The Heart’s Wisdom

I recently heard Joe Dispenza say, “The brain thinks, the heart knows.” Think about that for a moment. The role of the heart seems to be that of wisdom keeper, guiding us with an inner knowing deeper than thought.

My recent experience of having a heart attack is a good example. I return to that moment often, realizing that my brain could not conceive what was happening. It kept insisting, No, no, I’m fine. Maybe this is just acid reflux. I don’t have that huge chest pain radiating down my arm like people describe. But there was another voice, rising from deep within, that said simply and firmly: Go to the E.R. It wasn’t a question, it was a knowing, and one I am profoundly grateful for. That wisdom keeper saved me.

In meditation recently, I touched that same connection between brain and heart. Often in meditation I feel energy gathering in my brain, moving from the third eye at my brow into the center of my head, where the pineal and pituitary glands reside. It is usually a deeply relaxing, transcendent sensation. But rarely have I felt that same intensity in my heart. This time, I intentionally pulled the energy downward into my heart center, and the result was powerful. The sensation was immediate and profound; a state known as heart–brain coherence.

I’ve known about the HeartMath Institute and the science of coherence for years, but this was different. This time I wasn’t reading or thinking about it, I was experiencing it in my body.

For decades, science has been reporting that the heart contains neurons like those in the brain, and even the gut has its own neural network. Intelligence, then, is not confined to the brain. Perhaps intelligence is spread throughout our cells, and even beyond our bodies, woven into the larger intelligence of Nature and the cosmos. Spirit moves through all things, unconstrained by time or space.

These are vast ideas, with layers to explore endlessly. But for now, it is enough for me to welcome the coherence between my heart and brain, and the peace it brings. Each day, I give thanks for the voice of wisdom in my heart. I am so glad she spoke so clearly.

A Blessing for the Journey:

May you pause long enough to hear your own heart’s wisdom.
May her voice rise above the chatter of the mind.
And may you trust her guidance,
for she will always lead you home.

-Robin