When You Open Your Heart, You Open Your Mind
by Brennan Lagasse
There is an undeniable connection between the human heart and the human mind. In simplistic terms, the heart is pure, full of love, full of grace. While the mind can and does display similar feelings, the mind is what makes sense of the consciousness that comes from the heart. But the crux is that what is felt and created energetically in the heart is not always translated out by the mind.
Think about a child that is born into a home of care, support, and unfiltered love. The child is nurtured, coddled, and taken care of with utmost concern. The energy from the heart of the parents or care providers is undeniable in that they feel such a connection to this being that their joy to take care of it is profound. The energy and love translates out to the child. As the child grows, that grounding of love is instilled in the heart and makes its way into the child’s mind. Although this child will grow and have conflicting energies presented to him or her along their path, that base will always be there.
But what about a child that is born into a home of turmoil, anger, and anxiety? Even though that child may have a completely different upbringing than the child brought up with love, there remain core themes that are easily exchangeable amongst the two. Sure, as unfortunate as it is, atrocities of the world are commonly seen with the treatment of children that are not brought up in supporting, loving homes. However, for a child to grow in adolescence and adulthood, some form of nurturing has to take place. In the end, there must have been some amount of love bestowed to the child; otherwise it would never have been able to grow.
From the very beginning of human life, love is a power instilled in the heart. We all have it. This energy can evolve and take the form of many things, but as growth takes place, changes come about mentally that “make sense” of the feelings in one’s heart.
I will argue it’s impossible for a human to see another human suffering, or an animal suffering, without some feeling of helplessness, remorse, or angst in the heart. The translation to action, to help the other being in a time of need, may be deep within the heart, but without a connection to the mind, the viewer may not feel compelled to act.
Likewise, if over time a person is continually shown the darker side of humanity, then the natural energy in the heart to share, grow, and foster love will subside. How is it that a young or old human can torture another? Even be so moved to take the life of another? It happens in the translation from the heart to the mind. The more one is taught to not give in to the compassionate feelings naturally occurring in one’s heart, the more “natural” it becomes to resist it. Truth be told, in a world where socially constructed forms of hate, destruction, and oppression continue to run rampant, it’s hard for even the most adamant and vocal supporters of well-being to argue for sustainability, peace, and justice.
To overcome this crux, the connection between the heart and the mind must be unobstructed. It must be free so that what’s felt in the core of the heart translates to the mind without filter to ask. While on the surface this may seem overly idealistic and troublesome in certain scenarios, the reality is that when you open your heart, you also open your mind.
Humanity has a long-drawn-out history of giving in to what has been described as “natural tendencies” to dominate. Wars, the above mentioned tools that have placed one person, one gender, one culture over another, continue to play out. The fact of the matter is, in 2012 we know. Now we know that in our hearts, in everyone’s heart, lies the ability to stop a thought or an action that we know is putting another living being in harm’s way. It doesn’t mean that it’s easy, but the truth in knowing we can make the effort to resist domination via the mind, and give into the love fostered through the heart, means there is a very stark reality that when the heart and mind are working as one—recognizing the diversity between the two, as well as the mutually beneficial relationship born when both are acting as one—great things can and will happen.
This February, think about the feelings in your heart and how those feelings get translated to your mind. What is your heart saying to you and how does your mind react? Perhaps it’s a dualistic reality that acts in unison for you, but perhaps it’s not. In either case, take the time to acknowledge these feelings and think about trying to keep your heart open, listening to what it’s telling you in situations, and follow it. Likewise, do the same as these feelings flow up to your mind and see what happens. Do your best to keep both heart and mind open whether they are in conflict or not, and meditate on the results. In the end, I trust you’ll see and feel benefits, and in the greater scheme of things, others you come into contact with will also see and feel these results. In this act you will not only have taken a major step towards inner peace for yourself, but you will also be playing a positive role for the betterment of all life forces around you.Brennan Lagasse is a writer, teacher, and mountain guide living in Lake Tahoe, CA. Brennan can be reached at brennanlagasse@hotmail.com.
