SHAKTI BECKONS THE GODDESS…
Embrace this Wise No-Brainer 
By Julie K. Halevan
I usually find Pujas (spiritual group ceremonies) pleasant and uplifting. Yet on that particular evening, while participating in a chanted mantra, I was also simultaneously reiterating in my head, “This repetition is driving me nuts…I’m going to lose my mind!” And that is exactly what happened! The spiritual gathering of a few hundred was seated before Amma, the Hindu “hugging saint”. We participated in a Puja ceremony as a precursor to receiving her darshan blessing (a message and hug). The euphoria and peace that came after that moment of ‘losing it’, is difficult to put into words. So what happened to me? Where did I go?
I realized that I had relinquished my mind/ego. It was trying so hard to control the situation by not allowing me to separate from its hold…even for just a moment. Finally letting myself go, though, as I became one with the mantra and all those around me, was ultimate bliss. What was my mind so afraid of? Perhaps it was the vulnerability of moving into a space that could potentially be within unfamiliar territory. What transpired was my heart falling into total coherence and a state of serenity with all those present. It felt as if I had tuned into the codes of other people’s hearts.
In the film, “Of Hearts and Minds”, filmmaker David Malone explores the human heart and contends that as a symbol of love and the center of innate wisdom and compassion, it is the organ of truth, just as the Egyptians saw. It is a beautiful info-energetic communicator bringing us into greater awareness, expansiveness and oneness. The heart has its own form of intelligence. Due to our evolved dependence on our brains/minds for interpretation of our experiences, we have become unaware of this power to transcend the limits of space and time. In a sense, the heart is the wisest thinker. Does this mean that we should renounce the mind-brain? No, not at all. Let’s just be grateful for such an awesome grace-filled communicator sitting at the center of our being.
The heart actually contains neurons, similar to those in our brains. Our hearts and brains are closely connected, creating a symbiotic and integrated whole. We have limitless minds, brilliant brains and energetic hearts which convey a code that represents our very souls. As Malone says, “it is our heart working in tandem with our brain that allows us to feel for others…it is ultimately what makes us human…Compassion is the heart’s gift to the rational mind”.
So, take a deep heart-centered breath and embrace this center of your being; the sun that resides within your universal body, with all else revolving around it. Take the leap. Let go of the mind’s hold, as the heart has much to impart!
