Listening to your Heart Song!

Woke up this morning to a beautiful piano riff, a song that as I lay in that magic moment between sleep and wake, allowed me to center deeply, remember my connection to Spirit, honor my intentions to stay connected, honest, integrated, loving. The trills also allowed my mind to begin its day of play, to marvel in the early morning light, to begin to create.

Many, many years ago, a choir teacher of mine would play classical music pieces and have us all sit with our eyes closed and just listen to the story told by each piece of music. For some the story came in images, colors and lights. For others the stories came full of drama, as if written in a book or played out a movie screen with a beginning, climax and resolution. For some, there were scenes of nature, of conflict, of interpersonal struggle. For all, there was a story, a cohesiveness, a groundedness that kept the piece of music on track. No matter where the notes went, which instruments joined in, how chaotic or peaceful the track became, there is a center to which the piece of music always returns. What is this that holds a song together and keeps it from becoming simply a jumble of discordant notes and sounds?

The composer determines the theme. An intention is set. Maybe a story is created. Maybe just an emotion forms the foundation. But, there is always an intention. And, from this intention comes a complex creation, full of nuance, and capable of being interpreted in a myriad of ways by each listener.

Our lives too have a root, a groundedness. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is said the number one cause of dis-ease is forgetting our true nature as Spirit. It does not matter what religious beliefs we each may have; but there is a deep resounding truth that we are all Spirit. This is the root. This is the theme that plays out below, amongst, sometimes hidden, sometimes prominently in the songs of each of our lives. The notes trill into what seems complete chaos at times. Sometimes they are barely audible. But, our story is being told and when we connect and remember our own center, delve into our own hearts, we can hear our own theme.

From this deep listening, we are invited to lean in, to trust that our heart/Spirit knows the way. As the orchestra follows each note, trusting that the composition will come into being as a work of beauty, we also are invited to find our center, breathe into the present moment, and from there live in complete honesty, integrity and wellness.

Often our own stories, our own moments of forgetting our true nature loom so large that it seems impossible to once again find our center, or to catch hold of our own theme. At its simplest, all that is asked is that we remember. But, to remember we must at times seek help, ground, get quiet, listen.

Getting quiet, grounding and listening can be done through the choices we make on a daily basis: eating a diet balanced and rich in season appropriate nutrients, tastes and energy; walking on the ground; meditation; meaningful connection with others who reflect our own truth back to us; working with our stories - testing what is really truth and what is simply a construct of the mind, asking ourselves which stories are serving us, bringing us into deep connection; and which stories are causing more separation, struggle, and suffering. Sometimes we need to ask for help.

Connection to our center/ to Spirit does not mean we lead a life without pain. It does mean we have the potential to live a life without suffering. Life is rich with emotion; both dark and light. Embracing each note of life fully whether we really like the sound or not, allows us to live with depth and richness. The fullness of our own composition can be realized. The seemingly discordant notes of the moment, the moments of trilling and lightness, the moments of intensity, the moments of darkness all come together to form a beautiful song of the Spirit - a song manifesting in each of us, connecting us one to another.