One of our most basic human needs is to love and be loved. Because we are spiritual beings, we have a need to express the love that is inside of us, both with people we know and people we do not know. In doing so, we express our spirit. As Spiritual Beings we have a need to live from our spirit and to bring good into the world. We also have a deep yearning to live a life that feels sacred to us.

In a recent discussion with like-minded people, we answered the question “What does it mean to live your life in a sacred way? And what would that look like?” Some answers that people shared were: “To live from the awareness that we are all connected. To be mindful. To be kind and giving. To live authentically. To be available to the Presence within.”

My answer to “what it means to live my life in a sacred way” is to live from my spirit. To remember that God is at the center of everything and to see God at the center of everything. Living my life in a sacred way, means living from my heart rather than my head.

The problem is that sometimes we do not live from our hearts. We live in a society that has trained us to be in our heads and to come from our ego. We live in a society that rewards competition, winning, and having power over others. We are rewarded for beating others, whether it be in sports or in grades or in job positions. Ending up at the top of the heap results in better pay, more accolades and higher prestige.

Additionally, we don’t live from our hearts because we are fed by a media that has an extremely negative bias. Then we believe that bias and the ratio of negative events, and become afraid. In turn, we close off our hearts.

The foundation of most of our fears is that something might be taken from us. We close our hearts off to the person who is not wearing a mask to protect others from COVID-19, because they might take our health. We close our hearts off to the politicians because they might take our money or our democracy or our well-being. We close our hearts off to our noisy neighbor because they might take our peace and quiet and therefore, take our serenity. Our fear closes our hearts to others.

A Hopi elder said, “What we as humans must do, is take the longest journey of our life. It is not traveling around the globe, sitting on the tops of great mountains or seeking some remote land. It is the journey from the head to our heart. This is the longest journey a human can take; it is the journey that can bring about peace.”

When we live our lives centered in our heart, we naturally live from our spirit. When we live from our heart and our spirit, we automatically live in a sacred way. When we live from our heart, we come to the world with more compassion, kindness, care, and love. In turn, our harshness and our fear fall away. This creates space for healing, oneness, and harmony.

Ernest Holmes said, “Love will find the solution to every problem, will answer every question, and will ultimately vanquish every foe.” He also said, “Love alone can solve the world’s problems and bring about the day of universal peace.”

When we live in fear, judgment, or an “us versus them” attitude, it creates separation, and it blots out any common ground that we might have with those people. In turn, living from our heart creates an atmosphere where solutions become available to us. Solutions and creative ideas can be noticed and recognized. Living from our hearts creates flexibility, equality, and oneness. Coming from our heart space creates an avenue for the Creative Intelligence of the Universe to reveal Itself to us, and for us to hear It and perceive It.

Do you know what else living from our hearts does? It makes us happier! Happiness is defined as having a subjective sense of well-being.

A study out of Yale University about happiness and how to be happy says that when we indulge and nurture ourselves, it contributes to our happiness. But the happiest people are people that are kind, considerate, generous and contribute to others.

That is what this Chinese proverb is talking about. “If you want happiness for an hour – take a nap. If you want happiness for a day – go fishing. If you want happiness for a year – inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime – help someone else.”

We are part of the collective family of humanity; therefore, we need to experience our connection with each other and experience belonging to each other. Because we are made of God’s stuff, we have a need to express God. We are the visible expression of the invisible God. We know God through our hearts. We experience God through our love.

I would like to share an exercise with you to move you from your head to your heart:

First, consciously detach from whatever is causing you to close off your heart.

Take 4-7 deep belly breaths, placing one hand on your lower belly. Breathe into your hand, allowing your inhale to extend your belly out as far as possible and on the exhale, allowing your belly to sink into your body. Make this breathing your only focus.

Now, place your right hand on your heart and your left hand on the top of your head. Focus your attention on your left hand on your head… and now slowly move your attention to your right hand on your heart… Feel the fingers in your right hand and feel the skin of your chest (or the fabric of your shirt)…Slowly begin to lightly tap on your head and heart — right hand tapping on your heart, left hand on the top of your head… (wait about 10 seconds) … Now move your left hand from the top of your head to over your right hand on your heart… Gradually slow down the tapping, resting both hands over your heart center… and breathe into your heart for 4-7 breaths… Visualize green love light emanating from your chest.

You can do this exercise every day, or numerous times a day if needed. You can do it whenever you are finding it difficult to come from your heart.

The world needs your heart. It needs your love, and it needs your spirit. In this time of divisiveness and polarization this country needs you to show up as the spiritual being that you are.

My invitation to you is to do this exercise regularly. Meditate so that you may detach from your ego, your ego’s opinions, and your perspective. Drop from your head to your heart. See through spiritual eyes. See through your heart and act from your spirit.

As a result, you will experience greater peace within. You will experience greater happiness or a sense of well-being. You will be living in alignment with your divine nature and therefore feel deeply fulfilled. Ultimately, you will be creating greater peace in the world.

Blessings to you on this path. And thank you for answering the call of your spirit.