement in perspective here. It’s helpful to me to see this so clearly articulated. No wonder it’s hard to get things moving on the going-out-solo front. Quiero encontrar a mi gente….
Aha. Excellent. There’s the key! “I want to find my people”. Yes! According to Tim Ferris’s book you were reading earlier, Dita von Teese used to work in strip clubs where, unlike her bare-all Brazilian-waxed colleagues stripping completely for one-dollar tips from 50 guys, she would come out in full attire and undress only to her underwear. 49 men would brush her over, and one dude would tip her 50 dollars.
Where’s your niche? Donde estan, tu gente?
[Ok. I just signed us up to IG to find out.]
I find I am so darn serious. Where IS that playful artistry?
It’s in your Heart side. The Mind is the serious, risk-averse, alert-focussed bodyguard, pooping the party of creativity.
Ok. That’s it. Enough of the Mind’s dominance. I’m going to tune into my Heart’s knowing for a few days. See what I learn. See what it says. See how/when/if I dodge its knowing. See how my Mind counters my Heart. See when/where I can speak from the Heart. This is all about the heart-centred approach to life, which so many teachers speak of. I’m going to take a heart-centred approach to life, as an experiment, and see what happens.
Expect the unexpected, and be prepared to rolllllllllllll with that. Hold fast to the balustrade of the ship, but don’t go below deck. Enjoy the view. Embrace the creativity that flows out of the heart-centred approach to life!
Ty. Wish me luck…
I am taking a heart-centred approach to life