"Your heart is aching to be What you are,
to be Everything that you are,
on this breath.
Don’t put it off another instant."
- Scott Morrison

This month’s seed question for HeArt circle was: Recognizing what is alive in you at this moment which was based on this passage. After thirty minutes of silence, all of us chose the most comfortable corner of the room for the next hour. As an observer, it was so interesting to witness various themes that were emerging on the blank canvas while each one was engrossed tapping into what was really alive in them at that moment using paints, clay, coloured strips.



As we all gathered back for reflection some of my key learnings from their sharing's were:

Unconditional presence of grace: One of the local volunteer Siddharth shared, “ After the meditation, I wanted to share silence because that was what was alive within. So, I just stayed there for a few minutes and a thought came from the Upanishads that the world is like an inverted tree, here whatever we see is not the way it is, but exactly opposite. Also, the drops of grace are always present, but it is just that our patra (vessel) is upside down. Hence, the reminder to look within from the all-seeing eye, towards the heart and be in harmony with all things (ying-yang). During this insight, I got a quote from Saint Francis of Assisi, "What you are looking for, it where you are looking from." Meaning, the answer to all our quest is already within the 'tree'.This understanding brought me back again to silence.” A great reminder for me was to realize that the drops of grace are always there, we just need to be aware of the condition of our “patra” (vessel).




Power of art: One of the participants shared that for him aliveness is where love is”. He has been coming to these circles from past few months but this was the first time where he really engaged himself in the second hour. He shared that when he started he had something very different in his mind but now looking at what had emerged, he had surprised himself. I feel that is the power of art where one never knows what surfaces from the subconscious.



Power of now: Another heartiest, Jaimit chose to sit in silence for an hour and a half and later shared about how in the morning he had gone to change the number plate of his vehicle where there were hundred other people who had come for the same purpose. There were only two officers versus such a huge crowd which resulted to a lot of chaos. He shared I had two options; one is to add more anxiety in the already existing pool or to keep my calm without rushing and really be present in that very moment. The learning was that the “now” is only “now” and not in the next moment. It is easy to get carried away with the chaos (both internal and external) but the real cultivation is to take a deep breath and just observe. I have found myself running ahead mentally while physically being at the same place feeling agitated. He chose to sit till everyone around him finished their task and stepped in with ease.

Power of silence: Another participant shared how he use to paint as a child and now after many years he got this opportunity to do the same. He shared how he always loved the shade of blue but today some blue did not feel right but instead he chose shades of pink. He shared how with all the busyness, these few minutes of silence was a gift and how this “my time” was so much needed to nurture self.



Grateful to all the heartiest who shared those few hours on a Sunday evening with their graceful presence, pearls of wisdom and their beautiful art forms.