Listening to the Heart – a program by herbalist David Crow
According to clinical herbalist-teacher-mentor David Crow, our Heart is a messenger. “Listening to the Heart” is an online program about the heart and its capacity to receive energy from the universe. These energies are relayed to the systems inside us. Using his method of listening to the heart, we can explore the center of the energy distribution in our bodies.
Earth, air, space, water and fire are natural sources of energy.
By accessing our heart beat, we are touching the systems of nature inside our bodies.
In a basic sense the 5 elements promote all life. We’re connected to the universe because the energy for all life on the planet comes from these sources. Earth, air, space, water and fire are these natural sources of energy. So, by accessing our heart beat, we are touching the systems of nature inside our bodies. I believe that this helps relate us to the living, pulsating universe.
The journey of the heart is animated first by the elements of nature and then by our mind. These elements – earth, fire, water, air and space — create all movement through which we change and grow.
David Crow’s theory is the heart’s connection to the energies of the 5 elements.
A program of instruction and meditation, “Listening to the Heart” is available on the internet. You can access it here and watch it for free. It invites the listener to discover the mystery of life inside themselves. Using your own awareness and one of several techniques for feeling your heartbeat, you’ll begin to understand the flow of energy and how it affects you.
After watching “Listening to the Heart”, I thought of writing this post. I took a break and attempted the technique myself. I can honestly say that I felt the quality of air and movement in my own heart beat. Today, I tried again, and I sensed the energy of fire, as in a quiet stoking of the energy that fuels my day. My timing today happened to be auspicious, too. According to Chinese body-clock charts, if I use this method between 11 am and Noon, I’m accessing a part of the day associated with fire, good blood circulation, and high energy!
I need to practice placing my attention on what sustains me
I think I need to practice placing my attention on what sustains me, instead of always looking outward and becoming distracted away from my source of energy. In that sense, Listening to the Heart is a really helpful practice. Also, I’m curious about the connection between being human and being animated by the elements in our universe. Identifying 2 of the elements within me feels like a small but sure step towards increasing my understanding of the influences of nature.
In our culture and times, self-reliance is one of the expectations we grow up with. And I think it’s at the core of why we spend most of our energy looking outward, rather than inward. One thing I’ve noticed lately is that the attention we give ourselves is not enough to create a happy life.
In my personal experience as a young person this translated into excesses like eating a candy bar and drinking a pepsi as one snack, getting five books from the library at one time, watching a movie and looking at magazines at the same time, and many more doubles and triples than I could adequately absorb.
Self-love is a possible outcome!
Self-reliance is probably a good character trait in our society, because our culture doesn’t stop at go but keeps on pushing for more from all of us. However, we need to get along with one another, and we need to push back against the relentless expectations that take so much from us. The more we are acquainted with ourselves, the better equipped to handle the differences in other people.
So, I think first accepting one’s whole self, our entire being as much as we are able, is humane, and more loving. We could begin such a process with our own center of love, our heart.
A program of instruction and meditation, “Listening to the Heart” is available on the internet. You can access it here and watch it for free.