What is the subtle heart? Where and how may it be found? Why is it so important to healers, and to clients for that matter? What do I mean by it's "dynamics"? In future classes we'll examine whatever of these questions we don't examine today. In a number of ancient Sufi texts we find the subtle heart mentioned but, as is so often the case in the teachings of the ancient ones, it is not always clear what they are talking about. In fact many seeming contradictions can be found! For example, I have read of at least six different locations for the heart: the solar plexus (Latifa Qalbiya), the left breast, the right breast, behind the sternum in the center of the chest (Latifa Sirriya), the entire inner dimension of the human, and even the head! The great master Bastami mentioned that: "The heart has a light of it's own. As God placed his secrets there, the heart has the light of God's secrets." Taking a clue from this, we will concentrate on the area behind the sternum - in the center of the chest, (Latifa Sirriya which means "the Subtle Secrets"). One could easily state that the Divine Secrets are invested throughout life and, for that matter, throughout the human body. I would agree. But, for the sake of beginning our treasure hunt somewhere, we'll begin here.

First a short lesson on the breath. (Why not! 'Abd al-Qader Jilani said: "The spiritual pilgrimage is not on a straight path." The breath is the healer's tool of assessment. Murshid said (in Pasi Anfas) that the breath is life and light. From this one can deduce (and go on to experience) that what the breath touches it both enlivens and illumines. Therefore the mystic and healer learn how to discover the life of the breath, how to direct the breath, and how to use its light to illumine that which he.she is examining.

Practice

Breathe through your nostrils only. Be present to your breath. Notice that as you are present to the breath it changes. It changes not because you consciously change it. Rather it changes as a result of your presence. It slows down, it may get longer, and more refine. Eventually it intensifies. What do I mean by "intensify?" It gains a positive charge that you may experience as an ever-increasing vibration. The breath intensifies as it increases in magnetism. This magnetism comes both from without and within. As you breathe in you gather prana from the outer worlds. As you breathe out you release old gases and life from the physical structure (the south pole). A release from the south pole supports flow from the North Pole (in this case from the Essential Body). Essence flows from depth to surface. As essence is by its very nature positive, it animates all that it touches. It brings as positive magnetism. Thus, as you stay present to your breath, you may experience the magnetism from the inner worlds mixing with the magnetism of the outer worlds, giving the breath a positive charge. As the breath gains a positive charge the physical, the mental , the emotional, and the moral bodies gain a positive charge. The physical body relaxes, its cells begin to vibrate with the breath's charge. The emotional body is clear, fluid, harmonious. The mind is collected, at rest, peaceful, lucid and focused. The moral body experiences connection and flow of information from both the inner and the outer worlds. NOW we are ready to begin our meditation.

As you continue to breath in and out the nostrils be aware of the breath flowing behind the sternum, the bone in the center of the chest. The breath flows in and out, slowly, gently, bring fresh life and light. With the light of the breath assess what is there behind the sternum. As they say in the focusing work, be aware if you experience a "felt sense." It may be subtle at first and then intensify. An emotion, like sadness, grief, nostalgia, passion. A sensation, like pain, tenderness, a catch in the breath, a constriction, an experience of tightness or a deadened, phlegm-like congestion. Let the breath caress this "felt sense", like the morning breeze caresses your cheek. Let the light of the breath be cast upon the area more carefully, assessing it once again. When you have a sense that this is the area to work on, stay present to it. Continue to breath upon it. The in and out breath have been likened (by the ancient ones) as "blowing upon the ember of the heart". This is a universal practice. It can be found in the practices of the desert Christian monks, it can be found in Buddhism, and, of course, it is found in Sufism. Rumi has at least two things to say about this practice. First, he says: "If you wish to find the Beloved be present to the sadness in your heart. You think it is your sadness, the experience of being abandoned, cut-off, alone. This is truly your sadness. But mixed within this sadness can be found the sadness of the Beloved, who experiences that you feel abandoned, cut-off, alone, even as He holds you so close, so dear. So, if you wish to find the Beloved, be present to the sadness in your heart." We'll come to Rumi's second statement soon.

Now, as you continue to breath upon the heart, there is a kindling. A warmth, a decongesting movement, begins to develop. There is release. The heart softens. The inbreath penetrates. The outbreath releases. Of this warmth, Rumi utters: "Burning! I want more burning!"

As you continue to breath upon the heart, and as it softens, let the in-breath penetrate the heart ever more fully, ever more deeply. As you penetrate the heart ever more with the breath you begin to experience your "perceiving self" descending from the head as it moves ever more completely into the heart. Now you begin to see from the perspective of the heart. Now you begin to relate to the worlds within and without from the throne of the heart. Now you are beginning to develop the eye, the ear, the tongue, the sensing of the heart.

As you continue to breath in and out the heart, it softens more and more. You might begin to experience an inner space to the heart. At first the chest cavity seems larger than usual. Then as you continue to breath you become aware that this space of the heart is accentuated, develops, and unfolds into a boundless condition. This boundless space of the heart is both inside you and outside you. It penetrates three dimensionality and it resides outside of three dimensionality. It is a dimension all of its own. I call this the domain of the heart. This vast, boundless domain is not empty however! It is just the opposite. It is fullness itself. It is like an ocean teeming with the most wondrous, the most scintillating, the most luminous, the most subtle of structures. We are now approaching those "Secrets" that Bastami said were placed in the heart.

So, I have a few questions!

1. When you were present to your breath, did you experience the intensity of the breath grow? What was your experience regarding this? Did you feel a vibration in the breath, a positive magnetism, what?

2. If you experienced the breath get more intense, could you then be present to your physical body, your emotional body, your mental body, your moral body? Did you see anything change in them as your breath changed?

3. Could you find something to examine more closely behind the sternum? What was your "felt sense" of it?

4. If so, as you massaged it with the breath, did it soften?

5. If it softened, could you experience merging with the heart?

6. Did you experience the development of space? The boundless domain of the heart? 7. Was the space containing anything? If so, what?

8. Do you have any questions of me?

Sharing and listening helps us all become a little more awake to human possibilities in the domain of the sacred.

Review

Breath in and out the nose. Examine the area behind the sternum with the light of the breath. When you have a "felt sense" (sensation.emotions, etc.), begin to massage the area with the breath. Allow this to be a gentle caress, "like the morning breeze caressing your cheek." This "blowing" on the heart induces a kindling, a spreading of warmth, heat, which decongests the area, leading to release and softening. As the heart begins to soften, the in-breath penetrates into deeper realms and the out-breath is the Buddhist sword of liberation, cutting loose the samsara, the impressions of life from the surface of the heart. As the breath penetrates more deeply, one begins to experience one's spirit (sensing self) descend into the deeper realms of the heart.

As one enters into the depth of the heart one begins to see from the perspective "eye" of the heart. A sense of space is developed. First, one is aware of an increased sense of space in the chest cavity (somatic space). As one continues to breath in and out of the heart this spaciousness is enhanced, and it eventually unfolds into a boundless space. This is a space that penetrates three dimensionality. It is both within time and space as we normally define it and yet resides outside of it as well. It is within the physical structure and yet outside of it as well. It is another dimension! The dimension or "domain of the subtle heart". It is, as Ibn al Arabi said: "A sea without a distant shore."

As we allow our spirit "sensing self" to enter ever more fully into this domain we begin to experience a new identity, one that is rooted in a vaster ground of being. It is quite different that our "historical identity". The historical identity, that which both Rumi and Ibn al Arabi call our prison, was born at our conception in our mother's womb. It issued forth from the womb into this outer world at a certain time. It was given a name and had various experience until this moment. We call this complex of structures (somantic & psychic) "me".

The historical self lives in terror and rage. It knows it will at some moment, distant or not, die. It falls in love with this world or it is in constant battle with it, or both. It experiences its limitations, with either enjoyment or frustration! Its perception of reality is greatly colored by the various reactive and compensatory psychic structures that substantially make up that which is known as the "personality."

That identity that we discover in the domain of the heart is radically different. It experiences no limitation, it was never born, it will never die. It sees life (inner and outer) through the various animating subtle structures that float all around and within it. It is everywhere, and always. It is that which Rumi alluded to when he said: "I am the timeless, the spaceless, the traceless."

Allow yourself to sit in the "throne" of this domain and experience for yourself this incredible self! Please feel free to share your experiences.

Domain of the Heart Practice

In the Qur'ân, God speaking to humanity ( you ) says: " We have appointed you vice-regent over our creatures." Who or what are these "creatures"? They are the various psychic and somatic complexes, organs, functions, dynamics, systems, behaviors of our personal existence. And what is a "vice-regent" ? It is someone who sits in the royal throne, governing in trust. This function is pro temp, awaiting the true sovereign. And where is this throne of governance? In his book, "The Divine Governance of the Human Kingdom", Ibn al Arabi notes that this throne is to be found in the depth of the human heart. Meditation: Be present to your breath. What is it's condition? Be present to the five different domains ( physical, emotional, mental, moral, spiritual ). What are their conditions?

Breath into the heart, as in lesson one. Experience the radical transformation of identity, as in lesson two. Now from this perspective ( rooted in a vaster ground of being ) be present::

1) To an issue you have with another human. Notice your nafs ammara ( mechanical ego structure ) reacting to this issue. Become aware of the emotions you historically experience around this piece. Identify the "core emotion" of this reactive structure. It is the emotion that consumes and compels you to react in that very certain manner you have demonstrated time after time. Stay present to this emotion. It may intensify, do not be alarmed. It may expand! Eventually it soften, and become ever more spacious. As it does this, can you identify I new quality emerging from your depth (through resonance with this particular issue.structure ), an essential quality?

Be present to your breath. What is it's condition? Be present to the five different domains ( physical, emotional, mental, moral, spiritual ). What are their conditions?

2) To a situation you have with another person where you feel there has been severe miscommunication, possibly even emotional abuse. Be present to what the other is communicated using the eye.ears of the heart. Do you see.hear their communication differently? Be present to your breath. What is it's condition? Be present to the five different domains ( physical, emotional, mental, moral, spiritual ). What are their conditions?

At first it may seem a mystery, how much work it takes to get into the heart and how easy it is to find oneself out of it. Hazrat Inayat Khan once said: "If our hearts were big enough we wouldn't need to learn to meditate." Still, it seems to be a common experience that being in the heart often demands consciousness (presence). And being out of the heart usually is a product of unconsciousness. The question might come: "Is being in the expanded heart a spiritual state and being out of the heart something other? Yes and no. Normally, we might consider a state to be "spiritual" if it is one that embraces the spirit. The expanded heart embraces all. The contracted heart embraces none. With such a perspective we might consider the answer to the question to be "yes". If, however, we consider a "spiritual" state to be that which awakens us, that which illumines us, then the answer could be "no".

We find the heart contracting, or contracted, many times in life. We could consider that we are "blowing it" at these times. But pause, consider the physical heart. Is it only in an expanded state? Of course not! If it stayed in an expanded state what would be the natural consequence? Obviously, death. No, the expansion (and contraction) of the physical heart creates a dynamic which supports the flow of life. Within this physical metaphor we see a natural function for the contraction. Remembering the esoteric law of corresponding planes given to us by Hermes ( "as above so below" )? We can use this physical metaphor when we consider the dynamics of the subtle heart.

Truly, some of our most illuminating moments, some of our most truthful moments, are initiated by the contraction of the subtle heart. Of course, we need to be present to these moments to be illumined but that is equally true of the illumination by the expanded heart. It is in this exercise ( being present to the expansion and the contraction of the subtle heart ) that the full dynamics of this function are developed.

Practice

Be aware of the effect on life around you when you engage with it through the boundless heart. Then be aware of the effect of life around you when you engage with it through a contracted heart. Can you see how this process of presence to the full polarity of the heart illumines?

The Dynamics of the Subtle Heart: A Rose Petal on a Full Cup - or " A Light Upon A Light" There is a most beautiful and a most mysterious Sura in the Quran entitled "Nur". This Sura speaks of a lamp lit by an oil neither of the East nor of the West. It refers to a "light upon a light." Commenting on this phrase Bastami said: "God placed His Secrets (Sirr) in the heart (Latifa Sirriya). Therefore, the heart has a light of it's own, the light given to it by God's Secrets. When the light of the heavens is cast upon the heart this is the "light upon a light".

Practice

Enter into the domain of the heart (sit upon the throne of the heart - Lesson 3 ). From this place be present to a problem you have with another ( or even a something ), or be present to a psychic substructure of your historical identity (personality) . . . i.e. defensive/reactive or compensatory in nature. At a certain point open the crown center and allow the heavenly light to descend into the domain of the heart mixing with it's light ( "a light upon a light" ). Allow this new mode of light to further illumine that which you are being present to. Allow that "which you are being present to" to blossom under this new radiance of your presence - revealing to you it's secret(s).