Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, it is of no use.
The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castañeda
One full day into my commitment to greater attunement, I’ve already discovered something powerful.
My felt sense, my ability to feel in a discerning way, is capable of guiding me far more accurately than any degree of intelligent thinking. I notice it most when listening to others, because the act of listening gets me out of my own way.
How I Help Others Find a Path with Heart
👂 I listen
💭 I receive thought
💓 I feel
💖 I light up
🔊 I share
If I don’t light up 🖤, I don’t share 🔇.
I pass on traveling down a rabbit hole 🐇 that will surely sound interesting 🤔, but is not a path with heart 💔.
A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it.
A path with heart feels good to walk. The juice is not in the imagined destination, it’s in the air as I walk there. I’m not wandering through a dessert looking to turn any sign of life into a story that I’ve reached an oasis, I’m jaunting through a rainforest teeming with the full beauty of life’s wonders, pointing at all the beauty I see.
Notes on my process:
👂 Listening requires quiet. The more I trust the process, the easier it is to discover where the moment is leading us.
💭 Receiving thought is different than generating thought. I’m not thinking so much as sifting through thought that arises as I listen.
💓 Feeling is simple. If it’s complicated or confusing, I’m thinking.
💖 Lighting up is obvious. If it’s not obvious, I’m not lighting up.
🔊 The excitement comes in lighting up, sharing feels grounded. When I’m really on, words will keep lighting me up as I share them, but that’s because I’m discovering them as I speak. Discovery brings the juice. Delivery is an act of service. If I’m excited about the delivery, I’m probably attached to someone else’s response.