I’ve been practising Heartfulness for 3 years now, since moving to Bristol. Previously I was a sceptical of meditation and I’m afraid I had all sorts of pre-conceived ideas about it. But, over the past few years, I’ve found myself drawn to practices involving stillness and silence and have realised that there is a deeper level of consciousness that meditation can unlock. Heartfulness is a completely different approach to what I was used to as a Western Christian. It’s about looking within.
I find meditation hard. My dualistic mind struggles with the concept that the Divine can be within me, having been brought up to believe that ‘God’ is external. I also find it hard to still the thoughts in my head. It’s just not something we’re used to doing and requires practice. I do find that by meditating on the light in my heart and being drawn towards that light, I start to feel warmed by it and it engenders all sorts of heartful feelings – love, gratitude, compassion towards others and myself, calm, joy, well-being and peace. I think I’m becoming more compassionate, loving, peaceful and tolerant as a result. I feel like I have deeply ingrained thought patterns – Daaji uses the analogy of a river not being able to change its course – and I want to change some of these. Some might call this process enlightenment, others ‘repentance’ or a ‘renewing of the mind’ but, whatever it is, it’s a gentle process that doesn’t involve self-recrimination.
I find that I see the Divine in others much more, as well as in myself. I also want to make the Divine a reality in every moment of life, not just in the religious sphere.
Heartfulness is part of a spiritual journey where I’m connecting with lots of different people from many faiths and none. I’ve met some really lovely, Heartful people who are extremely generous in giving their time and sharing their experience. If I had to sum up why I love Heartfulness in 3 points it would be because it’s:
- Experiential,
- Transformative, and
- Non-dogmatic
Kate Clover
September 2020, Bristol