What the heart wants
The heart wants what the heart wants.
The mind wants everything else.
Using the Five Aspects meditation helps balance that out by reminding me of the other four aspects, and of God that I am/God that I am in.
Spending time with the intuitive aspect, I am able to connect with my heart by asking, “What does the heart want?” Listening deeply beyond the intellectual aspect into the wisdom aspect, I hear the heart speak.
The heart wants a voice
Words come easy to the mind. The mind chatters and uses them constantly. But, what does the heart want to say? Focusing on, and strengthening the Intuitive aspect includes giving a voice to the heart. This is so different from mind chatter. It comes more slowly. It comes from a deeper place in my body. The heart feels the words rather than thinking them.
To bring the words to the surface requires synchronization of heart with the language centers of the mind. My Intellectual aspect is friendly with the heart but does not understand it. The mind’s need to analyse, categorize, and compartmentalize stand as barriers to full alignment between the aspects.
When I have this kind of dialogue between the heart and mind, I have to watch out for that tricky monkey mind as he tends to take control of the conversation. Yes, the mind is definitely a male thing — I frequently notice it mansplaining to the heart how it should feel. He controls the narrative to distract the heart from feeling the experience.
The tricky monkey is right this minute distracting the heart from speaking with thoughts of consumption and little desires.
Once the heart speaks, and the mind hears the meaning, the connection is strengthened and powerful things can happen. The wisdom of the heart is worth listening to.
The heart wants intimacy
Again, the connection between heart and mind must be strengthened before the heart will get what it wants. The mind resists intimacy in order to protect the heart from pain. Convincing the mind that the risk is worth the reward is challenging. Why does the mind resist pain? Or, is it the body that is resisting it? Not having had much intimacy in the last decade, I am probably not experienced enough to know…. this might take some exercises. Get a massage, go back into therapy, invite a friend over to talk about it. Take a chance.
The heart wants activism
Fighting the good fight is led by the heart. Again, the mind resists — risks and rewards of action are weighed and choices are made. Some negotiations between the mind and the heart may be necessary. While the heart wants to fight, the mind is a self-preserving aspect. It’s not always logical to do what is right, and it’s not always smart to follow your heart into battle.
The heart wants to greive
How does the mind even process grief and sadness? It seems that the mind interprets grief as pain and translates it into anger. I think the mind has an easier time dealing with anger. Anger has its own logic. Angry words come easier than sad ones.
One way that the heart can convince the mind to cooperate is through rituals and ceremonies. The mind can do ritual grieving, to give the heart the space it needs to feel.
The heart wants to tell stories…
Active imagination comes from wisdom of the heart. When channeled through the language of the mind it can reach other minds and inspire them to do the same. A powerful story will reach past the intellectual aspect and touch the heart.
The heart wants what the heart wants, and it needs to mind to cooperate and leave some space for it.