Globalization Through the Heart

JACQUELINE CAMISA explores the nature of the heart, and invites us all to experience its wonders.

The heart is a fascinating organ to explore, not only for cardiologists. Because of its central position, its role is paramount for physical health, but who amongst us knows that it also has the upper hand over intelligence, thought, judgment, discernment and caring about others? Even more, it manages in a masterful way a third, even subtler level – our evolution.

In these days of globalization, with the problems that have arisen, is the current instability that we see among human beings being addressed? If it is possible for a good gardener to care for and save plants that are threatened, is it not possible to do the same by going directly to the heart of human nature, and so treat and care for man’s heart? This is certainly an ambitious initiative, yet pragmatic and urgent.

We all feel our heartbeat, this relay point between the animate and the inanimate. The heart beats, gets excited, and sometimes misses beats. A doctor checks blood pressure and pulse rate, monitors the heart through an ECG,  performs ultrasound echography, and sometimes does deeper functional exploration to secure our physical health, and physical exercise and diet contribute to fitness and well-being. Despite all our care and efforts the day comes, however, when the heart stops. This is the end of our earthly existence. But is it the end of life? This life has been infused by the heart, because it is through the heart that life is transmitted.

This life has been infused by the heart,
because it is through the heart
that life is transmitted.

This was revealed in Chinese documents several thousand years ago, in which the heart is presented as the conductor of our body symphony. From the third week of pregnancy, a ‘little heart’, known as the heart tube by embryologists, is already active, generating our organs and organizing their physiology, and transforming us continually. Ultimately it is helping us evolve. Elaboration and organization, transformation and, finally, evolution are the three stages attributed to the heart.

By giving ‘the little heart’ the name ‘the door of destiny’, Chinese philosophy attests the possibility of evolution beyond the physical body. So let’s look at the heart in its various stages and rhythms.

The physical level

Physical evolution in human beings has been very slow and rather limited. On one hand it has taken thousands of years for human beings to reach the stage they are today. On the other hand our parents and their descendants’ genetic data continue to impose their limitations. Even in the most favorable conditions we can only hope to be a little taller and a little more developed physically than our ancestors, as this will always be within the limits of a genetic program. To change the color of our skin or to stem old age is impossible for us, despite all the creams, cosmetics and vitamins displayed on the attractive shelves of health food shops.

The physical body is a temporary but necessary vehicle to carry us further through this adventure of life towards another more subtle level. And what is that? Perhaps it is the mind level. We are tempted to believe so.

The mind level

Since the Greeks, the mind continues to be the favorite playground of the Western world. We just have to look at our bookshelves. This academic affluence is proof of an interest to educate and instruct over the long term. However, has it really brought about real human transformation?

Fascinating as they are, have all the mental speculations helped us to develop simple wisdom embodied in our daily behavior? Or, even more modestly, do we now find a simple state of balance in human character in general? The present human context raises serious doubts.

Besides this already distressing observation, we know that we only use around 10% of our mental capacity. This  compels us to humbly acknowledge that our most ambitious and remarkable initiatives are accomplished within such a narrow frame that our mental vision exists within a very thin beam. We focus upon this thin beam to the extent that we are blind to everything outside its sphere.

If we add to this the intense and accelerated media frenzy bombarding us day after day, the question of us having a mind capable of raising us is under question. How can we evolve when the mind is becoming heavier and heavier? Sensations, passions, urges and desires generate prejudice, habits and thought patterns. As the mind becomes heavier, it is less qualified to help us reach a higher level of consciousness.

The brain does, however, have a constant regeneration capacity. So is it right to keep it functioning at an optimal level. Reading, attending lectures, doing crosswords, mental calculations, games, art therapy, yoga, tai qi, chi gong, music and other activities boost our physical and psychic energies, but is all this sufficient to lead us to a more subtle level? A change of paradigm is required to rise vertically. As Einstein said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”

So we must pass on to another stage, subtler than the mind level, for our evolution. This is the level of the soul, or the cause of our existence.

The causal level, the soul

To consider the soul as being only within the domain of religion is another obstacle on the path of a well understood evolution. This understanding appeared during the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century.

When the scientific, rationalist mind tried to free itself from religious dominance, there was significant collateral damage: that of assigning the soul only to the field of religion. For a certain time this prevented any serious observation and scientific experimentation on the causal level of our existence.

But the human soul belongs to no domain, no institution and no religion. It belongs to each one of us because we all have a heart. Wherever we were born, and whatever our previous cultural, religious (or nonreligious) and community background, the soul level is our common identity card. It is our only passport to exit from this life to the next stage. Today, research on the world of the spirit is evident everywhere, in all cultures, and more and more there is a call for inner experimentation, even scientific experimentation.

The human soul belongs to no domain,
no institution and no religion.
It belongs to each one of us because we all have a heart.
Wherever we were born, and
whatever our previous cultural, religious (or
non-religious) and community background,
the soul level is our common identity card.
It is our only passport to exit from this life to the next stage.

All ancient traditions were aware of the spiritual level of existence. The ancient Indian tradition claimed that a regulated and clear mind allows access to spiritual spheres. For example, in Raja Yoga, as a first step we go deep inside ourselves through meditation to experience the vast inner world, and then make use of these discoveries to embody them in daily life in a pragmatic way. A mind conscious of the unity of everything through experience, and no longer influenced by dogmas and theories, becomes calm and keen to care about others, while assuming its personal responsibilities.

Ancient Chinese wisdom recommended meditation, so that men could become “true men,” “real men”. Chinese medicine is the practical application of these discoveries in the health field through inner experimentation. Wise men, real men, of all cultures have always condensed their experiences into a few words, such as sutras or aphorisms. Here again there has been collateral damage throughout human history, as disciples and commentators who have not had the same personal experiences have distorted their meaning through interpretation and created dogma from their contents. This shows just how much the still narrow beam has remained powerless to infuse a rise in consciousness. This is also the reason why everywhere in the world the subtle essence of spirituality has remained hidden under various and numerous religious expressions.

Between the spirit, which surpasses our earthly destiny, and the means we have to determine our destiny, the heart is our laboratory where wonders occur. To put it simply, we can change everything through the heart. The heart is joy, laughter, gratitude and love.

Let us dare to experience this heart globalization.
We all have the opportunity to experience this realm,
a space with no right of property,
with equal access by all, to be shared fraternally.
In fact this is its universal value.

Let us dare to experience this heart globalization. We all have the opportunity to experience this realm, a space with no right of property, with equal access by all, to be shared fraternally. In fact this is its universal value.

Article by JACQUELINE CAMISA