We often confuse compassion with empathy yet they are different. Of course empathy is really important if we are to stand any chance of being in real relationship with another. Our ability to suspend judgement and assumption, to connect and to have a felt sense of the other person’s world however incomplete, enables us to...
‘Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfilment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.’ Martin Luther King Jr In our full on and seemingly broken world it can be immensely difficult to listen to our heart,...
We all know that love is a word, a sentiment, a feeling that we most closely associate with loved ones, family, friends and so on. We don’t often use it in a wider context within say our work life or our wider connections. Some of this could be because we have confined our understanding of...
Down the ages we have seen seemingly impossible feats achieved, immense tides turned to flow in a more positive direction, hatred, violence and division move into a space of forgiveness and reconciliation. Lincoln’s abolition of slavery, the defeat of Nazism, the ending of apartheid in South Africa, the peace process in Northern Ireland are just...
“May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.” John O’Donohue Wonder is a quality we typically associate with childhood. It has the sense of naiveté, of innocence and the ability to be surprised. After a few proverbial ‘trips around the block’ of life we can tend to eschew...
‘Wherever you go, go with all your heart’ Confucius It’s that time of year when heart imagery is everywhere, symbolising romantic love. Expressing through the heart, living through the heart though is a much deeper endeavour and service than the commercial festival of Valentine’s Day, though, of course, the origins of this festival are far...
When we experience physical attacks on the heart we are of course being reminded that our physical well-being may not be all that it could be. We may have bad habits, lax practices or be taking our body for granted in some way, all of which we can remedy if we choose. On a metaphysical...
As each day brings us more difficult news about the state of our world it would be easy to withdraw, to hide, even to wither under the onslaught, especially if this is layered on top of more personal challenges in our daily lives. Yet now, as never before, hiding isn’t an option. We need to...
‘The significance of the word Heart is the significance of life itself as it beats eternally at the very heart of the universe.’ (Tibetan Master) When we consider the role of the heart in our daily lives, most of us will head for two factors – the physical heart that keeps us alive through its...
As we recoil in horror at events in Ukraine, we are also reminded of the heart to heart to heart to heart connection of our common humanity. An unbreakable chain that connects and nourishes and offers the greatest hope for our world and its future. On display in the tragedy, and called into dedicated service,...