Learning

January 13, 2024

You may have heard or said the expression, "I know it by heart." Like a poem, piece of music, or a recipe, we do not require a book, teacher, or written recipe, because we know that thing by heart. It is deeply within us and occupies a place in our hearts because our hearts receive that information and keep it.

In a deeper realm, we also keep many profound experiences in our hearts and frequently relive them. This is a function of our heart's memory. We experience something that affects our feelings and shapes our emotions; then, it becomes a part of our emotional landscape. Heart memory is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke regarding Mary, the mother of Jesus. "But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). Two other times in Luke's Gospel, he mentions that Mary kept the things that happened forever in her heart. (Luke 1:29 and 2:51)

Two disciples recognized Christ when he appeared to them as a fellow traveler on the road to Emmaus because their hearts burned when they were with him. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" (Luke 24:32)

Recently, I was talking with my brother Trevor, who loves dogs. Trevor and I grew up with two wonderful cocker spaniels, Sparkle and then Barron. When Trevor got married, he and Karen got Erik, a fantastic spirit in the body of a beautiful red Irish Setter. Trevor was more than bereft when Erik died. Years later, they got Beau, a robust and affectionate Labrador Retriever. Trevor spent many days with Beau, who was a dear companion. Beau died not so long ago. Trevor says he will not get another dog, not because he doesn't deeply want one, but because he knows he can't take that kind of loss again. His heart learned what he could take emotionally and what he could not.

Our heart is the seat of our emotions and the center of our being. We learn in our hearts, just like in our minds and bodies. But how does "heart learning" occur? It occurs through impressions on our feelings, emotions, and the soul qualities within our hearts. These impressions are not surface and superficial, like henna tattoos that wash off or water off. These impressions are deep, indelible, and life-molding, like in automobile manufacturing when sheets of new steel are stamped by huge machines that press into the metal to mold automobile bodies.

Our hearts' landscapes consist of many deep impressions of love. However, it also carries dangerous deserts and canyons created by impressions of fear, envy, doubt, rejection, anger, and self-hatred. Our passions (in the enneagram sense of passion) reside here. And on that same emotional landscape are places of delight, joy, beauty, truth, wonder, hope, satisfaction, love, and yearning. Our virtues reside here as well.

To heal from our negative impressions, we also use our heart to consciously connect to the soul and surrender its wounded aspects to the Divine. The Divine heals through transformation, and the grace given is miraculous. The Divine also heals our hearts through new experiences that "voice over" the previous hurtful ones. The Divine also heals our hearts with compassion and emotional holding by others. The Divine heals us by empowering us to forgive when we, on our own, could never do it. Heart healing is a lifelong process because, like our highest and best experiences, many wounds are held deeply in our hearts.

Inquiry: What does your emotional landscape look like? Could you draw a map of it?

Dear God,

Mold me, make me into a being of love. Amen

To receive Dr. Howell’s Reflections in your inbox everyday, complete the form below to begin your journey into who God has made you to be. The path to wholeness starts now!