Lately, I often find myself talking about the heart and how important it is to learn to listen to it. I notice that people who look at me are lost and ask me what exactly it means to follow the heart. It is not easy to explain something we are not used to even thinking about, but perhaps starting from some scientific discoveries, our mind could help us understand how important it is to develop listening to the heart and learn to live according to its direction.
Therefore, here are some articles on the subject and an extract from a book by Annie Marquier. Enjoy the reading!
Speaking of recent scientific discoveries showing that the heart, in addition to emitting an electromagnetic field a hundred times larger than the brain, also has a similar structure.
According to the most recent research in the field of neuroscience, there is a close relationship between the heart and the brain.
The heart seems to have a real “brain” and therefore its own intelligence. This concept was introduced in 1991 by Dr. Armor who defines the heart as “a real little brain” with its own rather complex intrinsic nervous system that operates and processes information independently of the brain and the ANS. Dr. Armor’s research team found that the heart synthesizes and releases neurotransmitters (norepinephrine and dopamine) that until a few years ago were thought to be produced only by neurons in the brain.
Through the nervous system, the hormonal system, and other pathways, the heart profoundly influences the functioning of the brain itself. The brain is affected and obeys the signals sent by the heart.
Here is what Annie Marquier says in her book “Using the brain of the heart” Amrita editions:
“We have found the Master: he is in the heart!”
While, since the beginning of time, the ego has used certain parts of the brain of the head to fulfill its assigned role, our inner Master, soul, or higher self, if you prefer, can now use the brain of the heart. physical to induce a completely different perception system and transmit its will, obtaining the perfect functioning of the whole personality.
On the other hand, this can only be done under certain conditions. To begin with, it was observed in the laboratory that, to obtain the state of coherence (the state in which the human being works best), one must have “high” thoughts and emotions such as gratitude, altruism, trust, and benevolence. We have seen before that fear and stress bar access to this circuit, which means that the way of the Master in the heart is only accessible if the lower circuits of consciousness are deactivated, or rather brought back to their proper functions: the emotional body is tamed (the horse is full of vigor but disciplined and well guided) and the mental body is flexible and open (the coachman has put himself at the service of the master of the chariot, or Master). Under these conditions, and only these, the Master of the heart can be active, and we can create a state of coherence. The Master of the heart can be active and we can fully enjoy its benefits only when we are masters of our mind and emotions.
We, therefore, have a new circuit at our disposal. Instead of being processed only by the lower emotional limbic brain (the horse) or the rational cortex (the coachman), the information can be processed first by the heart brain (the Master), which then sends its instructions, according to its will, to the brain of the head and the rest of the body. Ancient wisdom, through its symbolism, had already revealed the possibility of experiencing life through a completely different consciousness, that of the Master; and the state of biological coherence discovered in the laboratories is nothing more than the physical expression of this different level of consciousness. When we can achieve this state of coherence, the consequences that are observed are truly impressive.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF COHERENCE
The physical body
When the brain of the heart can play its governing role, the physical body functions optimally: health is excellent and energy level is high. We know that homeostasis, the perfect balance of the body, is based on the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems: when the brain of the heart directs, the parasympathetic regains its full capacity and can balance the action. of the sympathetic system. As soon as the imbalance tries to establish itself, the heart produces the anti-stress hormone ANF which attenuates and puts back in the right place the old mechanisms of defense or attack, fear, and separation that are about to come into play. Stress disappears, and the repercussions on health are immediate, with among other things: the disappearance or strong reduction of diseases, because the immune system works optimally, with restful sleep, normal blood pressure, and increased vitality because all organs function at their best according to the resonance principle.
The emotions
According to laboratory experiments, the emotions that generate the best state of coherence are first of all gratitude and, immediately after, unconditional love and all the other qualities of the heart: goodness, generosity, compassion, serenity, inner peace, openness to life and others, quiet joy, contentment, etc., all “superior” emotions that have nothing to do with those of the primitive circuit, of which they are even the opposite.
Within the great emotional reservoir, the heart Master circuit naturally uses so-called “positive” or “elevated” emotions. These are not “delicate” emotions, but rather powerful emotions, charged with compassion, love, and wisdom, which make us strong, intelligent, steadfast, stable, wise, generous, compassionate, and at the same time, very efficient and creative in action because energy is not lost in agitation or resistance.
The fulfillment
In this new dynamic, we possess serene joy and profound fulfillment regardless of the circumstances. This “regardless of the circumstances” is fundamental, because in this state, the delightful experience of life, of serene well-being, no longer depends on the outside, but comes directly from within, from the natural state of coherence aroused by the opening of the heart, and nothing can spoil it. As we read in John 16, 22: “And the joy you will have, no one will be able to take away from you”.
We are so little used to this type of functioning that we often find it hard to imagine the possibility of such natural fulfillment. We are intimately programmed to think that we will only be happy when we have a new love, or when we find “the job that’s exactly right for us,” or receive grandmother’s inheritance, or when we can take a Caribbean vacation, or get the general recognition of our talents or anything else coming from outside; if we try to create these “ideal” conditions, but even if we get them, we already know how ephemeral our satisfaction will be; which is why we will try to have more and more, and we will be continually caught in the dynamic of waiting and hoping that something will happen, or in that of regret and disappointment for what did not happen according to our wishes.
It is not pure theory, but a concrete experience: it is our physical body that tells us, makes us feel it, and the body only tells true stories. This is neither good nor bad. This new dynamic simply works like this, according to the very laws of nature. This is not “bad”. Except that these dynamics are painful for the human being. On the other hand, when all that we are swings in sync with the heart, we no longer need special circumstances to be happy because we are happy.