“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” -Joseph Campbell
Namaste Friends!
It has taken a couple of days to land on planet Earth again after an OMazing weekend with Saul David Raye. Those of you who had the opportunity to practice with him know how powerfully transformational his teachings are upon our soul. (If you missed him this time, he will be back to Karma in late spring!) There are many things I took away from the immersion, but one of the premises that Saul touched on is weighing heavy on my mind and in my heart. He made a strong point illustrating the importance of tapping into our heart energy, our inner knowing, our truth center. And then once we find it, live from that place.
Of course we have all heard this before. Great souls have been spouting this since the dawn of man.
“Everyone who wills can hear the inner voice. It is within everyone.”- Gandhi
“We live by faith, not by sight”-Jesus
“Only from the heart can you touch the sky”-Rumi
“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”-Buddha
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” -Confucius
“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”-Paulo Coehlo
“Our ancient experience confirms at every point that everything is linked together, everything is inseparable.”-Dalai Lama
“The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart.”-Thich Nhat Hanh
“Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof.”-Khalil Gibran
“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
— Black Elk
This idea that we should live a heart-felt life is certainly not revolutionary. With that said, look how far away most of us are from incorporating “living from the heart” into our daily practice. We are surrounded by sorrow, loneliness, grief, despair, cruelty, anger, resentment, war, hatred. And that is just your neighbor. Or maybe that is you. And you are not alone. The whole world is loaded with these people. As long as one person suffers, we all suffer on some level. We are connected through the energy of life.
I certainly feel blessed in my life. But I live in a bubble for sure. I am surrounded by like-minded yogis who are, generally speaking, open-hearted and on the path toward enlightenment. So I see more people “tapping into their heart energy, their inner knowing, their truth center” in my community. But even within my beautiful bubble of well-intending people, I still see many of my brothers and sisters unable to surrender to the power of their own Divine Energy. Making life decisions based upon what your heart is telling you is not easy when we aren’t use to living that way. Letting go of fear and the ego are critical to living from the heart. Trusting that the Divine will guide us is a huge leap of faith and the rational, logical mind struggles with this concept. Even when our intuition and heart are screaming at us to surrender to the Flow of Life.
The average citizen would read this and say “What the bleep is she talking about?” “Divine Energy?” The lion share of humanity is not only unwilling to surrender to that which is greater than themselves or Divine Energy, but they don’t even recognize that there is such a Power. And, it is within themselves, it is in their heart. They don’t know how to tap in to their own divine juice. A good friend of mine, just coming onto the path, recently laughed at me when I told him I needed to pray to Lakshmi, the Goddess of Abundance, to pay my bills. He said I need more than prayer to pay the bills. But I have faith in the Universal current that there is enough abundance for everyone, and that we just need to whole-HEARTedly believe. Divine Energy is in every atom, including the idol. So when I pray to Lakshmi, I am praying to the Divine Energy that is in everything. It doesn’t matter if I am on my hands and knees, palms together looking to the heavens or if I am riding my bike along the beach watching the sunset. If my heart energy is efforting to connect with the Spirit of All Creation, the method I use is not relevant, its the energy or intention behind it that matters.
“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”-Mathew 21:22
I paid my bills, as I always do. Even when the bank account seems to have $0.00. Thank you God.
We are coming to a juncture in this human experience where it is of utmost importance that we the people come into awareness of this energetic plane that connects us all. As Saul so poignantly said this weekend, we know in our Hearts that we do not want to hurt our Earth; we know in our Hearts that we do not want to War with each other. We know we do not want to live an empty life. But yet many of us do. We can Evolve. We can tap into our Divine Energy by connecting with Nature, sitting Silently with our Heart and Listening. Calling in the Intention to Trust our Inner Knowing. Being True to what we Feel in our heart. Following our Bliss. Seeing the Divine in all Things. Holding each other up high. Leaving no One behind to suffer. All of these ways are the cosmic flow of energy or the Ritam. It is time to swim with the current, not against it. Not watching it from the outer banks. But rather diving in and living in concordance with the flow of Life, Nature, God, Yourself. Same-same.
The following suggestions are things I have found to be helpful for me to stay in the Flow of my Divine Heart Energy…I humbly put these out for you to consider.
- Meditate daily even if just for a little bit.
- Bless your meals with gratitude.
- Love yourself, faults and all.
- Be grateful for each moment.
- Have awareness of all that is around you.
- Send energetic love to all beings.
- Greet everyone with a smile.
- Give big bear hugs.
- Lay naked on the Earth every now and then.
- Cry when you feel it. Tears are words the heart can’t say.
- Sing songs to the Divine.
- Dance without thinking
- Forgive those who have wronged you.
- Make friends with your enemies.
- Grow something from seed.
- Drink good water.
- Eat to nourish your body, not to fill it.
- Create art of any kind.
- Talk to animals like they understand.
- Play with children at their level.
- Seek the wisdom of your elders
- Read and write daily.
- Donate your time and energy without pay when you can.
- Be open to change.
- Be Earth friendly
- Dismantle your worry button.
- Practice Yoga…in all its forms
Live from your heart. Trust your inner knowing. The Universe is flowing through us all.
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” -Joseph Campbell. You are Love.
Thank you Saul David Raye for sharing your wisdom and heart with us this past weekend. Humble Namaskars.
Much love to you all,
Katrina Gustafson
There are a few spots left for Enchanted Tadasana Retreat over Labor Day Weekend!
Join Lisa and I (And Michael Franti!) for an extended weekend of yoga, meditation, nature and music with greats like The Neville Brothers, Michael Franti, and George Clinton. Its going to be out of this world. See the special events page for details! Visit Snowy Range Music Festival to learn more about the festival and the music line up
Interested in learning how to “cook” raw foods? Our chef Starla Mercer is offering a workshop on the 27th. Again see the special events page for more details. Visit Taste Health to learn more about Starla Mercer
Raise Love! Is a workshop hosted by California based yoga teacher Andrea Briggs. She will be here on the 27th speaking on the subject of living and supporting heart centered lifestyle. Watch videos, discussion, asana, pranayama, meditation, receive resources to help facilitate these ideas in your everyday life. Manifest the visions of unity and oneness in this fully embodied workshop. Visit Inside Thread to learn more about Andrea Briggs and Raise Love!