As I wrote this, spring was just starting to unfold in this part of Canada. In the dreariness of the quiet afternoon, there was alternate rain and snow.
The time of melting had begun, and made me aware of the inherent beauty of the heart.
The melting heart softens the walls created by beliefs, and they crumble.
These beliefs often say “I can’t trust you”, “I don’t trust myself”, “the world isn’t safe”, “I don’t want to feel pain”, “it hurts too much to be vulnerable”, “no one loves me”, “I’m not important”, “I’m afraid to be used”….and many, many more.
As these beliefs take hold, grip harder, they create tension in the chest. They prevent us from seeing the perfection of Life as it is, in all its simplicity.
The process of allowing the heart to melt away beliefs begins when we take the time to be still and drop into awareness. As we get quiet, we question the mind, inquiring beyond our beliefs and feeling whatever is to be felt. In the Silence, we can notice the beliefs that harden our hearts and distance us from the experience of pure Love.
This process cannot be forced.
Bit by bit, the heart gently opens. Then we find ourselves melting into the One Heart, where we feel connected to ourselves and to everyone and everything.
I’ve spent a lot of time in the mental realm as a professional student, educator/counsellor, coach. I’m an avid fan of processing my experiences. As the years go by, I’ve learned that what I’ve most longed for rests in my heart – in this moment.
I focus my attention into my deepest feelings. That allows me to notice and release stories that are attached to those feelings. It is here that I gently and compassionately acknowledge the habits of my personality that take me away from presence/love.
The heart holds everything. Peace and awareness of true connection arise. In the heart there is a fullness that I never thought possible. The unfolding of the heart is worth nurturing. As our awareness of the Heart opens, we can truly give to others in free and natural ways.
This is inner confidence. This is where the fertile soil to be truly oneself rests. This is Love, pure and simple.
Practice:
Breathe into your heart. Pay attention to the moment of stillness between the inhale and exhale. Drop down into where the silence lives. Notice the thoughts and beliefs that arise. Notice what happens in your heart.
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© 2009 Jeannie Campanelli, Inner Confidence Coaching. All Rights Reserved.
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Jeannie Campanelli, Ed.D, CPCC, is a coach and author who partners with naturally-giving men and women who place other people’s needs in front of their own. As a consequence, they are disconnected from themselves. Jeannie offers a free e-newsletter titled “Notes on Claiming Your Life as Your Own” to support you in feeling the serenity, vitality, and wholeness that comes from inner confidence. When you subscribe, you will receive gifts to support you in this journey home to yourself, including an e-course from “The Inner Confidence Workbook: A Guide to Claiming Your Life as Your Own” written by Jeannie. Visit www.innerconfidencecoaching.com.
MaryAnn is right now gradually recovering from extensive brain surgery – her second within five months. I want to honor her courage, her passion for life, her generosity, her wonderful sense of humour, and her devotion to those whom she loves. She is amazing as she stays the course to receive the breath of life without a ventilator.
Fresh. No past. No future. Just the presence of these first moments of waking up, this precious beginning.
There can be so much to strive to ‘get’ if we choose this direction for our lives. 
