The Heartland - My Element

My life has been slowly transformed by first experiencing, and then learning to trust in the underlying kindness of things.

When I am in the Heartland, I am able to see and sense more and more, more and more clearly. This feels like exploring – savouring – enjoying – the belonging of all to all.

sun log

In the Heartland I have become able to feel, and to sense more and more fully and clearly how completely and precisely I belong in the world, and in my own life. 

We all belong here – both with one another (though never in a creepy, invasive or unwanted way) and with the ‘things’ - the events and situations - in our lives, including the ones we'd rather be without!

These 'things in our lives', by the way, also include the things which are not what we would think of as being ‘in our lives’ – i.e. people, creatures, beings, events and situations that lie outside our own sphere of awareness, while being with us in the world. 

I may only be aware of a tiny sliver of what there is, but I am connected with everything.

Song:  Here We are in Time

Another dimension of belonging I have become aware of in the Heartland is my belonging in time. I am a living organism,

on a unique trajectory between the dimensions

- or whatever it is I am doing here (and which of us really understands this?) - and while I am in this physical, biological form, time in a human scale is my element.

(See also Time and Timing under Miscellaneous)

Time has been generous to me – patient with and responsive to me. I have been given plenty of time to see things for myself - eventually! I've not been forced to see things clearly, before I've been ready to.

The Poet, painting by Karen Chivero

Time is space - space to grow in and into,

space in which to come into my own.

This hands-off, refraining way of being – with full awareness, yet without any compulsion to react, punish, or make a point – is how things feel in the Heartland.  It is how things work, and is what works.

Coming into my own Heartland, where I belong, and can feel at home, has enabled me to sense more clearly how things work on the inside. I don't have to judge by externals, to figure out who is or is not worthy of listening to, and I don't have to weigh up pros and cons to make up my mind what to do.  My feelings keep me right, on both counts.

Also, I don't have to rely on ready-made beliefs or theories handed on to me, that have little to do with my own experience.

I have come to understand things better by gradually aligning myself with life – by coming to acceptance, learning to stop resisting events and fending off my feelings. 

When I apply what I've learned to the way my culture behaves, and teaches children to behave, I see that we Westerners need to stop setting ourselves ‘above’ nature, as ‘rational’, 'civilised' know-alls, and stop slandering life as a meaningless or random succession of unrelated incidents – or a mean trick.

Our assumption that nature needs 'taming', 'managing' and controlling is based on an underlying belief that the world exists for our convenience.  We have been encouraged to see ourselves as the lynchpin of the universe, entitled - even obliged - to improve on nature!

It shouldn't need saying, but it does: the earth does not need our interventions to make it habitable, or beautiful!

Living in the Heartland is all about tuning in – developing, or discovering, our willingness and freedom to let go of our efforts to control everything, and gratefully accept being part of things.

We may be surprised by the transformations that follow.

Reality contains its own rewards,

which are known by the heart.

There may or may not be something to ‘show for it’ – i.e. for remaining, or becoming trustworthy, to ourselves and others – in terms of externally visible success, material security and so on, but the transformation of our inner landscape, of the atmosphere in our minds, needs no flags hung out.

Being in the Heartland makes all the difference to the way we feel about life and about ourselves, to our ability to respond to events, be open to others, to pick up signals, and enjoy our life fully.