Greetings. everyone, and Happy New Year, This month's class is on the Unfoldment of the Heart, which is an organ in the body, and much more. I'm Devi Tide, a Shafayat in the Healing Order living in Seattle. Some background on myself in the area of Healing:
Other than being a Shafayat in the Sufi Healing Order, I studied Psychology and Counseling at the University of Florida. I was a student of Randolf Stone and Pierre Pontier in the early 1970's, studying, practicing, and then teaching Polarity Therapy. I have also studied Directional Non Force Chiropractic, and am a masseuse. I am a graduate of the Training (5 years) with Himayat Inayati in the Art of Transformation and Healing, and I am beginning to offer this training with Jalil Buechel in the US and Canada. I have been offering healing retreats for fifteen years, and seminars and one day trainings on Sufi Healing practices for three years.
I'd much rather be together in a room where we can see each other to do this class. E-mail is not my favorite way to speak. So maybe we can feel each other's hearts wherever we are, and in order to feel our interconnectedness, begin with an invocation:
'Toward the One, the Perfection of Love, Harmony and Beauty, the Only Being, United with All the Illuminated Souls Who form the Embodiment of the Master, the Spirit of Guidance.'
Also, can we take three to five minutes to be present to the Universe outside of us and within - it's expansiveness and immensity - and to how little we actually know of it's nature. And be open to know more.....
As the unfoldment of the heart is a journey that usually takes a bit more than one month, I'd like to offer three compact lessons that you can use. Each class builds on the last, and will offer an orientation, exercises and meditation, and tools toward Self Discovery and Application of what you discover. For those of you who are interested in some background about me in regards to the Sufi Healing Order - so you have an idea of who is teaching this class- I'll put a short bio at the end of this first lesson for you to read. I'm interested in answering your questions, and I request that we all keep each others questions as a sacred trust among ourselves. So if you have a question and I have an answer, I will give it. If I don't have a clear answer, I'll get one from someone who does.
The following are things I do regularly, and come from my experience following the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan, Pir Vilayat Khan, and Himayat Inayati.
Why choose the breath as the first topic of a discussion on the unfoldment of the heart? If you pay attention to your breath, and allow it to unfold, to deepen, to extend, to become fine, to strengthen - the revelatory process begins - the answers to your questions begin to be revealed. And learning to direct the breath, purify the breath and uncover the nature of the breath are essential in the unfoldment of the heart and the healer. Without breath there is no life, yet breath is easy to ignore. In developing the breath you awaken more fully to the outer world, and you awaken to the world within, and the healing power that comes from within. Breath moves in your living body, and yet it is beyond time and space.
Breath:
The following is a quote from Hazrat Inayat Khan on Breath and Healing. Then you'll find 3 exercises for developing the Breath. They focus on direction, purification, and transformation. You can do one, two, or all three of the exercises:
"Breath is audible and visible, and when a spiritual person, by spiritual exercises, strengthens and purifies the breath, it becomes more intelligible, as a light and a sound. Life and light, in truth, are one; the breath is the life, and it is the same breath which is light. Breath in fact is the light of all senses; the senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch perceive all things by the light of the breath. When the breath is absent from the body, the body with all its perfect mechanism becomes useless. It is natural, therefore, that every sense must become powerful and keen if the breath be developed and purified. The adept ... can operate the breath in any part of the body which needs healing."
So as Jalil said earlier in his class, here's the process:
Exercise 1: Directing the Breath
Imagine that the breath is a current of light, in front of yourself. Sitting two meters away from a wall, and facing the wall, send the current of your breath toward the wall to the right side and to the left side, and upward and downward. Do this cycle (four breaths - one in each direction) 3 times. Rest.
Now add a fifth direction, and that is to breathe in toward your heart. Breathe the cycle of five breaths - right, left, up, down, in, three times again. Rest. Do the cycle of five breaths three more times. Rest. Now take note of how you feel.
Exercise 2: Purifying the Breath
This practice is done on a natural, balanced in breath and out breath. There are 20 Breaths (Purification Breaths):
Earth - 5 breaths in the nose and out the nose - imagine breathing in the magnetism from the center of the earth, energizing and purifying the earth energy throughout your body. As you breath out, let any waste products leave with the breath back down to the center of earth.
Water - 5 breaths in the nose and out the mouth - as the breath comes in the nose, let it collect over the head, and then as you breath out (as if you're breathing out through a straw), let the breath wash your emotions, evaporating anything that needs to go and purifying and soothing your being.
Fire - 5 breaths in the mouth and out the nose - breathing in and feeling the breath come deep into the solar plexus (just below the sternum), and then allowing it to rise until it radiates out (on the out breath) from your heart as light and new potential, and warming away all that is ready to go.
Air- 5 breaths in the mouth and out the mouth, with your mouth shaped as if it were breathing in and out of a straw - a very fine breath in, feeling the wind blowing through the spaces between your cells - breathing out and feeling all darkness leaving, leaving you clean and cleared, in touch with the holy spirit. Now take note of how you feel.
Exercise 3: Breath, Light and Life
Look out into the sky. Breath in feeling light and life flowing into the cells of your body (don't forget the cells of all the organs, the blood, the nerves, everything). In the space between the in breath and the out breath notice your cells sparkling, and then breath out radiating life and light. Remember that light travels at 186,000 miles per second, and so when you breath out both your breath, and the light within it, is carried out to the stars. Do this 11 times. Now take note of how you feel.
There is no right experience or wrong experience to have in this class. If you feel okay with it, the very sharing of your experience sometimes allows you to discover more about it. Also we learn from hearing each other.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask them. I'll be waiting to hear from you.
The unfoldment of the heart is both a process of self discovery and one of healing. To develop the ability to heal yourself, which inevitably leads to the ability to heal others, the key step is in the opening of the heart. And when the heart is open, a persons very presence brings healing and comfort - one must first be willing to heal one's self. I'll give two practices below. They are two steps in the unfoldment of the heart.
Practice #1:
The 4 stations of the heart:
Float in the boundless sea of the heart for at least three minutes.
Practice #2
Step 1 - Be present to your heart. Breathe in and out, making the breath gentle - soft - and allow it to touch the heart. You can put your hand on your heart center. Now feel a place in the region of your heart (the upper chest) that calls to you. Perhaps you feel some discomfort there. Be present to that place, keeping your attention there until you feel a shift - or a softening - or a change. Notice how you feel, what you feel.
Step 2 - If there is a change, and then you feel another place or your attention is drawn to another place in the region of your heart, you can move there. Do this for 3 minutes or until you are ready to stop. Notice how you feel. You can do this as often as you like. Just be sure you are in a safe place (not driving, etc.)
Quotes from Hazrat Inayat Khan
"In all the mystic thinks or does is a perfume of God which becomes a healing and a blessing. How does a mystic who becomes kind and helpful get on amidst the crowd in everyday life? The rough edges of everyday life rubbing against the mystic must necessarily make him or her heart-sore. Certainly they do. The heart of the mystic is more sore than that of anyone else. Where there is only kindness and patience, then it takes all the thorns. Like the diamond being cut, so the heart being cut becomes brilliant. The heart, being sufficiently cut, becomes a flame which illuminates the life of the mystic and also that of others."
"The water of the spring is most healing and most inspiring, because it comes from above and falls to the earth. That is the character of the inspirational mind. The heart that springs, that like a spring pours water in the form of inspiration, be it in poetry, be it in music, in whatever form, it has beauty, it has healing quality. It can take away all the worries and anxieties and difficulties and troubles of those who come to it, as the water of the spring. It does not only inspire but it heals."
"From this we learn that health is a perfect condition of rhythm and tone. And what is music? Music is rhythm and tone. When the health is out of order it means that the music is out of order, that the music in ourselves is not right. Therefore, in order to put ourselves into a state of harmony and rhythm, what is most necessary is the help of harmony and rhythm. This way of healing can be studied and understood by studying the music of our own life, by studying the rhythm of the pulse, the rhythm of the beating of the heart and of the head. Physicians who are sensitive to rhythm determine the condition of the patient by examining the rhythm of the pulse, the beating of the heart, the rhythm of the circulation of the blood. To find the real complaint a physician, with all his material knowledge must depend upon his intuition and the use of his musical qualities."
"My body, heart and soul radiate the healing spirit of God."
"Therefore massage is helpful when there is pain, and yet it is a poor treatment when compared with the healing treatment; for the healer operates the power of the mind through his fingers, as a musician produces his feelings on the violin. Is it everybody that can produce on the violin the same tone that an expert could? It is not the placing of the finger on a certain place on the instrument; it is the feeling of the musician's heart manifesting through his finger-tips that produces a living tone. So it is with the touch of a spiritual healer."
"The power of the healer depends upon the warmth of his heart. Devotees by their power of concentration, by their purity of life, and by their divine love become wonderful healers; their every tear and sigh become a source of healing for themselves and those around them. Devotion is the fire in which all infirmities are consumed, and the devotee becomes illuminated within himself; and the joy of the devotee and his pain cannot possibly be compared with any other joy in life. Spiritual healing does not require the fixed gaze, the touch of the fingers, or the power of breath, but Tawajeh (a kind glance), or Do'a (a good thought) of the spiritual healer serves the purpose."
"Therefore it is those who have first accomplished stillness in their life, who have enabled the ears of their heart to listen to the Word of God. And what an atmosphere such persons can produce, what effect their presence has! It is more than healing, more than medicine. A man with a perfectly stilled, comforted, and rested mind will at once raise up another who is going through distress, or restlessness, or pain, or ill-temper, or worry, or anxiety. The very presence of one whose mind is stilled gives such hope, such inspiration, such sympathy, such power and life. All the heavenly properties flow so smoothly and freely from the person whose mind is stilled that his words, his voice, his presence, all react upon the mind of others; and as he stills his mind, so his very presence becomes healing."
"Devotion is the fire in which all infirmities are consumed, and the devotee becomes illuminated within himself. And the joy of the devotee and his pain cannot possibly be compared with any other joy of life. Therefore the Sufis, especially those of the Chishtia school of the ancient times, have taken music as a source of their meditation, and by so meditating they derive much more benefit than those who meditate without the help of music. The effect that they experience is the unfoldment of the soul, the opening of the intuitive faculties, and their heart, so to speak, opens to all the beauty which is within and without, uplifting them, and that the same time bringing them that perfection for which every soul yearns."
"Man is not only constituted of matter in his being but also of spirit. However well built a body he may have with its mechanism in good working order, there is still something that is wanting in him. For the physical body is sustained by material food and drink, breath by the air, mind by thoughts and imaginations and impressions; but that is not all, there is something besides mind and body that man possesses in his being, and that is his spirit, which is light, a divine light. It is for this reason that sunshine makes one feel bright; but it is not only sunshine that is needed for the spirit. Man's soul is like a planet; and as the planet is illuminated by the sun, so man's spirit is illuminated by the light of God. In the absence of this, however healthy and joyful a man may look, he is not really healthy. He must have some spiritual touch, some opening in his heart which will let the light come in, the light of God. The same misconception exists among those who believe that the heart feels. The heart, being the center of the body, partakes of the effect of the feeling from within--which is the real heart, not the piece of flesh--and it feels suffocated and oppressed. Depression is felt as a heavy load upon the breast; and when the heavy vibrations are cleared, then especially a person feels Shaqq-i sadr, the opening of Mohammed breast by the angels, when fear, gloom, bitterness, and conceit were all cleared away before the manifestation of divine revelation. It is as the darkness clearing away at the rising of the sun. Now coming to a still greater secret of life I want to answer the question: how can we grow to read and understand the message that life speaks through all its names and forms? The answer is that, as by the opening of the eyes you can see things, so by the opening of the heart you can understand things. As long as the heart is closed you cannot understand. The secret is that, when the ears and eyes of the heart are open, all planes of the world are open, all names are open, all secrets, all mysteries are unfolded."
"The question arises: what is the manner of opening the heart? The way to it is a natural life, the life of the child, smiling with the smiling one, praying with the praying one, ready to learn from everyone, ready to love. The child has enmity against no one, he has no hatred, no malice, his heart is open. It is in the child that you can see the smiles of angels; he can see through life.
When the grown-up person is made ready, when he has acquired the attributes of the child, then he creates heaven within himself, he understands. The child with his innocence does not understand, but when a man with understanding develops the childlike loving tendency, the purity of heart of the child with the desire to be friendly to all - that is the opening of the heart, and it is by that blessing that he can receive all the privileges of human life.
There is a story told in Arabia that the angels descended from Heaven to earth and cut open the breast of the Prophet; they took away something that was to be removed from there, and then the breast was made as before. It is a symbolical expression, which gives to a Sufi a key to the secret of human Life. What closes the doors of the heart is fear, confusion, depression, spite, discouragement, disappointment, and a troubled conscience; and when that is cleared away, the doors of the heart open. The opening of the breast, really speaking, is the opening of the heart. The sensation of joy is felt in the center of the breast, also the heaviness caused by depression. Therefore as long as the breast remains choked with anything, the heart remains closed. When the breast is cleared from it, the heart is open. It is the open heart which takes the reflection of all impressions coming from outside. It is the open heart, which can receive reflections from the Divine Spirit within. It is the openness of heart, again, which gives power and beauty to express oneself; and if it is closed, a man, however learned, cannot express his learning to others. The seer first develops the quality of love. He whose heart is kindled with the love of God is capable of the love of humanity. The heart thus kindled with love becomes a lighted lantern, which throws its light on every person the seer meets, and, as this light falls upon the person he meets, all things about that person, his body, heart and soul, become clear to him. Love is a torch that illuminates all that comes within its light, but it is the knowledge of God, which is the key, which opens the hearts of men.
In all things there is God, but the object is the instrument, and the person is life itself. Into the object the person puts life. When a certain thing is being made, it is at that time that a life is put into it, which goes on and on as a breath in a body. This also gives us a hint that, when we take flowers to a patient and we have a healing thought with them, the flowers convey the thought of healing. As the patient looks at the flowers he will receive from them the healing which was put there. Any eatable or sweet, anything that we take to a friend with a thought of love - its use must create a harmonious, happy result for him. Therefore every little thing given and taken in love, with a harmonious and good thought, has a greater value than the object itself; for it is not the object, it is what is behind it. Does this not teach us that it is not always doing or preparing things in our everyday life that counts, but that it is giving these things a life with a harmonious, constructive thought, so that our work may become a thousand times greater in effect and real value?"
"Love itself is the healing power and the remedy for all pain."
I think it boils down to the question 'what is your intention when you touch someone', either with your breath or your hand. A gross example would be the difference between a friend touching your shoulder with love and gentleness and non-invasive friendliness, and a 'sleazy' person touching your shoulder and you feeling something quite different. I think it works the same with breath.
Inayat Khan says that breath is life and light. And we know that when fresh air touches a sore spot, the spot tends to heal and not fester. And presence bathes whatever you are being present to, in life and light (because breath follows attention), and love, compassion and innocence (which is the nature of presence).
Here are some things to try in applying what we have been practicing:
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February 18, 2004