Introductory Note
A new friend asked what this book is all about. You and I, we have just now met; therefore, we are new friends, too. To that new friend and to you…of this book, in simplicity, here is what I say: It is my heart sharing with your heart. The door to my heart has been open wide. These are the gifts from within. They can only be felt…from my heart, to yours. And this kind of communication, this communion, will likely touch and change a part of you. The heart’s voice is pure and powerful. And we are both changing with every word we feel…Because we are one. We are already connected by this electric circuit in the air. It is like I am talking to myself (which I am convinced we all do anyway. If we deny it…well then, who else but you is meant to witness that very denial?). Here, in Heartfelt, we have a universal transcript. To all whom have felt marginalized, misunderstood, or mistreated (myself included): herein is a safe space where we can find our voice and our True Purpose, within the connective, ever-supportive network of the universal consciousness. In Cosmos, Neil DeGrasse Tyson explains this kind of universality as the goal of science: “The job of physicists is to discover these commandments: the ones that do not vary from culture to culture, time to time, and hold true throughout the cosmos.”1 Here, we have the same objective, and we each bring our own subjective experiences and gifts to the co-creation of synthesized meaning from this heartfelt offering. The reader creates half the meaning here through the very interpretation of these words. As we share feelings, and our hearts open to realizations of universal Truths that apply to everyone, subjective meaning evolves into objective reality. Together is how this sharing becomes realized more completely, because together our hearts positively connect and expand more…and more…and more… And that is how all scientific theory comes to blossom. Understanding begins with the experimental—the scientific method—and does not simply end with the experiential findings of any one experiment. The next step is always consensus. Only upon agreement is scientific knowledge born. In the realm of science, we are in this together, and, indeed, in every realm we are in this together. The more we share, the more science keeps pace with the beautiful Truths we experience on a daily basis. This is how we thrive. And the whole expanse of the universe exists, very simply, within the center of our being. All that is known can be felt from the simple space of our spiritual heart. This is the heart of which we speak here. To begin to better know our spiritual heart, we simply experience feelings, which are not the same as emotions, sensations, or many of the things that we may have identified as “feelings” in the past. True feeling originates from our deepest depth and only feels good… beyond good, really. In the book Smile to Your Heart Meditations, Irmansyah Effendi shares an experiment that we may try right now to experience feeling with our heart. By reading with feeling, the words connect more completely. We find ourselves together, on the same page (so to speak), to make the very most of this heartfelt experience. Here we have it, our first experiment: “…Letting Our Heart Work Recall the most beautiful or joyful moment you have ever experienced. Relive that wonderful moment for a while (you don’t need to focus on the details of the event; just re-experience what you were feeling at that time). Realize which part of you is at work and how you feel. Can you feel a light, happy, joyful feeling in your chest area? This is because your non-physical heart in the center of your chest is at work.”2 These feelings are always, always available to us in the limitless well of our heart center. We truly are being Loved, unconditionally. We, too, are connected within the deepest part of us all. One time, a Reiki Tummo patient’s family member asked me if I could feel the different energy vibrations of people. I explained that, while I am perceptive, I also realize that within each of us there is only one constant: our center is Love, and we are all connected. She said, “That’s a beautiful thing to know.” And I told her, it’s the only thing in my life that has only ever been proven True…through every experience, every encounter, every client, every patient, every student, every friend, every family member, and every everyone. In that faith, this word is written. And through every word, I love you. Whoever you are, whatever you wear or however you smell when you read this…I love you…Because we share life; we share ourselves all the time in countless ways. We even both breathe the exact same air particles that dinosaurs and Jesus breathed! Like dinosaur breath, many of the ways we commune cannot be seen by all these peering eyeballs connected to brains that believe the eyeballs are telling the full story. That’s silly. What is gravity? What is humor? What is math? What is time? What is wind? Eyeballs, tell me, what is love? These funny little flawed and perfect bodies are temporary. The 100 plus or minus years we walk around on these gams are just a blip, just a moment in time compared to all that is and ever was. And simultaneously, even one moment is eternity…if we do it particularly right or particularly…not-so-right. Ah, what art we are. Remember, though, I love you. I will tell you again and again. Those times when you feel forgotten or hopeless…All those times, I love you. That is my heart sharing with your heart. Please accept. It’s unconditional, and there’s no expiration date.
That is Love.