By Ginny Riker
It often seems that finding balance between reason and passion, between the mind and the heart, is the key to happiness doesn’t it? But, exactly what does that mean? Could it be that reason and passion being in right relationship to each other is actually what brings joy into our life?
What I am asking is this… are the heart and the mind meant to contribute equally to one’s important life decisions? Are the mind and the heart both reliable advisors in matters of love. My answer to that question is “no”… and here’s why. The intellect can FEEL absolutely nothing and is therefore unable to judge wisely in matters where love is so important and where love is meant to be honored and respected. Rather than an equal balance between heart and mind, it is more important that the “right relationship” between heart and mind be understood, so one can operate successfully within these two facets of self.
And what is that right relationship that one must understand? Simply this: The heart is meant to lead, illuminate and inspire our lives… to be placed “above” the mind like a light which dispels the darkness. The heart is meant to be an inspiration and a guiding influence in one’s decisions.. not only in relationships, but in every aspect of life as well.
It has been said that a man should place a woman on a pedestal. This is just another way of saying that the right relationship between heart (feminine feeling energy) and the mind (intellectual linear energy) is for the mind to willingly serve the heart, the feelings, the passionate energy. The mind cannot feel what is worth serving.. only the heart can feel. A mind that leads is out of “right relationship” with the heart.
It is therefore very important to get in touch with one’s feelings first and then the mind can find or forge channels for those feelings to be expressed. Most people let their mind lead their lives with occasional forays into the realm of feelings or else they never let feelings lead them at all. In these cases, the heart becomes silenced and sidelined by the “ego”. It is the ego that is invested in making us believe that love is not who we are. The ego wants us to believe that we are our possessions, our roles, our education, our achievements and so on. But those are all things that we learn to “identify” with. They are not truly real.. and we can never take them with us when we leave this body. Only love is real.
There are a million ways that the ego convinces us that we are separate from our hearts (love) and must remain separate from it. A healthy ego is one that has stopped “hijacking” the mind and instead steps back and lets the mind and it’s ability to discern and transverse linear concepts aid our heartfelt purpose in life. For many that heartfelt purpose involves living in a loving relationship with a mate. But that is not always the case. One can love their work or their children or their fellow man and that love can serve as the fire in their heart which cannot be put out by their mind and their ego… the fire which eventually fills their heart to overflowing and which their mind will then… willingly “serve”.
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