Are you a romantic?

[Mara]

Do you feel you're guided more by intuition, emotion, and impulses, that is, your heart, than you are by your mind, and its rational decision-making?

Do you believe in destiny, true love, and meaningful coincidences?

Are you spontaneous? Do you find, that through the practice of acting on your non-rational, but deeply felt, impulses, you are moving closer to fulfilling your destiny, that is, your dream, every day?


Mara

[Mara]

I was surprised that so few people responded to this poll. I was also surprised it was moved from the spirituality forum, for I find nothing to be more spiritual than following the guidance of one's heart or intuition.

Would it be possible to get this thread moved back to the other forum, or did I title it improperly?

I think the discussion of the use of the mind versus intuition is actually very appropriate for the Spirituality forum.

Thank you,

Mara

[Rafflesia]

Hello Mara,

I am surprised that more people did not respond too, but I did not respond, becuase honestly, I don't know myself any more. I know I use to be, perhaps I am a "recovering romantic." That soudns like a horrible and jaded notion. there was a time when I use to think "I just know that a person is for me becuase it feel so right it has to be mutual" and the acitons seem to be there to support these assumptions, but I was oh so wrong - more than once.

I do agree with you, that this seems to be a spiritual topic, because part of my dillema is related in the very nature of so many belief systems support seem to promote detachment, and wonder at times if the idea of allowing your heart to make all decisions, or guiding your actiosn according to the potental being closer to some one whom you care about so deeply, contradcit the diea of detachemnt. Doesn't it make you too vulnerable to devasting hurt, because I think true romantics are people who perceive of another as their life and source of happiness, and then what happens when those people for whatever reason are no longer there? Granted, I am sure there are some people who followed their heart blindly and had better experiences and I am happy for them, even envious of them (a very bad spiritual state to admit).

[Mara]

Well, as usual, I get in trouble for using a word for its archaic meaning when it is now usually understood as something different.


I didn't intend romantic just in the sense of "romantic love", but in the classical sense, where the heart, and intuition, are valued to some extent, over our materialist culture's hyper-rationality.

From http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/romanticism/

Romanticism is an: "Artistic and intellectual movement that originated in the late 18th century and stressed strong emotion, imagination, freedom from classical correctness in art forms, and rebellion against social conventions.

Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental."

I would call myself a romantic, in the classical sense of the word.

I do believe the heart, or intuition, or whatever you may call it, has a beautiful, mysterious wisdom, that I have come to learn to trust in the past few years. Chronic fatigue syndrome, which I had for nearly three years, seriously impeded my ability to use my rational mind. I was too tired to think, read, or speak, at length. I developed a strong inner life based on feelings and imagery. My visions and my intuition were what sustained me and guided me back to health.

Now, despite the hardships I have endured, I am grateful for the illness that has developed both my (romantic) skills of intuition and imagination.

[Rafflesia]

I didn't know your sense of the word "romantic" was archaic either! I thought that what you meant, not confined only to deicisons regarding relationships, but in making decisons for anything would be following emotional guidance. No offence intended, but I suppsoe that since most of the moderators here seem to be older and more settled in knowing themselves and are less liekly to question their decision making process, maybe they don't recall so clearly what it is like to be looking for guidance in many aspects of live, and that is why they autmoatically associate the word in a reductionist way with relationships.

But I'm not sure that I agree that intuition is solely born in the heart. I suppsoe that is where the spiritual aspect somes into paly for me. But at the same time, I don't mind this being in the lounge, since it seems a topic likely to be discussed among very close friends over tea or coffee.

[Mara]

Here's a thought: when studying Chi Kung, we learn that the body's "Shen", or spirit, is "stored" in the heart. Shen and heart energy are interchangeable concepts, as far as I know.

This a comment based on your question as to whether intuition came from the heart. It is a good question, but I still think this is a spiritual discussion. Perhaps I should re-frame my question in different language and try again, in the other forum.

But I'd love to hear more of your thoughts.

[Rafflesia]

I am relatiely new to macrobiotics, and have not read anything about Chi Kung, but I would like to at some point. I'm a bit embarrased to admit that.

I have studied a bit about yoga, and the concept of chakras, the focal points of energy nexuses in the body, and how for the most potent development of intuition, that one should practice exercises that keep the energy flowing through all points; that none become blocked and then intuition fed by energy from all centers is visualized as eventually being located at the top of the head - the third eye. I was intrigued by the concept of meridians in macrobiotics and how its teaching recommends similar exercises as a well-developed yoga program, to keep everything flowing. Maybe the center is focuses in the heart instead; my knowledge here is very rudimentary.

In sum, I think the heart palys a vital role in developing intuition, but in order for the intuition to be more accurate, other parts of the body need to be developed and balanced as well. That effective intuition is composed of many components. I don't know if I am making sense, but I do enjoy this dialogue! Thanks, Mara for sugesting it!

[Mara]

I agree that it is important to keep all of the body strong and keep energy circulating in a balanced way, for optimum health, rational thought, and intuitive capabilities. However, I have had a lot of chronic digestive problems since recovering from chronic fatigue, making it very hard for me to center and ground myself in the body's energy center, the dantien, located a few inches under the navel.

My feeling is that, in my effort to keep grounded and balance, I have been trying to focus in my dantien, but chronic stagnation has kept that area blocked from recieving/making energy. Therefore, I have centered, instead, on the nearest open and available energy center - and found myself with a near overabundance of heart energy, making me live a wild, deeply emotional, intuitive, rollercoaster life - while I have also been having to constantly transmute a steady diet of yin "poisons" (yin to stimulate digestion) into fire to maintain emotional strength, balance, and yang activity.

It has been a kind of baptism by fire (well, that phrase is macrobiotically incorrect, I actually mean "poison"), but it has worked for me, however unorthodox my diet may have appeared to others!

Therefore, you can !

Mara

[Rafflesia]

Thanks agian for your story Mara. I find it verty inspirational to learn of people who have discoverd how to refine the practice macrobiotics to help them in their individual lives. I am no where near that ability right now. Still trying to discern what feels funny becuase it is not right for me, vers I am just not use to it. I still need to find my rhythm with the basic diet principles before I can get to the "tailoring stage." I wish there were courses near by.

Self-study is good to apoint, but a group dialouge would help strucutre my learnign process more effectively. This board helps a great deal, but do you know if there are any others to use in addition to it, to learn of even more group's experiecnes? I hope that is not an offensive question to ask. I do not wish to leave here, but am always looking for more perspetives and opportunities for dialogue.

I hope you don't mind me asking, but what (if any) reading has helped you learn about the energy centers, and how to work with them?

[Mara]

Kristen,

My talk about earth/heart/mind is more intuitive, than anything. I know little to nothing about the chakras, though I would like to. However, through taking a series of chi-kung classes, I have found there is a lot of discussion about staying grounded through focusing on the dantien and the soles of one's feet. There is also talk of the heart as an energy center, and the mind. The heart and the mind are where our energy tends to get trapped if we don't learn to focus and channel our energy into our dantiens, and down into the earth.

My feeling is that in our body, our lower bodies and dantien represent earth/grounding, our minds and mental energies represent the heavens or infinity, and our hearts(Shen/spirit) are what tie heaven and earth together in our earthly lives. Our hearts, in my opinion, can discover the unseen paths, or invisible threads, that lead us to our spiritual destinies.

Again, a lot of this I have synthesized from various sources, and it is also partly intuitive or poetic reasoning. Take it or leave it, but thanks for asking.

Mara

[Rafflesia]

Hello Mara,

I did not intend to question your conclusions, but I was jsut curious to learn more about the information that you have read that have lead you to them. I am always looking for information about concepts of spirutality and intuition. I greatly value your perspective.

[lysia jones]

MAra can you tell me which yin poisins you refer to while you work on your dantien? I often feel stuck in the middle and never considered the aspect that another upward center could give energy to another. I am a very tangilbe sort of woman and love to use my hearts wisdom, yet often focus better with a physical sort of medicine- maybe like your yin poisin. I am using herbs which is not so macro, yet a powerful affirmation of my intent to heal. Lysia

[Mara]

Hi Lysia,

The yin "poisins" that I have used in moderation, as I feel so moved to do so, have include alcohol, sugars, caffeine, raw foods, and for a brief period of time, tobacco.

But, I should add, I am REALLY impatient and not generally the best source of advice on this forum..., and I feel that my chronic fatigue situation was totally unique and unusual - I wouldn't necessarily recommend my methods to other people, only that I recommend you trust your heart, and if you feel something might help you and is not terribly dangerous, give it a shot, it may be just the right medicine.

Best,
Mara

[lysia jones]

thanks, i think we all have a unique puzzel to figure out. so what do you love doing? for me it is dance yoga hikes and photos. yet i do not do them much. so life for me is exhausting without these perks. speaking from the heart, lysia

[Mara]

I love singing, dancing, and reading and writing.... I love long walks, imagining that I'm living at the turn of the century, and thinking about time and history. I would love to travel more.