Shape of my heart…
Physiologically, the heart it is an outstanding organ of the body, anatomically it is a system of muscles. We have muscles in our arms, legs, etc., these are fibrous tissues which bears up our structure, for it is due to our muscles that our skeleton is held together. The heart is also a system of muscles and as such connects with the astral body. But the heart is a different type of muscle because its fibers are laid down differently than the others and is a hollow muscle. I think it is the only hollow muscle in the body. The fact that it is a hollow sphere brings about an inner motion because there is empty space inside.
The etheric centre of the heart draws the blood towards it and then pulses out again. Here is where substance is transformed into either and forms to rise up to the etheric brain and then to the physical brain so that it can function, bringing harmony to the organs of the body. The organs and their functioning are regulated by what takes place between the etheric heart and the etheric brain. Through this heart muscle, with a hollow sphere and etheric centre inside it, pulses the blood. The blood enters the heart with its four chambers. Between the second and the third chamber it goes to the lung to be regenerated and from the fourth it goes out to the body again. There is no pulse in the main vein which brings blood to the heart – there is no pressure – it is taken from every vein by suction. The heart is the only muscle that only gets tired once (except if diseased) and that is in the moment of death. This shows the eternal youth force in the etheric heart; the heart lives entirely in cosmic rhythms. It lives in relation to the time of the cosmic migration of the sun. It’s physical location in the body is similar to the sun in our solar system. In addition, the heart also takes up nourishment from the blood. What we eat goes in part to the lymph system and in part to the liver, but finally, all that we eat goes into the blood. So this human blood (except the lymph) bears nourishment and takes away the breakdown products of the body and it is the regenerated substance that pulses from the heart into the body.
What we eat and drink has a tremendous influence on the heart. For example, if we drink alcohol this passes unchanged into our blood and can be measured exactly. This alcohol circulates through our entire body as a foreign substance. This substance imposes something on the heart. Red wine for instance has the effect of opening the capillaries to the head. Thus more blood comes to the head so that it, in a minor way, is illuminated. People have more life in their head, so they get a lot of ideas and have warm feelings. If patted on the shoulder at such a time, one will not take it seriously simply because these capillaries have been opened. On others, it has other effects; for instance, Goethe, who was a Christian, liked a little red wine and wrote some good poetry when he had had it.
Imagine a sphere, metamorphose it to a central point and from this centre again out to a sphere. You can think of concentric circles getting smaller until they become a point and then enlarging again. In proper meditation there is a spiritual process which breaks down used up products in the blood. A basis for life and health lies in there being enough spiritual activity to be able to transform used up substance into etheric substance. Moral joy and pure thought can do a lot of good in this connection.
With every pulse of the heart a certain amount of substance is absorbed, it is taken away as physical pressure and added to the etheric substance. This then begins to radiate outward. The radiation from this etheric organ of the heart starts to develop into a spiritual organ.
It is a peculiarity of the heart that it is the only bodily organ which is self‐maintaining. This is because the blood going through the heart also nourishes the heart. The coronary vessels around the heart are like hands holding it. These coronary vessels nourish the heart and take away the used up substance. They must be the most over‐taxed vessels of the body. In modern man sclerosis and thromboses, diseases of the coronary vessels are most widespread. Perhaps because the etheric is not able to take up the impact of physical things on the heart. So it becomes stiff or clogged. We suffer a sudden end. Modern scientists also know that fear or despair brings about an increase of these diseases. These diseases come because the heart does not get proper spiritual nourishment.
The Spiritual Heart
Metaphors for introversion are found in many traditions, Hinduism for example has the cave of the heart and the heart is also seen in Christian iconography. The heart is is a dominant symbol in the Jewish, Islamic and Chinese traditions. The Tibetans speak of the “good heart” as a primary goal in the spiritual life. Ofcourse there are many heart connotations referenced in music, films and romantic novels.
The Qu’ran is a book of signs and the signs of the Qu’ran speak only to the seeking heart. The heart cannot be coerced, it must want and be willing therefore an open heart is a prerequisite to understanding a rewarding study of the Qu’ran. After all the heart is the seat of faith and all human emotions.
The word “taqwa” is often used and translated to fear of God but also translated to conciousness or awareness. More specifically, a conciousness emanting from the heart because it has a memory from it’s primal origin, awareness of the universe and a life memory. In fact, there have been a number of stories from heart transplant recipients who have had incredible heart memory because it is the repository of the previous individuals life memories. In feotal developement the heart forms and starts beating before the brain is developed meaning that it sends more information to the brain than vice versa. Ofcourse with all research there is certain level of bias involved but there was a study to see if there was a correlation with advanced heart failure and spirituality. Interestingly, the study found that “some patients felt their illness had occurred because they had wronged God, while others felt betrayed by God. Some expressed comfort from God and optimism believing that God was in control and would heal their illness. During acute episodes patients questioned whether witchcraft or curses caused their illness.” This study confirms that the heart is not just a physical muscle in the body.
The word “qalb” is used to define the heart in the Qu’ran which is the mid point of the psyche, halfway beween the “nafs” (self) and “ruh” (spirit) and includes the subconcious and supersubconcious faculties of perception, memories and complexes. I brielfy touched on this in my previous Rumi discussion, whereby “Ruh” can be used as a transmitter for sending signals to the heart and it’s key servants being reason, reflection and conscience. The development of the individual results from the inter-relationship between the three dimensions, “qalb”, “ruh”and “nafs”. The transmission of knowledge of the soul takes three forms, namely, the prophecies of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), “wahy” (inspiration), “ilham-khaf” which is doing or saying (or being guided to do or say) the right thing without being a Prophet (PBUH)), and the whisperings of the devil, “waswas”. The “nafs” have the upper hand and so the heart is “vieled” by the soul which takes itself to be an self ruling whole, in a way it envelops to being personified to the hijab. At the same time the “nafs” is an accomplice of the “world” in it’s multiple and changing aspects because it passively espouses the cosmic condition of form. Islamially, it is advised to battle the ego and break it as quoted in the Hadith, “Your worst enemy is your nafs which lies between your flanks”. Hadith’s are the collected accounts of the sayings, actions, and habits of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Rumi’s poems often delineate four fundamental levels, the animal spirit, the human spirit, the angelic spirit and the spirit of the saints. Above the last of these levels stands God, who transcends the spirit but who is often referred to as “spirit” metaphorically. The animal, natural or fiery spirit is common to humans and animals hence the Persian word for “spirit” meaning “Jan” is often used to mean life. You might recognise the word “Jaan” in many Bollywood films referring to their lover as being their life. In fact many of Rumi’s poems were translated to the word “life” and would render the term “jaan” better than “spirit” but the latter term has been kept for the sake of consistency. If the close connection between the two is kept in mind the sense of the verses will be clearer. The human, angelic and the spirit of the saints are difficult to separate since they all partake of unity and from a certain viewpoint are one and the same. The human spirit in its fullness can only be actualised through transversing the spiritual path. Hence only the saints have a true awareness of it while the conciousness of other individuals is dominated by the animal spirit.
“Qalb” is synonymous with the Arabic word “damir” which means “the heart; the recesses of the mind or secret thoughts” "Damir” or “conscience” is a synonym of the word for secret, “sirr”. There are two things which seal the heart. The first is if one carries out a bad deed his chances of repeating that kind of action increases. Although sealing is less serious, continous acts of bad deeds end up with locking the heart. The second is if one carries arrogance in a form of narcissim and ingratitude. The “qalb” is the battlefield on which the fight for the soul’s allegiance takes place. On one side of the “qalb”, forces such as the ego and dunya (where the world created by the entanglements of our collective egos and desires) are aligned and seek to entice the heart to rebel against the truth and to serve non-spiritual practices. On the other side of the “qalb” , the forces of spirit are aligned and they seek to orient the heart towards truth and to induce the heart to work towards realising the purposes of life. The outcome of the battle is not straightforward. In fact the outcome might not even become clear until ones final breath is taken. Sometimes we listen to the “qalb” and it tells us passionately to serve the ego, the world and spiritual practices. What is recognised as “right” and “ethical” depends on the condition of the heart when one listens to what it is saying. In another Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) told us that the immediate reason for the righteousness or the corruption of the heart is the way it deals with sins that confront it. If the heart accepts those sins and embraces them, a dark spot is left behind in the heart. If the heart rejects those sins, a bright spot is left behind. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "Trials are presented to the hearts like a mat, one stick at a time. If any heart accepts it, a dark spot is left in it. If any heart rejects it, a bright spot is left in it”.
The heart is compared to the Ka’bah in Sufism. When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) entered Mecca he approached the Ka’bah and asked if Ali ibn Abi Talib and Bilal al-Habshi could destroy all the idols in there to purify the place to honor the one God as it was occupied by idol worshippers. Similarly, the individual who aspires to reach God must destroy all the idols in his heart so that only God can be present. As mentioned in old Arabic poem when someone was knocking on the door of a Sufi’s heart replied with, “There is no one in the house except the Master of the House”.
There are levels in reaching the “ihsan” level meaning the being of the perfect human. “Ihsan” means perfection, excellence and doing things beautifically, being aware that God is constantly watching. It is based on a Hadith which says that “ihsan” is “to worship God as if you see Him and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion, then (take it for granted that) Allah (swt) sees you”. Metaphysically, the heart is also a mirror which must be polished with “dhikr” (reminding oneself of God) it is only until then that the heart can be used to become the locus for the direct manifestations of God’s qualities. It has been described as an eye which can open and diverge into the invisible realm. The “eye of the heart” (“Ayn al-qalb”) is not confined to Islam but is universal as shown in Plato’s expression “eye of soul” or the “third eye” of Hindu and Bhuddist doctrines. Whereby the third eye penetrates through the wall of the physical existence and sees into the minds of people. Why is the eye used? Because our vision has an objective character and so it better symbolises the function of the heart’s intellect. Also the heart has inner facultlies meaning that God can see us. When we are cordial with God then God is cordial with us. The heart is the telescope of the soul and the eyes are the telescope of the heart. When we see through glasses it is the eyes that see, not the glasses so when seeing through the heart and through the eyes, what sees is the soul. The eyes have no power to see they only have the power to help the soul see. The moment the soul leaves the eyes become blind. You’ll see this commonly in twin flames as they are connected through the heart often feeling each others intense emotions due to the energetic bond making it painful process until one surrender’s so that they can reunite.
In the depths of the heart resides “Al-du’ad” or the heart's centre in which two eyes, one meant to see God and the other being the world, are unified. When the eye of the heart is fully open, one is able to see God but is also able to contemplate God in achieving unity or “tahwid” in the highest form. In fact, real faith (“Al iman”) is associated with the heart and not with the mind nor the tongue. To really believe we must believe in and with our hearts. Secondly, the heart is not only the seat of human love but also of divine love. The fire of love being in the heart and it is there that one is to find God. There is even one step higher than this (of the five different phases of the conciousness) which is called “Hahut” similar to “Samadhi” this fifth spehere of conscioueness has the ability to reach the innermost depth of its own being. The process of this experience is like the process of alchemy which is not given freely until one is fully ready. Like in Mario you have to overcome all the trials and tributions before excelling to the next level and you know you’re going the right way because you’ll encounter many enemies and hardships.
Ways in which you can purify the heart:
[Please note that I am still learning and do not claim to do all of the below, but I have written the below to remind myself and others which may help someone and I am sure that I am missing a lot more!]
Spending time to learn and reflect on His names from the Qu’ran and Sunnah.
Be optimistic that God will accept your repentance which is an ongoing journey.
The quality of our prayers should be taken into account.
The hearts find ultimate peace and tranquility in the remembrance of Him therefore reading and making an effort to regularly read chapters in the Qu’ran.
Surrounding yourself with people that remind you of God and encourage you to do good deeds, who support you in good and bad times.
Going on nature walks to reflect on the state of your heart and how your character beings others closer to God. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions, never let a person feel as though they were alone or as though they had to get through trials by themselves.
“You have to keep breaking your heart until it opens”
Rumi highlighted that it is important to embrace our feelings and not to wallow in them and saying “enough is enough!” to our sadness is imperitive. Why do we choose to remain stuck in our prison cell when the door swings open to a rose garden? Rumi emphasies that there needs to a time when we need to speak of “roses and pomegranates” and embrace the “joy talk”. Embracing all of our feelings opens our heart more expansively to the light but also shows that we have full faith in God. We cannot enjoy life if our hearts are closed. In already vulnerable people, "anger causes electrical changes in the heart," as quoted by Dr. Rachel Lampert, a Yale University cardiologist who led a study to identify what happens when the heart experiences anger. There's no evidence yet that treating depression will make adults less likely to have heart attacks although it has contributed to the risk of heart disease as much as diabetes, high cholesterol and/or obesity.
If we pour a huge amount of salt in a glass of water, the water will become bitter and unpalatable over time. But if the same amount of salt is poured into a pond, the effect is unnoticable. Similarly, if our hearts are clenched and closed off the difficult feelings are intolerable, if they are open and spacious we barely notice the bitterness. They sometimes become so intolerable that a lot of individuals now go through life being too scared to open up not knowing it’s the one thing that will set them free. But you may say this is easier said than done, which is true one can’t just open their heart after it’s been shown to remain closed. In the western world psychotherapy is used, Catholic’s use confession as a means to transform their life but this cannot be easily achieved by introspection alone. A thousand years subsequent to the year 776, Carl Jung expressed that genuine therapy had to occur in self-disclosure that includes relational and interpersonal confession. Importantly, the confession of the secret must be met by absolute secrecy on the part of the recipient in order for the therapy to be effective. Confessions of any sins are made directly to God and not through man in Islam. The “its not your fault” scene in “Good Will Hunting” is a clear example of accomplishing this the proper way where you see Sean trying to open Will’s heart until it breaks open. I love this scene because we see Will finally breaking and showing such raw emotion saying “don’t f**k with me, not you”, because Will finally respects Sean so much and the thought of Sean laughing at him was too much to bear. When Sean tells Will that his father beat him too, the connection and bond that moment immediately creates, is the breakthrough to open Will’s heart and finally let something, someone in. This scene always make me cry. The heart is like a guesthouse where some of the guests who have stayed are trash but also this trash may also clear the way for new joys of our life. As Rumi quoted, it’s best to greet the “dark thought” at the door with laughter and that have been “sent as a guide from beyond”. A sense of humor not only expresses our natural and supernatural happiness but it also is a useful way to check against self deception. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) occasionally joked with the people around him. It is very easy to take oursevles too seriously and humor allows us to transcend our seriousness and become lighter again. Although we have five senses, the sixth could be the “sixth sense” and the seventh “sense” should be sense of humor! To be continued…