Write from the Heart: A Method That Probes Your Depths

When I was a child, I grew up on a farm.  There were no neighbors and I often spent hours outside roaming the fields and riding my bike.  As soon as I was old enough, I learned the power of putting pen to paper.  I remember taking my pen and notebook outside and writing love letters, poetry and whatever else I felt like creating. 

I didn’t realize it then, but I know now that the minute I put pen to paper, it grounded me to my Source.  I felt an immediate feeling of coming home to myself and my breathing would deepen as it does right now as I write this.  This experience led me to develop a love for the sacred tool of writing just because, just for the fun of it. I write for no other reason but to feel the words flowing out of me from some invisible realm within me.

I have always kept a journal and, when I was in college, I took classes in composition and journaling. My writing was still a haven of creativity and connection for me during my young adult years. In my mid-twenties, I participated in a five-day retreat that focused on written exploration of deep feelings and tapping the wisdom of my body. In this retreat, I experienced more fully the power of writing to access a deep and intimate connection to myself and to the Divine Source within my own heart.

Current research has established the powerful effects of writing as a healing tool.  Dr. James Pennebacker, author of “Writing to Heal” reports improved immunity and improvement in sleep, anxiety and stress.  Moreover, in Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way,” we see how writing is an excellent means to tap the innate creativity within us.

But the writing process I am about to describe is more than about healing, reducing stress and accessing creativity. It is about accessing the power of your heart, the most powerful electromagnetic field in the human body.  As researchers at HeartMath Institute have shown, the heart’s energy field can be measured several feet away from the body, and accessing the heart’s positive emotions helps improve health, immunity and overall functioning. (See heartmath.org).  Most importantly, this writing tool shifts you out of a mind dominated functioning that is so prevalent today into a heart centered functioning which allows you to touch deep intuitions and higher levels of consciousness. As Helen Keller said so well: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even or even touched, They must be felt with the heart.”            

So let’s get started and learn about the HeartFlow Writing Tool (1) in seven simple steps:

1. Create a safe sacred space where you will be alone, preferably in or near nature. Have plenty of paper and a favorite pen available. 
2. Place your hands on your heart and breathe in and out deeply, for several breaths. Focus on connecting with your heart. Seek out intentionally to feel your heart’s emotions.
3. Imagine liquid warm soothing light pouring down from the heavens and bathing you in a sweet honey like essence of warmth. Allow yourself to bathe in this light and receive from its warmth and protection.
4. Locate a positive feeling emanating from your heart right now and name it as precisely as you can.. (Examples of positive heart emotions include feeling alive, grateful, a fullness, deeply happy, loving, compassionate, joyful, in communion, deep peace, a fiery strength, boldness, awe, surrendered, trusting, hopeful, etc.).
5. Describe the positive feeling emanating from your heart as fully as you can while staying close to the feeling. Where do you feel it in your heart? Describe its contours.
6. While very close to the feeling you have just named and described, let yourself drop into the sensation even more fully and let it take you into the unknown of your heart’s depths. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP! It is an act of surrender and trust into the feeling, waiting for it to pull you further into new ground. The mind cannot force this descent. It can only let go and give into the feeling that is alive in you.
7. After you sense the feeling has given you all that it can today, ask yourself if you discovered anything new about yourself in this writing. It could be a new insight, a new connection, a confirmation, a new invitation, etc. Breathe in the new you received in this moment.  FEEL the closer connection with yourself and your Source

As you begin this HeartFlow writing method, it is possible that you are unable to access a positive feeling emanating from your heart at this time.  Be gentle with yourself and trust your process.  Try exploring the more difficult sensation using the same HeartFlow method. You can come back at another time or day to try to access a positive heart feeling .  We can only make our intention to touch these feelings, but sometimes there are dry spells. Always honor yourself, wherever you are.

With practice, this writing method will allow you to touch the more subtle “heavenly” sensations that are waiting for you in your heart as a source of revelation. They are knocking on the door of your heart, but you need to know how to recognize them, intentionally turn your gaze towards them and learn the skill of dwelling in this heart realm.  So much more wants to be revealed to you beyond your surface thoughts and feelings. You just need to know how to tap into them.

If you would like to learn more about how to become skillful in this method, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be happy to share with you more resources and examples of this writing method to help you deepen your practice.

Happy HeartFlow writing!

(1)  The HeartFlow Writing Tool was inspired and adapted from a method developed by a French educator, Andre Rochais and his organization called Personality and Human Relations Inc. See prh-international.org