Opening the Eyes of the Heart

“There is an ancient Chinese teaching that speaks of the Heart having seven magical orifices. These are not physical connections to the veins and arteries but rather metaphorical apertures that open up to reveal wonders of insight, health and understanding. They are called the Eyes of the Heart, and they are pathways of consciousness whose doors can be opened or closed depending upon one’s intention and experience. When these doors are open, one has the freedom to act with clear conscious awareness in the present moment, as opposed to when they are closed and one is chained to reaction from the repetitive programming of the past.”

From the Author’s Foreword to Opening the Eyes of the Heart (link to free sample chapter, Journey into Fire)

I learned about this ancient medical model during my first semester of Traditional Chinese Medicine college back in the fall of 1993. Since that time, I’ve been deepening my knowledge of and experience with it, while applying its healing methods to my clients and patients. It’s a powerful and unique way of gathering information, knowledge and healing power that can be applied to any personal healthcare concern. Here’s a quick overview of exactly what the Eyes of the Heart are all about.

What are they?

One explanation for The Eyes of the Heart is that they provide an ancient pathway for a person to achieve “enlightenment.” Translating all that this infers into today’s language, this means that it improves every aspect of one’s health: mental, spiritual, emotional and physical, as well as transmitting this achieved health back into the society for the good of all.

Big stuff. 

And while they are not the physical pathways of the heart, they do correspond to our anatomical openings of perception:

• 2 ears - hearing - taking in sound
• 2 nostrils - smelling, breathing - taking in Qi from breath
• 2 eyes - seeing - taking in sight
• 1 mouth - tasting, taking in Qi from food

There are seven Eyes in total and they shape how we perceive all of the world’s information as it comes in, and then how we process this information as it relates to our own lives.

How do they work?

When the Eyes are open and clear, we can take in and receive through these seven orifices honestly and accurately. When they are closed, we do not accurately perceive things as they are, which causes disharmony and disease.

They close by degree, which can happen when we are injured in some way. For this reason, we feel that we cannot be open to take in completely because that means we’re also vulnerable for more of that brand of pain to come in, so we close off to protect. 

This is all normal but if this protection goes on longer than needed and becomes a pattern, then we’ve got problems. We are not perceiving and experiencing the world as it really is but rather re-acting in cycles of our past pain. This prevents us from growing and move forward, which causes all kinds of health issues.

How do we Open them?

In order to reverse this process of closing off and instead Open the Eyes of our Hearts, we need to get honest and clear about:

• Where we’re currently at - the present situation
• Why we closed off - the past
• What we have to do - the future

While this sounds pretty straightforward, there is a paradox of conflicting intentions occurring at the same time. Inside every one of us are both messages: one voice is telling us to close off for protection and the other is reminding us we need to open up for health. Dealing with this in a healthy way is one component of that definition of “enlightenment.”

In OEH, we have a method for reconciling this paradox and moving us along the pathway of enlightenment and that’s the shamanic journey.

The shamanic journey is a simple and structured method to gather information, experience and healing power. This is exactly the Medicine that is required to Open the Eyes of our Hearts and of course, it is not the only way of obtaining this Medicine, it’s just the one that has worked most effectively for me and what I have to provide my clients.

Why is this important?

“When these doors are open, one has the freedom to act with clear conscious awareness in the present moment, as opposed to when they are closed and one is chained to reaction from the repetitive programming of the past.”

Applying this quote to that word of enlightenment, it’s simply about, “Who’s in charge?” When we are clear and present, we are the ones in charge of our thoughts, feelings and actions, as opposed to the other way around when they are the boss of us - or as the saying goes, “The tail is wagging the dog.”

What conditions does this help with?

This is an empowering method for anyone to discover information, receive healing and to participate in any personal healthcare concern.

Here is a list of the Chinese Medicine’s Elements, which provides the map we use to apply this information to our modern-day health concerns:

Water:  fears, addiction, depression, secrets, inherited patterns, limiting core beliefs, sexuality

Wood: anger, frustration, cancer, stuck-ness, all planning - no action

Fire: no passion, anxiety, scattered-ness, relationships, ADHD, diabetes

Earth: worry, rumination, digestion, nourishment, lack of a deep feeling of home, insecurity

Metal: grief, loss, surrender, forgiveness, releasing the old and outdated, inability or lack of expression

How can I find out more?

Stay connected! I so look forward to sharing my experience, as well as the experience of others, who do this work. So, here’s some ways to keep the connection:

• I will be writing more on this under “Medicine Journeys” in my Directory of Posts 
• Sign up here and get the newsletter
• Collaborate as a professional
• Shoot me an message