2013 - Welcome to the year of the Heart!

Here we are at the beginning of a New Year and I am not sure about you, but this one really does feel a bit different - it may be because I personally crawled to the end of 2012 with all the last minute lessons the Universe had planned for me.  The beginning of the year always brings with it hope of new experiences and new joys that will be discovered.  This year, it was a bit more subdued for me as I contemplated all of the information I picked up in 2012 - The Year of Yes!, and how to apply it into the larger picture of my life.  For that reason, this year is going to prove to be especially special!  If you have read some of my previous blogs, you know I spoke about the shift in energy that we were experiencing culminating on December 21, 2012 (the Mayan end of calendar).  And, as that shift was taking place, it was quite painful for many people.  As part of the closing out of the calendar, our past hurts had to be understood so they could be applied to our path moving forward.  So, many people (myself included) were visited by people or events of the past to complete the lesson that that event had to teach them.  Many of the situations felt healed already, so it was not about closure, but more about understanding that event in the larger context of our lives, realizing we had learned something and changed fundamentally due to that event, and that we are now living in a whole new reality.  For me, this was painful and confusing - I felt like I had one foot in my old world, which was comfortable since I knew it so well, and one foot in my future, which was unknown but full of the possibility of everything I could be and experience.  I felt confused to the point of non-action.  Sometimes, when everything feels like it is shifting, the best thing to do is sit and feel it out, before taking action.  Since I am very action-oriented, this is harder for me, but it reinforced one of my personal life lessons, there is a beauty (at times) to non-action.

With all the shifting and movements, what can we expect from 2013?  Faster, easier, movement to the things that really matter to you - the things that come directly from the heart.  2013 is the Year of the Heart and more specifically, of following your true inner guidance on what you want from life.  Each year builds on the year before and moves us to a higher level of understanding - 2011 was the year of gratitude.  Gratitude is the food that feeds the heart.  It is hard to follow your heart if it is starving.  2012 was the Year of Yes - this year was about opening up to new ways of thinking, doing, and being.  It taught us how to jump in to opportunities.  This year was instrumental in teaching the lesson of trust.  Knowing that whatever you say yes to is there to guide you and teach you an important aspect about your life.  And, now we are in 2013, the Year of the Heart, focusing on listening to the strong, but quiet, voice inside which nudges you in the direction of true joy.  Following your heart is the answer to all of our lives, but those first few steps require great trust.  Hopefully, 2012 offered enough experiences that your trust muscle is good and strong. 

The heart really is the key.  Many traditions consider the heart the center of being a human.  It is believed to contain the soul, the part of us that connects us to something bigger (God, the Universe).  It also considered the sign of life, as the heart starts beating inside the womb long before the brain is developed.  The heart marches to the beat of its own drum - and that drum is connected to the bigger picture.  Science has proven, that the heart has a "brain" inside of it.  There is a grouping of neurons (brain cells) inside the heart.  These neurons communicate directly with the frontal lobe of your brain (the part of your brain that governs executive function (intelligent thought, ideas, etc) - this is the part of the brain that we have and animals do not have).  What is interesting is it is a one way street - so the heart sends your frontal lobe messages, but your brain does not communicate back with the heart.  I compare this to the Heart being the Commander in Chief and the brain being the army.  The brain will march in any direction you want it to go, and if left unchecked, will march in a million directions and in circles.  To avoid that, the brain needs a strong leader - and that leader is your Heart.  So, this year, slow down and listen more.  Listen to that quiet voice - if you have plowed over it for years, it will be almost inaudible.  But, if you feed your heart (gratitude) and ask it for guidance and then stop, slow down, and listen - you will receive an answer.  This answer contains the path to a fulfilled life, a life of meaning, purpose and joy.  Check out Paulo Coehlo's book, The Alchemist, for a great, short, story about the importance of following your heart.

Remember, life gets easier when you follow your Heart!