The Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
So what do I mean by the ‘inarticulate speech of the heart’? There is a way to pay attention to our experiences that have some meaning other than the manner in which our ‘thinking’, busy mind judges and evaluates them: as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Instead of grasping after experiences which our thoughts tell us are ‘pleasant’ and resisting or pushing away from what we regard as ‘unpleasant’, we can simply suspend thought and just be with all of our experiences so that they become more vivid and meaningful. We begin to appreciate what it truly is to be alive. We can develop this capacity; this capacity of the ‘heart’ through meditation; through mindfulness and compassion.
When we are speaking and listening to someone else, instead of the usual inner dialogue which is constantly evaluating and ‘thinking’ ahead to what our response will be, we can listen deeply and be truly mindful of what they are saying. When we do this, all of a sudden, we the ‘listener’ or the ‘subject’ becomes one with the one who is speaking, the ‘object’ of our perception and we establish a connection with the ‘other’ which is truly profound. We feel connected to the ‘other’ and to the world in a profound and meaningful way. As I age, I realize how important it is to really ‘see’ and ‘listen’ to other people and connect with them.
‘Heart Knowledge’ or ‘The Inarticulate Speech of the Heart’ is difficult to explain. But perhaps this personal anecdote will shine some light on my meaning. The following passage speaks of my journey through life; of aging and not being afraid to be myself. It comes from the children’s book The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. In this story, two nursery toys, the Skin Horse and the Rabbit, talk about becoming Real: becoming Authentic.
‘Does it hurt?’ asked the Rabbit.
‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful.
‘When you are ‘Real,’ you don’t mind being hurt.’
‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up?’ the Rabbit asked, ‘or bit by bit?’
‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse.
‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all because once you are Real, you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.’
‘Those who matter don’t mind and those who mind don’t matter’ - Dr. Seuss
I took a course at my local Buddhist Center. I volunteered to staff it, help set up tables, put away meditation cushions, and prepare snacks, and still participated in the program. It was a win/win situation for me. I was able to help and learn. After eight weeks, I got to know the people taking the course and the other staff members quite well. The coordinator of the staff responsible for the program was a young woman who seemed to have sharp edges and also needed special care; very fragile, fretting all the time. On the very last night of the course, after everything had been set up for the guests’ arrival, I told her that she should be very proud of herself for the wonderful job she had done as coordinator. I don’t know why I did it, because frankly I had spent eight weeks more or less resenting her. But I did, and her whole demeanor changed instantaneously. That night was the last class, requiring much ceremony, and went off without a hitch. We were all asked to bring a poem or a song to share towards the end of the night. I love poetry, and I had a zillion I could choose from. For some reason that I still don’t fully comprehend, I chose to bring with me and read the above passage from The Velveteen Rabbit. I even rubbed my bald head when I got to the part where the Skin Horse says that his hair had been loved off, and, of course, got a lot of laughs, for I was always clowning around.
After the guests had departed, as staff, we were cleaning and tidying up, and she came to me. She asked if she could have a copy of the passage I had read. I just pulled out the crumpled piece of paper out of my pocket and handed it to her. She said to me, ‘You are a soft soul, aren’t you Colin.’ For the first time, we actually saw each other. There was a beautiful moment when we both saw each other with compassion. What transpired between us was a ‘heart connection.’ It is as if she knew I had selected that for her and she saw me as a ‘soft soul.’ I never gave this much thought since. But as I am literally writing here today a few years later, having never seen her again, I realize that a part of me, my spirit, or soul or heart had selected that passage instead of one of my beautiful poems because it pertained to her. And I don’t even recall thinking of her when I selected that passage. But it was something she needed to hear. That is why she asked me for it. This is the closest I can get to a definition of ‘the inarticulate speech of the heart.’
For there are moments when
Something new has entered into us -
Something unknown; our feelings
Grow mute in shy perplexity.
A stillness comes, and the new,
Which no one knows
Stands in the midst of it
And is silent.
- Rilke
If the object of our attention is an inanimate object or an object in nature, we can also suspend thinking and become one with what we are looking at. All of a sudden our vision and our experience take on a new dimension; one that is fresh and new and invigorating. We, in essence, lose the sense of an isolated ‘me’ lodged in our thinking heads and can experience ‘Being’; at one with the world around us. It is difficult to do and happens in rare instances but can be enhanced through mindful practices of meditation and paying close attention to all of our experiences. It also involves suspending judgment and welcoming silence into our lives through meditation. I hasten to add that being out in nature greatly aids this ability; this suspension of the ‘ego.’
“We should not pretend to understand the world only by intellect; we comprehend it just as much through feeling.” - Carl Jung
Our perception has been enhanced by technology. We peer through high-powered telescopes, stare at computer screens, our iPhones, and movie screens, where we are bombarded by sound and light and computer-generated images. We have become ‘subjects’ looking at ‘objects’. More and more, we have improved our ‘looking,’ and as a result, we ‘see’ less and less. It is no wonder that we fail to perceive the sacred in our everyday existence and the sacred in each other. We are living in a virtual world that bombards us with useless information that has no relevance or adds no meaning to our lives whatsoever. Is this our legacy that we pass down to our children and our grandchildren? When you are using the internet, be it Facebook, Google, Instagram, etc., you are the commodity. You are up for sale. It is you, yourself and all your personal information that is for sale.
Computer screens and magazines;
Manufactured hopes and dreams
Playing in a concrete box
‘Cause mommy’s got her
Shows to watch.
I’m scared for the children…
- Jeff Beck
HEART KNOWLEDGE
Almost every wisdom tradition believes in the power of silence and that silence is usually found in nature. That seems to be the ideal place for the heart to be at rest. This is perfectly natural, since we, like all creatures and life on this earth come from the same source. However, mankind has separated himself from nature as well as the healing power of silence. We have separated ourselves to such an extent that we are destroying the very planet that is our home. Hacking, burning, depleting, polluting, and consuming. And we make as much noise as humanly possible. The noise can become unbearable - loud cars and trucks, loud music that speaks a violent tongue.
I once thought that I was alone in my perception that the world has gone mad! However, in my research, I have come across many other voices, although they have been drowned out. Most of these voices are from Ancient Wisdom Traditions which the human race has discarded. My wish is to resurrect those voices while adding my own. Instead of waging war, we need to ‘wage peace’.
These ancient wisdoms such as The Tao and Zen Buddhism along with North American First Nations Traditions with its spiritual relationship with the natural world may seem ‘quaint’ but they have much to teach us. They are vastly different from ‘Western’ or European culture’s philosophy and social mores, but they may help in restoring a measure of sanity to the world.
Peace of mind is to be found both in silence and in our own hearts. When we live all the time in our own minds, we set up an impediment to our connection with all of life and to genuine connection with others.
The problem of the ‘busy mind’ seems to be a product of our Western culture. Not all people everywhere, live so much in their heads. The following exchange is from Gail Godwin’s book, ‘Heart’ describing the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung’s encounter with the Native American Chief ‘Mountain Lake’ of the Taos Pueblos in New Mexico in 1932.
Jung: ‘I was able to talk with him as I have rarely been able to talk with Europeans’. Chief Ochiway Biano (Chief Mountain Lake) must have sensed a kindred spirit in the Swiss doctor, because he was so candid with him:
Chief Mountain Lake: ‘See how cruel the whites look; their lips are thin, their noses are sharp, their faces furrowed and distorted by folds. Their eyes have a staring expression; they are always seeking something. What are they seeking? The whites always want something. They are always uneasy and restless. We do not understand them. We think they are all mad.’
Jung: ‘Why do you think they are mad?’
Mountain Lake: ‘They say they think with their heads.’
Jung: ‘Why, of course’! What do you think with?’
Mountain Lake: ‘We think from here’ indicating his heart.
Recommended Reading
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Heart by Gail Godwin
The Undiscovered Self: The Dilemma of the Individual in Modern Society by C.G. Jung
The Little Prince by Antoine de Exupery
When you turn around, starting here, lift this New glimpse that you found; carry into evening All that you want from this day. The interval you spent reading this You may keep.
Take whatever you need and leave the rest behind. Remember, when you are writing the story of your life, make sure that it is you holding the pen. And, always, always follow your heart.
A LIFE OF MIRACLES: A WORLD OF WONDERS
"I believe a blade of grass is no less
Than the journey work of the stars.
And the pismire is equally perfect,
And a grain of sand, and the egg of the wren.
And the tree toad is a chef d’oeuvre for the highest,
And the running blackberry would
Adorn the parlors of heaven.
And the narrowest hinge in my hand,
Puts to scorn all machinery.
And the cow crunching with depressed head
Surpasses any statue,
And the mouse is miracle enough to
Stagger sextillions of infidels."
- Walt Whitman from ‘Leaves of Grass’
“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”
- Henry Miller.
Life is a miracle: your life, everyone’s life. The world we live in is full of miracles, full of amazing beauty and mystery. Unfortunately, many of us are so distracted by our own preoccupations and worries and the incessant chatter that goes on in our ‘thinking minds’, that we fail to notice or appreciate these miracles. Part of this phenomenon can be solved by practicing gratitude; for we need to be aware of our own blessings to be grateful for them. We can find a nice quiet place in the forest and sit in wonder at the sights and sounds: the birds, the foliage, the babbling brook, trees, rain, blue skies, and begin to feel a sense of inner-peace.
But unfortunately, there are times when we become distracted and troubled by fretting over the future, recalling and reliving negative experiences from the past and so we lose this ability to sustain our perception of beauty and to appreciate what it is to be alive. So we turn away and quickly ‘busy’ ourselves. Over the years, as I age, I have developed the habit of lying flat on my back on the earth under a stand of trees, especially in the autumn season, to look up in wonder at the beauty of the canopy of leaves; a veritable cornucopia of colors, in every shade and hue of red, orange, yellow, and green imaginable against the backdrop of blue skies laced with pure white clouds. It gives me a whole different perspective. It takes me out of my thinking mind and into a sense of wonder. Of course in the winter I have to find large coniferous trees like giant pines and hemlocks. I don’t care who is around or that they may judge me as a nut-case. I also make it a point to walk barefoot in the grass, weather permitting, or if I am sitting by a stream or a river I scoop up the cool, fresh water and pour it over my head and wash my face. It is so invigorating.
WILD GEESE
"You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
Love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours,
And I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile, the world goes on.
Meanwhile, the sun and the clear
Pebbles of the rain
Are moving across the landscapes,
Over the prairies and the deep trees,
The mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile, the wild geese, high in the clean
Blue air, are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
The world offers itself to your imagination-
Calls to you like the wild geese,
Harsh and exciting,
Over and over announcing your place
In the family of things."
- Mary Oliver
If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each of us is a myriad of miracles: eyes that see colors, shapes, and forms; ears that hear, a brain that can ponder a speck of dust as easily as the entire universe, and a heart that beats in rhythm with the heartbeat of all living things. Trust me, I know how difficult life can be, but try to get outdoors and seek solitary places where you can be undisturbed. Here you will discover that you are the universe looking at itself.
To see the world in the smallest grain of sand,
And hold infinity in the palm of your hand.
To behold the universe in the seedlings
Of the tiniest flower,
And eternities in the space of a single hour.
SERENDIPITY
Webster’s Dictionary defines serendipity as ‘the gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.’ An intriguing aspect of this definition is that it implies that some people possess it and others don’t -that some receive this gift of agreeable things not sought for, i.e. some are lucky while others are not. But it’s my belief that serendipity is available to everyone. It’s just that while some take advantage of it, others simply fail to perceive the daily miracles in their lives. We don’t find valuable things not sought for because we fail to appreciate the value of the gift when it presents itself. I recall being in Gangnam in Seoul, South Korea on a freezing cold winter morning, skies grey, and literally thousands of people on the sidewalks hurrying to their destinations. At a crosswalk there was a half-dead pine tree in a planter, and flitting around the branches of this pathetic smog-encrusted sorry excuse for a tree was a tiny jewel of a bird - orange, grey, black and white. I, of course, had never seen such a bird and he was absolutely exquisite. I recall thinking to myself, ‘What a treasure! How in the name of God did you end up here, in one of the busiest streets in the world?’ I stood there watching him, suspended in time while the crosswalk cleared itself of pedestrians at least a dozen times. I am sure that I was the only person who noticed the little guy. To me, this was a gift: a gift of grace or serendipity. Maybe others noticed him but I doubt that it registered as being a blessing; a gift of value. For me, it was a most valuable gift. It made my day.
"I don’t ask for the sights in front of me to change, only the depth of my seeing." ‘We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of us getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.’
- Frederick Koenig.
DARE TO BE HAPPY
"And if your spirit carries within it
The thorn
That is heavier than lead-
If it’s all you can do
To keep on trudging-
There is still
Somewhere deep within you
A beast shouting that the earth Is exactly what it wanted-
Each pond with its blazing lilies
Is a prayer heard and answered
Lavishly, every morning.
Whether or not,
You have ever dared to be happy,
Whether or not,
You have ever decided to pray."
- Mary Oliver
‘Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature- the assurance that dawn comes after night and spring after winter. Have we fallen into a mesmerised state that makes us accept as inevitable that which is inferior or detrimental, as though having lost the will or vision to demand that which is good? The question is whether any civilization can wage relentless war on life without destroying itself, and without losing the right to be called ‘civilized’. The human race is challenged more than ever to demonstrate our mastery, not over nature, but of ourselves.’
- Marine Biologist and Environmental Activist Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson was a marine biologist who was one of the first to research the harm of the dumping of toxic chemicals into the water system and went after the petrochemical and pesticide industries. She even came to New Brunswick, Canada, to witness the budworm spraying of the forests with DDT. She expanded her research to all ecosystems, and she meticulously correlated her research. Her last book ‘Last Spring’ is one of the most important books of the twentieth century. She was in a race against time as she was dying of breast cancer. This she kept secret because she was afraid that the big petrochemical and pesticide companies would say that she had an ulterior motive for speaking out. Her book, Silent Spring, was published just before her death in 1964. Personally, I cannot understate Rachel Carson’s influence on the environmental activist movement nor her personal courage.
‘A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us, that clear-eyed vision; that true instinct for what is awe-inspiring is diminished and even lost before we reach adulthood.’
- Rachel Carson
"My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: So it was when my life began So it is now I am man So be it when I grow old or let me die! The Child is Father to the Man And I could wish my days to be Bound to each by natural Piety."
- William Wordsworth
Mindfulness practice is not a search for extraordinary experiences or perceptions, but a practice to help us realize just how extraordinary the ordinary experiences in our daily lives truly are. We begin to perceive and appreciate just how miraculous our lives and the world around us truly are. So, what exactly do we mean by ‘miraculous’- are we talking about some ‘sublime’ state of consciousness which can be achieved by meditation and studying the dharma? No! Miraculous here does not refer to extraordinary phenomena but to the commonplace, for absolutely anything can evoke this special awareness provided that close attention is paid to it. Once perception is disengaged from the domination of preconception and personal interests, it is free to experience the world as it is in itself and to behold its inherent magnificence… perception of the miraculous requires no faith or assumptions. It is simply a matter of paying close and full attention to the givens of life; i.e., to what is so ever-present it is normally taken for granted. The true wonder of the world we live in is available in the here and now and available in the minutest part of our bodies, in the vast expanses of the cosmos, and in the intimate interconnectedness of these and all things. We are part of a finely balanced ecosystem in which interdependency goes hand in hand with individuation. We are all individuals, but we are also part of a greater whole, united in something vast and beautiful beyond description.
"O World, I cannot hold thee close enough!
Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!
Thy mists, that roll and rise!
Thy woods, this autumn day that ache and sag,
And all but cry with colour!
That gaunt crag
To crush!
To lift the lean of that black buff!
World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!
Long have I known glory in it all!
But never knew I this:
Here such passion is
As stretches me apart-
Lord I do fear
Thou made the world too beautiful this year;
My soul is all but out of me-
Let fall no burning leaf;
Prithee, let no bird call."
- Edna St. Millay- Vincent
Take what you need and leave the rest behind. When you are writing the story of your life, make sure that it is you that is holding the pen. And as always, follow your heart.
Recommended Reading:
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
A Thousand Mornings: Poems by Mary Oliver
Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver
I had another document well-researched for this weekend but… But I have had this idea of the Inarticulate Speech of the Heart and a World of Wonder in the farthest reaches of my mind, I would say maybe six years ago when I lived and taught in Korea. However, this morning, the old neuron synapses were firing on all cylinders and this article basically wrote itself, perhaps because the ideas were from the heart.
Notice: Next weekend I am going to plant a Poetry Garden for the blog. I am also going to share a story. The Old Zen Masters loved to teach using stories, leaving the onus on the student to divine the meaning. So I would like to do this every fifth week. I will try to write a variety of poems I love. As I grow accustomed to the blog- I am an idiot on a computer, I will get my son to help me communicate with subscribers and eventually hope to invite others to submit their favourite poems. My son lives and works in Luxembourg and I am in Eastern Canada so please be patient.
A NEW LANGUAGE: POETRY
‘Poetry has its own laws speaking for the life of the planet. It is a language that wants to bring back together what the other words have torn apart. We are looking for a tongue that speaks with reverence for life, searching for an ecology of mind. Without it, we have no true home, no place of our own within creation. It is not only the vocabulary of science we desire. We want a language of a different yield. A yield rich in the harvests of the earth, a yield that returns us to our sacredness, to a self-love and resort that will carry out to others.’
- L. Hogan
A NEW LANGUAGE: STORIES
Stories have been told from time immemorial as myths, proverbs, poetry, parables, fables and in prose and novels. Before the technological advances of the last hundred years, stories played a much more important role in society than they do today. People had to entertain themselves whether around the fire, in the farm house, in the caves, or in the temples. Everywhere that people formed communities they told stories, and the person who was good at telling stories became respected and obviously had a good social life.