What is essential is invisible to the eye; only with the heart can one see rightly. ~ from The Little Prince, by Saint-Exupery
As French dissident le Bodoyere stood before a firing squad, he gently touched his hand to his heart and advised the firing squad soldiers, “This is what you must not miss.”
We would do well to remember le Bodoyere’s advice throughout our entire lives.
We may have all manner of material success, but unless our heart is fulfilled, we have nothing.
It is said that when someone dies in ancient Egypt, the priests remove the bodily organs they consider unimportant and save the organs they believe to be sacred.
They discard the brains but keep the heart. They believed that the seat of true wisdom was not the mind, but the heart.
The power of the heart goes far beyond feeling and emotions; in the heart lies great wisdom and peace.
In our culture, we tend to try to think things through. Certainly the rational process is important, but it must be tempered with intuitive understanding.
If asked to point to yourself, it is interesting that nearly all of us will point to our hearts. Although we have a choice of many body parts, it's as if we (99%) sense that we actually live in our heart?
Do we, on some level, remember that our hearts contains the essence of who we are?!
Perhaps we would be well advised to practice consulting our hearts before we speak or act?
If we're not sure what to say or do, perhaps we should take a moment, draw a few deep breaths, and feel what is happening in our chests? Maybe it is there that we will find the most valuable guide to right action?
If we find ourselves upset or unhappy, pause to ask our hearts, “What would you have me know?”
No doubt we should employ all the worldly wisdom available, but when we want to know the most important truth, return to our hearts.
For just as le Bodoyere said, right before his death,“This is what you must not miss.”
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