So much has been written about the heart. Poets speak of love, loss and heartbreak, and the emotional turmoil that probably every one of us has experienced at some point in our lives.
That the heart is associated with our emotions has been understood for centuries. Chinese Medicine recognises the Heart as a Fire element (organs are capitalised in Chinese Medicine) and associates it with the emotion of joy. Five Element Theory positions Fire element in the season of summer, the most yang time of year when all of life is flourishing.
Beyond the electrical impulses that spark our heart muscle to beat, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views the Heart as the home of the Shen, understood as awareness or spirit – “a guiding force for our every action, no matter how ordinary.”* Our internal organs are much more than physical structures in the TCM view.
TCM’s understanding of the Heart merges medical theory with Chinese cosmology and philosophy.
“Inasmuch as consciousness belongs to the Fire phase, it is equated metaphorically with light, with the divine spark within each sentient being which is unique to each individual, yet is a part of the greater radiance of universal awareness.” *
My own experience of sensing the consciousness of my Heart occurred in a Shiatsu treatment in 2017 with a very experienced London Practitioner. When he pressed an acupressure point on the Heart meridian of my left arm, it felt as if someone had just touched (and connected me to) my soul. It was a fleeting second but wow – and he felt it too. This profound experience was one of a multitude of my ‘beyond words’ experiences since I became a professional Shiatsu Practitioner!
The experience highlighted the emotions that are connected with our organs and the deeper reality of our existence. This podcast helps illustrate this further ie. our existence at an energetic soul level, beyond the anatomical functioning of our organs.
The story of Carter and Jerry
In the podcast, Doctor Dan Keown, a British accident and emergency specialist who also practices acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, relays the true story of Carter and Jerry. (He also recounts it in his book – The Spark in the Machine.)
Carter is a young boy who received a heart transplant of another little boy, Jerry. When Jerry’s parents met Carter for the first time (as part of their grieving process), Carter inexplicably recognised both of them. Jerry’s mother, a doctor, commented:
“My husband and I, our parents, and those who really knew Jerry have no doubt. Our son’s heart contains much of our son and beats in Carter’s chest. On some level, our son is still alive.“
Jerry’s parents understood that Carter seemed to contain Jerry’s soul, an indesctructible part of Jerry that became a part of Carter, following the transplant. (See Case 2 in this Journal article for more detail and similar stories.)
Maintaining a healthy heart and the spark of your soul
Your Heart serves as a sort of master message coordinator for the organs, receiving and relaying the countless messages continually sent back and forth between them. This means that if your Heart is not peaceful, its function will be affected, which, in turn, will impact the whole. (Source)
In a balanced Heart the Shen is stable, allowing us to think and feel clearly, have a strong memory, relax, sleep well and express joy.
A Heart imbalance may result in circulatory and psychological related problems such as anxiety, insomnia, menopausal syndrome, ADD/ADHD, poor memory, fuzzy thinking, stuttering, manic depression, palpitations, cold limbs, fatigue, coma, depression, loss of taste, speech disorders, schizophrenia and a range of psychological issues. (Source)
Check last week’s post sharing suggestions for Heart harmony. If you recognise any of these symptoms of imbalance – in you or another – book a FREE 15 minute Consultation to discuss how Shiatsu could help you to return to balance and address the root cause.
If you recognise any of the signs of imbalance or would like to explore practices from Eastern Medicine to support your own Heart, book a Guided Self-Shiatsu Session.
Connect with your unique divine spark and discover how to support your Heart on every level of your existence.
Source:
* Carola Beresford Cooke, “Shiatsu Theory & Practice”, Third edition, 2016
