issue 20: Sovereign Heart, Wild & Free“Beyond all notions of right and wrong, there is a field… I’ll meet you there.” —Rumi What unseen influence orchestrates the mesmerizing murmurations of starlings, choreographs the ballet-like schooling of fish, regenerates the severed limbs of newts down to minute details of digits, guides the migration of birds and butterflies across vast distances to arrive at nearly pinpont precise spots, year after year… and even compels collective human behaviors, for better or for worse? All living beings—including our big Pachamama—are in constant communication via subtle fields of information. They emanate from us, inform us and influence the larger communities we all are a part of as well as the physically smaller though vastly numerous and diverse communities our bodies are comprised of. It's been said that ‘no man is an island’ though… maybe we sort of are. On the surface we appear separate from one another though when we look a little deeper, we find that we’re all connected via networks of larger formations and ultimately to a singular source. Likewise, the many interconnected biofields our physical, mental and emotional bodies arise from are also very much present and foundational to what we are on the surface, though these vast fields of information are not readily perceivable to the common eye. What exactly is a “biofield” and why should we care? In essence, the biofield is a dynamic living library of information that is unique to each living being and the larger collectives to which they belong. It is electromagnetic, biophotonic (yes, we are beings of light!) and quantum—making it more miraculous than mechanistic—in nature. Each individual biofield holds the biological blueprint for that physical entity along with all cumulative experiences and influences that have shaped it. Just as a single human biofield is comprised of many smaller biofields representing a multitude of cells, diverse organisms and organ systems within the physical body, each human also functions as a smaller unit within larger and more complex group bodies. In other words, the larger bodies of our friend and family groups, local and even online communities, the physical environments we live and operate within as well as various organizations we participate in all group together to form larger more encompassing biofields or group minds. That said… Groupies beware! Those larger biofields we synch up are often influencing our own minds—our perceptions, beliefs and opinions— in subtle ways we’re not consciously aware of which is why it’s so critically important to be discerning and firmly rooted in one’s own values—receptive though not pliable. At the same time, we all benefit from advances made within the group mind. The four minute mile is an example of one man overcoming a collective belief barrier which then opened the floodgates for many others to not only achieve the same physical feat but surpass it. So, just imagine what is possible when we each choose to set our minds on overcoming our own personal and collective barriers of perception! All for one, one for all! If the concept ‘we’re all one’ seems too unfathomable or abstract to be of any practical relevance to our lives, biofield research helps to ground that notion in our lived experience. What the findings tell us is that each part of the whole is not just a participant, and not just a contributor, each part is a direct beneficiary of the greater collective mind and overall well being—for good or for ill. When the greater collective is operating from a place of congruence, resonance and harmony, each part of the whole has a much better opportunity to thrive; when there is discord, disharmony and a persistent lack of congruence within the collective, parts of the collective are compromised and dis-ease sets in. We’ve largely come to terms with this understanding on the level of the physical body and if we extend that conceptualization out to the larger fractal ecology of our social systems and relationships beyond our biology, the same basic principles apply. For this reason, acknowledgement of the biofield concept holds great relevance when it comes to cultivating healthier and more functional communities at all levels—for the ultimate benefit of each part as well as the whole. No man is just an island. There is a biofield, I’ll meet you there. A bridge, a confluence, a unified field. Many of our most brilliant modern day theorists have described intricately woven relational fields of information (see Sheldrake’s Morphic fields, Lazlo’s Akashic Field, and the “undivided wholeness” of Bohm’s Implicate Order…). Coming from different orientations however (ie biology, mathematics, physics or just too inconveniently entangled with “spirituality” to be taken seriously be their peers…), they’ve remained in relative isolation and limited in application. It wasn’t until the National Institute of Health (NIH) established the official term “biofield” in 1992 that multiple theoretic approaches, research and healing modalities along with ancient and indigenous wisdom could find some common ground. Like the four-minute mile, a seeming impossibility until an official acknowledgement by one institution of authority removed those barriers of perception. The result? More meaningful exchanges across various disciplines and applied practices, collaborative efforts between diverse fields of study, scientific evidence finding congruence with ancient and indigenous wisdom (which, in turn, points the way for further “discoveries”)… all embodying the spirit of collaboration; the fruits of which have the potential to inspire us all to imagine what amazing potential exists beyond mere chalk lines of separation in our own lives so we may, in our own ways, collectively focus on greater possibilities that arise from a more unified and integrated worldview! With that idea in mind, some beautiful symbolism emerges that conveys the essence of our shifting times. Not only is the biofield itself a bridge between mind and matter/energetic and material/intangible and solid, it serves as a bridge between the miraculous and mundane. With the advent of biofield research, things we formerly thought impossible (like regeneration of damaged brain cells, limbs and organs in humans) are quickly becoming a reality and, due to our understanding of the quantum nature of the biofield, other advances around telepathic communication and remote healing can be scientifically validated and further developed. The field of research itself actually demonstrates how seemingly disparate streams of thought such as art and physics, biology and architecture, technology and healing… can come together for greater world-enhancing collaborations. Like a confluence of running waters, our coming together as a diverse peoples of different experiential backgrounds and interests has the potential to strengthen, enrich and unify the collective for our greater evolution. ————————————————— "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." — Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince We find it in our own deepest knowing, in the wisdom of ages and great children’s books alike: the very essence of all things and all that truly matters is that which is experienced from the core of our being not outwardly perceived. The fox in The Little Prince offers his “simple secret” to the prince in their parting of paths. His wisdom points to the central importance of genuine connection in perceiving our world and all those in it truly and rightly. In the story, the fox actually desires to be tamed by the prince so they may experience a true bond with one another though the fox still remains wild and free. It is a beautiful message, that genuine love is not judgemental nor possessive, true connection respects and accepts the autonomy of the other as they are. When it comes to authentic connection with other humans, animals and the earth itself, it really is the heart that knows best. A lovely notion, but can we back it with science? In issue 19: Balance, I made a brief introduction to the role of the physical heart within the gut-brain-heart axis. With over 40,000 neurons and its own complex, independent nervous system (the intrinsic cardiac nervous system), the heart has the capacity—completely independent from the brain—to process information, learn and make decisions. The heart is not only processing and relaying information from various systems within the body, it is accessing information through the electromagnetic biofields of the earth and other living beings. How does it do this? The toroidal shaped electromagnetic energy field 5,000 times greater than that of the brain and extends about 3-5 feet from the body (in humans) whereas the brain’s much weaker and more scattered field remains mostly within the skull. Scientific testing consistently shows that the heart perceives and reacts to information (such as tender or disturbing images that evoke a visceral reaction) milliseconds before the brain processes the information through the visual cortex. The intuitive information the heart receives is clearly not bound by time or space but where is it coming from? According to everything we know about the biofield so far, it is through these fields of information that the heart receives not only more accurate but precognitive information. So, when it comes to the ability to access pure and untainted information, we can fairly say it is the heart that sees rightly. “The Heart is the sovereign of all organs and represents the consciousness of one’s being.” — Huang di Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine) Long before Western science came to discover the heart’s role in its own way, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) already viewed the heart as central to the entire being—including the mental and emotional states—and all the body’s processes. In TCM, the heart is considered the ‘Emperor' or sovereign throne of our being. From the throne room of our body, the sovereign heart governs circulation, emotional regulation, and is the shelter for our Shen or spirit. When the spirit is broken, when emotions are dysregulated, when there is relational trauma the entire system suffers. Wound the 'Emperor'/Heart and the whole empire/body suffers, heal the Emperor and the whole empire is renewed. The emerging science of Neurocardiology is gradually confirming through advances in technology what Traditional Chinese Medicine has observed and applied for centuries, that the ruptured heart-brain connection can lead to mental, emotional and physical afflictions that affect the entirety of our being. Heart disease is the undisputed number one killer globally, causing approximately 1 in every 3 deaths. By all indications these deaths are rooted primarily in relational ruptures. Extreme emotional stress, fight or flight responses, anxiety, depression and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy also knows as “broken-hearted syndrome” all contribute to heart disease and death. For this reason we cannot underestimate the importance and impact of relational connection for its role in supporting life itself. "No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses." —Herman Melville Interestingly, while the horse is representative of the heart in TCM, the dog represents the pericardium or protective covering around the heart. One a prey animal, one a predator, both working together to keep the heart connected and protected. It is by no mere coincidence that we find both horses and dogs serving humans in therapeutic roles, including horses working alongside trained humans in equine assisted psychotherapy. With horses, the deeper healing work is done through the heart biofield. A horse’s electromagnetic heart field is up to 5 times larger than that of a human and can be measured up to 40-50 ft away from their body (as compared to the human's 3-5 ft). This field is generated by the heart just like in humans though due to their size and heart rate variability, it’s significantly more powerful. Studies show that when we are physically near to horses, our heart rate and nervous system can sync with theirs, a process known as cardiac coherence. For this reason, spending time around horses isn’t just emotional it’s physiological. Horses don’t just sense energy, they influence it. When the heart finds coherence—especially in relationship with another—the heart begins to heal and the body follows. ————————————————— This Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse we’re currently in seems a most auspicious time to look to the heart for those deeper truths that set us free. The sovereign heart is quite literally at the heart of our most authentic connection to one another via the biofield, the subtle energetic tapestry within which all our unique threads are interwoven. The more we come to regard the sovereign heart as core to our individual and collective wellbeing, the more we can come into coherence within ourselves and resonance with one another with all our beautiful wildness and uniqueness still intact. Wishing for you a most wild and sovereign heart! In Truth, Beauty and Goodness, B. Monique
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