Friday, September 30, 2005

Exploring "Heart" #1

Heart means more than emotion and feeling. Peggy Holman thought it might be the intersection of thought and feeling, but then we wondered if it was that more whole place where thought and feeling come from. Adin Rogovin thought it had something to do with authenticity and expressing and touching our deepest knowing of what's universal, so that it resonates in another. I tried out some poetic approaches, none of which quite satisfies me, but each is interesting...

HEART (1)

Expressing and evoking
what is poignantly or passionately alive
and heart-to-heart true
to the aliveness in me and you,

this authentic, enlivening
thinking-feeling-sensing arises
from our deepest asking and knowing such
that we cannot help but touch
and be touched deep inside

where life matters in all its turnings
and we know we are on the same journey.


HEART (2)

Both feet at
the heart of the matter,
the center, the essence.
I feel, see, say
what my mind finds there.


HEART (3)

Beyond thinking and feeling
there is a well
so wide and deep that
all can drink there together forever.
The water from this well
has heart, heals; here,
my brother, my sister, drink.
Welcome to the center of my life,
your life, our lives, Life...
precious among everything that matters,
drink.

HEART (4)

Who you are...
How much I care...
What is real...
Right now. Forever.
These things matter.
I see them alive,
feel them alive,
know them alive,
say them alive,
that we may live authentically,
companions on this heartful journey
at the center.
Our journey of truth
knows so well what I mean
inside you
that even when you don't understand
my words,
we are still on the path together
hand in hand.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

your message of going away came just this bright fall day in Tbilisi when I was typing up my journals of ten years ago, wanting to shake my old self that had been writing unawares, and say 'wake up!' don't do it! and to go off, like you, where I will be able to shed those old habits that began then, or before, when children were leaving and I was changing but filling the days with too much work--tasks I had longed to do over decades and finally could.
We never will catch up. We can only stop and listen. Thanks for telling others you are doing just that; many of us need to hear this just now.

Anonymous said...

I love the notion that right in the middle of "hEARt" there is an 'ear'. I like to think that it is that ear we should be listening to for our general guidance. It is located at the point in our hearts where tears&laughter meet. It's where I feel most connected to the rest of life!

robertjgilson said...

the heart of truth
the truth of the heart

silence the source of all sound
stillness the seed of all doing
nothing the essence of all things
being human at the heart of nothing

enjoy your retreat

Anonymous said...

I have always found the old advice to "Lighten Up" very useful. A metaphor about heart could be that within our hearts is where our light resides, when we allow ourselves to shine we are renewed.

Anonymous said...

I also rec'd notice of your personal retreat and I am so impressed by your heartfelt words. Take all the time you need, brother. Being on my own sabbatical for similar reasons, I understand some of yours. I am looking forward to your future sharing.

Anonymous said...

taking a leave of absence is cool, there is a time for learning and a time for doing and it cant be done without breaking the ol'habits. We are as old as our habits (two bs or one ? english is not my language)

there are many way to enter a cold water lake...

good luck

Anonymous said...

Tom, my heart resonates with your heart; I feel deeply the issues and paradoxes. Both our opportunities and dangers are awesome. Our dialog has been far less that I would have liked (since pre Y2K days), but I highly respect your contributions and how busy you must have been. You now need time for inner work. When you are ready to resume dialog and are open to explore with someone new who deeply shares your concerns, I would welcome your contacting me at larryvictor@comcast.net . May your retreat be reeee. Larry (nuet)

Anonymous said...

Dear Tom,

Your message about your retreat touched me and I feel inspired by your courage of leaning into the unknown. Now, I plan for a similar retreat in December. You wrote:

> My natural inclination, as dangers and opportunities accelerate, is to work harder... I find myself returning to an old counter-intuitive Buddhist saying: "The situation is very urgent. We must move slowly."

That reminds me the feelings of Ram Dass when he went to India in the 70’s while his friends were fully immersed in the cultural and political struggles of their times, in the US.

May your wise decision bring you and the world what is needed to pass y/our evolutionary test.

In friendship and unconditional support,

George