10 Steps to become your own Master – Part 2
por Izabel Telles em STUM WORLDAtualizado em 06/09/2004 12:38:18
Translated by Françoise Killick – [email protected]
2nd step: Using mental images to calm the heart
In the first part, we have observed how our mind creates images to give a name to our beliefs and how these images turn into our daily experiences.
For instance: I saw, in one of my female patient’s mind, a crooked woman living in an igloo surrounded by snow. Once awaken, she identified these images as the situation she was going through, of not being desirable for her husband.
She learnt that BELIEFS CREATE EXPERIENCES.
She realized that mental images can be the fastest way to get to our beliefs and revert our action models.
She read the eastern saying about engraving happiness in sand and unhappiness in stone and promised herself she would not allow this situation for herself. She practised the cleanser exercise for the past seven days and found out by herself that exercises with mental images are not relaxation nor meditation, but an exercise for transformation and illumination, reason why it is mandatory to be seated when practising them.
Today, we are going to learn more about the world of mental images and surprise ourselves with the intelligence of our hearts.
Our heart is the centre of love and scientists have already proved it has its own intelligence. They are also agreeing to a western and eastern belief that there is a connexion between the heart, the physical body and what they call the emotional brain. For many of us, these are functions of the mind.
Our heart reveals, at its rhythm, if we are living a period of calm or of chaos. If we are living in chaos, our life will not look like a calm river coming down the mountain. Chaos turns us into a violent and instable turmoil that destroys our self control and peace. You can verify this in war scenes on television (although you should avoid them as the mind does not make a difference between reality and fiction and could consider this war as being yours).
But, if we establish peace in our heart, we will feel the action of our conscience and manage our emotions as observers and not as actors. I have frequently told my patients that the position of observer is a good way of avoiding plunging into the films of our life. Observe the situation and tell yourself, with much love and no criticism: “Well, X (say your name) has real attacks of tachycardia every time someone says the name of Y”. This is being an observer.
Today, as a homework, you will have an exercise to feel the intelligence of the heart and feel its connection with the body and the emotional brain.
Remember the exercises with mental images must be practised in the morning, seated and with the eyes closed.
Exercise to quieten the heart
Start breathing three times, slowly, and see this breathing enter your heart. Feel it is your heart that is breathing slowly and transforming itself into a bright blue bird that opens and closes its wings in slow motion. Visualize this bird cleaning itself as a humming-bird drinking honey from the flowers… freeing you from chaos. If any reason if oppressing a part of your body, feel the bird work on that reason. Feel your breast free and open, feel your breath calm and regular. And then, free the bird from your body to the gold sky. Imagine, see and listen to your heart beating at a perfect pace. Breathe peacefully and open your eyes.
If you liked this exercise, repeat it for the next seven days, always in the mornings (you can record your voice), and remember I will be answering your questions and sending your exercises, at your request, after we finish this 10-step exercise, for 10 days.
With love
