Salon of the Heart 

A Releasing Your Unlimited Creativity application

Copyright 2021 by K. Ferlic,   All Rights Reserved

Introduction

Background on the concept of the Salon

Salon of the Heart - an interesting thought for a new age of enlightenment

Salon of the Heart - What is the Heart as used here?

What does living from the heart look like?

Reason/motivation for creating a Salon of the Heart- a gentle phoenix

General guidelines for the Salon of the Heart -An invitation to a Dance

Some potential results from a Salon of the Heart

How and why the Salon of the Heart works

Addendum: Statements, Concepts and Phenomena discussed in How the Salon of the Heart works

Item for consideration

Items of further interest

Introduction (Top)

This document addresses the concept of the Salon, the concept of the Salon of the Heart, and how it can be used to is to bring our conscious attention to the awareness of our Heart. Awareness of the heart allows us to live true to our authentic self and to what keeps us alive and give us a passion for life and for living

Background on the concept of the Salon (Top)

The salon is reported to have started in Italy in the 16th century as a forum to exchange ideas. In time, the concept spread to several countries. Salons were quite popular in the 17th and 18th centuries in France. It is generally felt that salons played an important role in French history and the age of Enlightenment. The salons at this time were not seen so much as leisure based activity or schooling but rather they laid at the heart of philosophic community. In this sense they were integral to the ongoing enlightenment process of the time.

What is interesting is that the salons provided a place for both men and women to convene for intellectual discussion. Although the society of the time was male dominated, the women served as hostess, decided the agenda of topic, often selected the guests and regulated and mediated the conversations. With women hostesses, some historians see the purpose of the salon allowed the women who started them to have their educational needs and desires met. In this way the salon provided the education needs for women who were denied the formal educational process.

There were “rules” that the salons tried to embody. Such rules included politeness, civility, and honesty in the debates and conversation that would occur.

Salon of the Heart - an interesting thought for a new age of enlightenment (Top)

It is the understanding of the author that during the period of human history that historians call the “Age of Enlightenment” the Salons as described above apparently played a big part in the sharing of the ideas. In this regard, the Salons laid the foundation that brought forth many of the social changes moving humanity to the more modern area. Additionally these Salons were heavy influenced by women who were seeking to expand their knowledge when the educations systems were male dominated and excluded the women.

We face something very similar in the world today. But it is not about the male and female. Nor is it about the fact humanity has been dominated by males as most suspect. Rather it is about the masculine aspect and the feminine aspect of the creative process and the fact humanity, both males and females, have been stuck in the mental/intellectual masculine aspect of the creative process. From a creativity perspective the masculine aspect is about a thrusting energy to create something very much characterized by the mind. The masculine aspect is very much about thinking. On the other hand, the feminine aspect is about a nurturing energy that sustains the creation and allows for the creation to unfold true to itself. The feminine aspect is very much about feeling and aligning with the unfolding flow of energy giving rise to the creation.

Said another way, the masculine aspect is to thrust out and plant a seed. The feminine aspect is to nurture that seed allowing it to grow and pull from the unseen what it needs.

It is clear humanity needs to find new ways to be in the world. We, both males and females, live a world dominated by the mind, the masculine aspect of the creative process. It is clear there is the need to bring forth the feminine aspects of the creative process into our actions.

The feminine aspect of the creative process is about the nurturing and intuitive aspects of creation. One of humanities greatest challenges is to decouple the belief that the male contains the masculine aspect of the creative process and the female contains the feminine. The male and female are biological entities that reflect an aspect of the creative process to create human life. But other than that, to see that masculine aspects of the creative process as what is reflected in the male and the feminine aspect of the creative process is what is reflected in the female is analogous to believing the sun goes around the earth. It appears to be true but nothing is farther from the truth of reality. Rather both the male and female both contain the masculine and feminine aspects of the creative process. The question is which one is followed.

Relative to human beings, the mind, a male or female mind, is masculine relative to the creative process and reflective of the awareness of consciousness and what it thinks and believes. The heart, a male or female heart, is the best metaphoric symbol of the feminine aspect of the creative process and reflective of the awareness of consciousness and what it feels. Yet the word heart and the physical heart do not do it justice for what the heart is seen to symbolize.

The heart is not the emotions that many refer to when talking about the heart. Rather it is about what gives and sustains life. It is about the energy flowing into form and energizing and sustaining the creation and all that it animates. Without the nurturing energy that flow in what we call our life energy, there is no life, rather there is death. As described below, the heart is experienced in a variety of ways that cannot be effectively expressed in words or by the mind. It must be experienced.

Given the transition being asked of humanity, the Salon stands as a vehicle to bring forth a new age of enlightenment. A new age based on a new relationship between the masculine and the feminine aspects of the creative process, not male and female for the masculine and feminine is in each of us. In the same way women played a key role in the Salons of the “Age of Enlightenment”, the feminine, not the female, but the feminine needs to play the key role in the Salon of the heart. The feminine nurturing aspect to bring forth the exchange of ideas that will lead to this new age of enlightenment. But we need to ask, what does the feminine aspect look like and how would it create the Salon of the heart. What exactly is this heart to which we refer?

Salon of the Heart - What is the Heart as used here? (Top)

As said above the word and concept of the heart as used here is different than what most people think of as the heart especially when used symbolically. It is literal in that it is about a deep feeling experienced within the center of our being and our life. It is symbolical for it refers to the associated experiences of things related to the unseen realms of Physical Creation.

Heart is about what we feel and what sustains us as opposed to what we think and believe. Awareness of the Heart is the awareness of what keeps us alive and give us a passion for life and for living. Heart is about energy and experienced as passion to create and/or act in the world. It is about the energy flowing into form and we access through feeling and not what mind thinks. This energy energizes and sustains the creation and all that it animates and is animated. Without the nurturing energy that flows, in what we call our life energy, there is no life, rather there is death. It symbolizes our creative spirit and the flow of our creative life energy.

The heart is what can provide an inner peace and freedom to experience Creation. It seeks the freedom to experience and seeks the freedom to be in spontaneous and innocent childlike play in the discovery and exploration of itself and Creation. It seeks the freedom to create what it desires and to freely unfold and flow in the experience of that creation.

As said, what is symbolized in the heart is experienced in a variety of ways that cannot be effectively expressed in words or by the mind. It must be experienced. It cannot be taught. There are those who access the heart and may create beautiful poetry, beautiful paintings, beautiful music or beautiful song. But none of these can give the experience of the heart. Reading the poetry, hearing the music or the song does not give the experience which created those outward forms. Reading the poetry, listening to the music or song being enamored by the paintings may give us good feelings and insights but what we experience does not come close to experiencing the energy which gave rise to that outward form. This is clearly demonstrated by the mystical poets. The mystical poets are extensively read for centuries, but few access the energy which created that poetry.

Commonly understood, the heart gives rise to tenderness, kindness, sympathy and most importantly compassion. It is seen as the source of our firmness of will and courage, and our enthusiasm and passion. The heart takes us into a deep and profound spiritual, mental, emotional and physical intimacy with ourselves or with another. But the heart is much more that his common understanding.

The heart is reflective of many of faculties and ability we possess but rarely access and use that lie in what we normally call the subconscious. These faculties are reflective of the aspect of our being that transcends the physical and extend into the unseen realms of Creation. It reflects our ability to transmit and receive emanations to and from what are perceived as the subtler levels of existence. These faculties lie beyond the normal intellect and analytical abilities of the mind. They are described by a variety of mental concepts such as intuition, wisdom, knowing, psychic and/or extrasensory abilities, a sense of or experience of oneness or unity, an appreciation of beauty, creative insight/inspiration, our creative imagination and it ability to symbolize and simply to imagine, and to access and be in connection with the cosmic mind. The heart is infinite in what it is capable of accessing.

The mind, on the other hand, only knows what it has experienced. Mind will try and force any experience it has into what it understands and remembers. As such mind very limited and always limiting what the heart experiences and is capable of understanding beyond words and thinking.

The aspects of the heart function beyond the limitation of the ego. The ego tends to be comparatively very superficial, self centered and very often simply reactive. Awakening the heart and the awareness available through the heart allows the mind to step aside the ego and become more sensitive, focused, energize and moving into compassion and acting in unconditional love.

Relative to an individual, in addition to what is described above, the heart represents four things unique to an individual. The first is the heart represents the resting place of our individual creative spirit, our passion to create and to create a life worth living. The second is that it represents our connection to the Source of Creation and the source of our creative life energy that sustains our life. Third, it is the location, which we can access if we properly focus ourselves, for the intention for our life and reason for being here in physical creation. In aligning with the flow of our creative life energy we will be “in flow” and fulfill our reasons for incarnating. Fourth it represents the dream we wish to manifest. The dream within our heart and the intention for our life are flip sides of the same coin. The dream within our heart is what mind usually sees as to what will create a life worth living where as aligning with the flow of our creative life energy to be “in flow” and fullness of life. The dream within the heart looks to the future as to what we desire to create. The intention for our live is to view from the past and why we came into physical creation. It answers the reason why we are here.

Since the dream of the heart is mind’s characterization of our life purpose it will always be in error in some way. It need to be understood, to create is to bring into existence something not previously seen or experienced. Mind only knows the past and what it has experienced. Our life is a creation, something not previously seen or experienced. As such, it is for this reason the intention for our life lies in the realm of the unknown as viewed from mind. It is not something mind has yet experienced until we experience it. It also needs to be understood, everything communicated by a human being has been filtered by the human mind and its limitations. On the other hand the heart is capable of perceiving beyond time and space. Here again, what the heart experiences can not be fully expressed in words or even metaphors and analogies.

Although everyone lives an aspect of the heart to some degree, otherwise they would not be alive and could not function, accessing and consciously living from the heart will transform one’s life. It can be safely said that if one’s life does not, or has not, transformed, the individual has not experientially accessed their heart. The greater the depth of heart accessed the greater the life transformation. The reason for this is that one literally sees and experiences life differently. It is said the heart will carry us to people we do not what to met, to places we do not want to go and to do things we do not what to do. Yet not to act on what the heart desires is to live in a pain. That pain then causes us to either shut off the heart and what it feels and perceives or numb it through some type of action that gives rise to an addiction.

To consciously live from the heart is to fully align and live our authentic self. It is to access an inner satisfaction that never runs dry regardless of what is happening in one’s life. It is to create a life worth living.

What does living from the heart look like? (Top)

There are some general guidelines that one can use to determine if they are align with their heart and the reason why they incarnated in this life time. Here again, what one feels is unique to each individual and we will each experience it differently.

One does not have a disappointment regardless of what results occur as a result of acting from the heart. You know in the deepest part of your being you did the correct thing.

One does not second guess actions from the heart. There is not doubt but a trust the correct thing is done

One does not debate in their mind actions of the heart.

One learns to use and rely on their internal guidance more and more

In acting from the heart there is no hollowness in what one feels and there is no evaporation in the feeling. The feeling of success in achievements obtained based on the mind will either evaporate with time and/or leave a sort of hollowness in what one feels. The achievements of the mind no matter how tremendous do not last. Achievements from the heart remembered over time always give a very consistent feeling in what was achieved if not grow in time. Achievements of the heart and experiences from the heart are not just another adventure. They are more like laying a foundation for one’s life upon which one builds other heart felt experiences. These experience help set the course for one’s life.

What is most interesting the heart will take us to people with whom we would choose not to meet, to places we could choose not to go and to do things we would not choose to do.

Yet, living from the heart one has an inner calmness or inner contentment deep within their being. It has been characterized as bliss or joy, that never runs dry no matter what is happen in the external world. Some experience this inner satisfaction as a fullness of being; an expansion of one’s being; an inner freedom; being full of life; a desire to engage life; a passion for life; being in "the flow;" or simply in a state of wonderment and "ah."

All one can do having experienced this state is to find a way to share with another what one has found and/or create the space for another to experience it. Exactly what you experience and how you will experience it when you align with your heart will be unique to you for you are a unique entity

Living from the heart will give you feeling of a fullness in your being, a calmness, a feeling of expansion, a lightness of being. You appear to become more awake and/or aware. Your curiosity is awakened. Or you experience any other feelings of freedom and/or that you are being encouraged to become more than you perceive yourself to be. When we deny our heart we feel there is a constriction, a confinement, or any other feeling that our freedom is being restricted or we are being pushed to become less than we are or becoming bound.

In living from the heart we learn what serves our being and leads us to create a life worth living. There are several ways to view a life worth living and it is about being able to answer yes to any one of the following questions. One is “If I had to live my life over - all of it - would I choose to live it more or less the same way - it has been a good life and I created well?” A second “The life I am living is so rich and full that I cannot fully savor all that I experience in the time that is available.” The third is, “ If I die in this moment and found if I had to spend eternity living the life I have lived and I am now living- all of it I find my current life to be so rich and fulfilling so as to be a very acceptable way to choose to live eternity?”

It does need to be noted here and emphasized creating a life worth living is unique to your truth. Only you know what will help you to create a life worth living. You will have to look inward to see what really makes you feel alive at each and every level of your being.

Acting from the heart is about learning to dance. It is a dance between what mind presents and what we feel. Every thought has an energy and every though we have is an energy felt by the body and characterized by our mind. To live from the heart is to move our conscious awareness into what is symbolized in the heart and open ourselves to feel the flow of energy. It is about becoming fully present with the experience we are having. It needs to be remember the moment of power is now, the present moment. All possibilities exist in the present moment. When we are present in the moment and what we feel we can consciously step into the mind that will then characterize what we perceive to the best of its ability based on the hearts perception.

Of course, all of this depends on our threshold for feeling. We may or may not be consciously aware of what we feel. Most probably we will have to address why we shut down our ability to feel because of the pain we have experienced in life.

Our being senses the flow of energy we experience in any moment. In focusing on our heart as to what we are sensing we will get a thought, idea or an image of what we need to do to align with that energy. As with any experience, when we have the experience we can become distracted from our focus by responding to what arises in the experience. Often memories of past pain that carried a similar energy surfaces that limit the freedom we have to respond to what is presented and/or mind presents it judgments and opinions about what is being experienced which distract us from remaining focused on our heart.

What robs us of from living from our heart and being present are the conscious, subconscious and unconscious excuses, reasons, influences, obstructions, beliefs and other things which divert, rob or scatter our focus or otherwise prevent us from creating what we desire to experience. Usually we must work through what the conscious, subconscious and unconscious presents by asking our intuitive guidance how to address them or seek appropriated counseling as determined by our mind. After we work through them, assuming we have not been distracted, we can have the experience of our heart we set out to create based on the intuitive guidance we received.

Reason/motivation for creating a Salon of the Heart- a gentle phoenix (Top)

Traditionally and historically accessing the heart has been accompanied by pain if not traumatic pain or a traumatic experience. The event in some way, pulls or pushes the individual out of mind and either into their heart or initiates a journey to move into the heart. The expression “dark night of the soul” has been one of the ways to describe such a journey. Those who seek to access this heart by choice, they seek someone externally who their mind sees as having achieved the heart. Yet it is mind thinking it knows and understands what the heart really is. In many ways attempting to pursue the heart thought the mind is a trap for mind does not know what it is seeking. It it understood, it would not seek it for it would know.

The Salon of the Heart as described in this document arose as a result of twenty five years of working with, and observing, individuals seeking a deeper understanding and experience of some aspect of what is literally and symbolically referred to as the heart as described above. It was observe that a traumatic and/or painful experience and “ dark night of the soul" was not necessary. Nor was there the need to pursue a journey initiated by mind and what it believes accessing the heart looks like. Rather, there is a relative gentle process, a gentle phoenix, available to access the heart. It is based on the feminine, nurturing aspect of the creative process and a paradigm that is more reflective of our true nature and authentic self.

As said above humanity is being asked to find new ways of being in the world. Mind only knows the past and what it has previously experienced. The old ways that mind has created are no longer serving us and the problems we face. If we cannot rely on our mind to give us the answers we need, we need to look elsewhere. That leaves the heart and what it has to offer. The challenge is how do we access it.

Now having said the heart is something to be experienced and cannot be accessed through the mind the thought of have a salon built around providing a place for both men and women to convene for intellectual discussion seems go in the wrong direction. In this regard, the reason for creating the salon of the heart is actually paradoxical. It is true the purpose of the salon of the heart is to provide a place for individuals to convene for intellectual discussion about the heart, what it is, how it guides and how to live from the heart. Yet the true depth and breadth of the heart cannot be understood by the mind. It is paradoxical only because one does not understand the process that will occur.

The process that occurs and how and why it works is discussed at the end of this document. Understanding this process is not needed for the process to occur. One does not need to understand how an airplane flies and why it is designed they way it is to fly from one place to another. The same is true for this process. Only a few basic guidelines need to be followed.

However it will noted that there are two types of a Salon of the Heart. One is a slow process and the other is a fast process where slow and fast are relative terms and cannot be quantified in time. It all depends on the participants. The slow process is to convene a Salon using these general guidelines where the participants have not understanding about the process. The fast process is a Salon convened where the guidelines are the same but the participants understand the process. The greater their understanding of the process and using the principles discussed, the faster the process.

General guidelines for the Salon of the Heart -An invitation to a Dance (Top)

The Salon of the Heart is convened by an individual (the host) who has a heart felt intention and who is intuitively lead to host the Salon. (It needs to be noted, the heart felt intention and intuition is the feminine aspect of the creative process convening the Salon analogous to the women who convened the Salon in the 1700s) A heart felt intention has a strong feeling associated with the thought which gives a feeling/bodily response to a thought. It is like “yes I want to attend a Salon - where can I find one?” It is as though you are feeling the thought within one’s body the need to attend the Salon. Being intuitively lead to host a Salon there would be a feeling/bodily responds to the thought “I must host a Salon” and you are lead to ask yourself, “who do I invite?”

As host, set a clear intention for what you desire to achieve and create in hosting a Salon. Be aware of the ego wanting to be seen or recognized for hosting the Salon. The intention should be heart felt and altruistic as possible. It should not be because mind thinks it should be done or it is the right thing to do. It should be calling for it to be done for what insights the attendees will be gained about the heart . The intention should include creating a safe and secure space where there is no need to hide and sufficient safe to share one’s pain around the heart. It is such that the space allows for teaching through pain to experience the gift in pain and allowing another to witness one’s pain. The ultimate intent of the Salon of the Heart it to open the door for individual to experientially know that the awareness of the Heart is the awareness of what keeps us alive and give us a passion for life and for living.

Ideally, the space would allow for individuals with whom one can dialogue, and explore without any judgment. They are individuals with whom one can share their view of Creation and the beauty of Creation. Individuals with whom one can ask anything and expect an honest and sincere reply.

The participants are invited by the host. They are individuals who the host feels should be there or at least be invited whether they attend or not. The number probably should be between four and eight. Probably a good recommendation is to invite eight and run the Salon with whomever accepts the invitation. The key is to trust whoever shows needs to be there. Do not judge anyone who does not attend. Accept the Universe is orchestrating the attendance.

Although there is one who invites individuals to the Salon and plays the role of a moderator, there are no leaders and there are no followers. There is only the participants as equals.

The format of the Salon is an intellectual discussion among those who are invited. Encourage the attendees to give their experiences and understanding. Each have a unique perspective to share. Inform the participate the goal is simply do discuss their experience and understanding as to what it means to live the heart and/or what the heart is all about and/or what they do or don’t understand about the heart. Inform them they are free to share however they are lead to share what they feel or think. No one is teaching. Rather there is just sharing our truth of how and what we think and believe and understand about the heart whether it is what we believe about the heart or have experienced. Ask them to be respectful of whoever is speaking what whatever is said. Ask them to reflectively listen and reflective speak

Reflecting listening is to not judge what is heard but to eat and digest is like any food. Taking within that which corresponds to one’s truth the looking within as to why the remainder is being rejected. Is it out of ego or simply does not correspond to one’s truth or simply one does not know if it is correct or not

Reflective speaking/presenting is to look at what one desires to say and look at what the heart feels about what one desires to communicate. Is it from the ego in some way or does it come from a deep desire to communicate.

Reflective listening and reflective speaking seeks to step into the capacity to be present to the individual speaking and to understand them. It is to seek to see and accept the other individual without judgments or expectations but rather accepting them exactly for who they are. It is to allow them to be in your presence unconditionally exactly as they are.

Encourage the attendees to give their experiences and understanding. Each have a unique perspective to share. The idea is to reflectively listen to what is shared.

It need to be understood, the mind wants to express itself. It wants to be heard. The ego of mind wants to know when it is its turn. People want to be heard and tell their story and/or understanding and be accepted. Unless mind is allowed to express itself it will not shut up and be quiet. If not heard it will not listen. In many ways it wants to say, “look at me”. The host and participants will need to allow the mind to speak its truth. It may take awhile and even take multiple sessions until all attendees are allow to effective express themselves to be heard. Once heard then a new level of discussion will occur.

It needs to be understood that actions from the heart tend to be spontaneous without structure. As such the heart is difficult to control and consequently frightening to the mind. Allow for the spontaneous unfolding of the session. Allow for improvisation. The paradox of the Salon of the Heart is to be structure without structure, without expectations. In essence, very improvisational. Be prepared to throw any agenda away other than the underlying intention for convening the Salon.

The Salon can be a one time even or a collection of individuals that desire to continue to meet. There is no recommendation as to how a Salon once convened does or does not continue. It all depends on the host and participants. The only comment about any particular group continuing is that the group should try and keep the same membership. This recommendation is not about excluding anyone. Rather it is only a result of the fact that after a groups meets for several times any new individuals will not have history of the group and its previous discussions. This may or may not be an issue depending on how the particular group unfolded.

It is recommend the Salon be a two hours in duration. An hour formally does not lend itself to the depth of discussion and sharing desired. It can go on as long as the group wishes. But if one needs to leave it maybe time for the group to end. Here again is about improvisation

Some potential results from a Salon of the Heart (Top)

There is one major result of the Salon of the Heart. In reflective listening and reflective sharing seeds are planted in the attendees minds. It is quite common that after the Salon has ended individuals will continue to contemplate and ruminate on what was said or heard.

In actually, this contemplation and rumination is an inner exploration of one’s being. One of two things can occur as a result of it. If the individual has a good perception of themselves and some idea of what living the heart looks like as described above they will obtain an expanded awareness of themselves.

If however they tend to doubt themselves and/or not have a good idea of what it means to live their heart, they may end up in a continuing mental loop replaying what they said or heard trying to digest it. It is sort of an endless loop of question who is right or what is right without ending. In this case they may need to talk to someone who can bring the individual’s awareness to their own truth and hold them accountable to their heart and what they understand as their truth.

Those in attendance at the Salon should not be surprised if someone who attended the Salon contact them for a further discussion on what was discussed. If this occurs, the recommendation made here is to try and keep the individual focused on their own heart and what is true for them. It is key that each individual explore what is true for them and not follow another’s truth. It needs to be realized it may be about a topic they never really thought about and/or something that conflicts with some strongly held belief or it may be simply a personal “button” was pushed. .It does not really matter what it is about. Here again it is about directing the individual into their own heart and what they feel from that heart space about the topic.

How and why the Salon of the Heart works (Top)

There is a story related to the origins of this information. But the story itself is not really important. Rather what is important is what the story revealed in stepping back and observing much like the observer of a movie. But it was in the way the observation as made that made all the difference. There is a phenomenon revealed in quantum mechanics that has been observed is that observer changes what is observed. A crude and somewhat inaccurate analog is to look at the Canada flag with its maple leaf. Viewed one way one will see a red 11 pointed maple leaf on a white background. But if you change your perception, you way of observing, you will two seemingly angry men. In the same way what is provided here is information readily available if the method of observation is shifted. The Appendix address some of the salient information giving rise to the Salon of the Heart

The purpose of the Salon of the heart is to bring our conscious attention to the awareness of our Heart. Awareness of the heart allows us to live true to our authentic self and to what keeps us alive and give us a passion for life and for living. It allows us to create a life worth living with an inner satisfaction that never runs dry regardless of what is happening in our external world. To be aware of what keeps us alive and give us a passion for life and for living is about an experience unique to who we are. It is not something intellectual. It may involve the mind in some way like a passion for writing. But it is about an experience. It is about being in and a feeling that has been described in a variety of ways. Exactly how it is felt is unique to the individual. So it seems a little puzzling how and intellectual discussion with others about the heart and the various things the heart represents could both reveal to us and give us an experience of what keeps us alive and give us a passion for life and for living. So how is this possible and how does it work.

The understanding of how the Salon of the Heart works requires a little background about the human experience. Some of what is stated here and the concepts and phenomena addressed may be difficult to accept. If anything that is said here, a statement, a concept and/or phenomena, goes against your understanding of Creation, spiritual, religious, or metaphysical beliefs, it is suggested you look at them only as pedagogical tools to address aspects of how the Salon works. The addendum to this document provides additional discussion on the statements, concepts and phenomena presented in this discussion.

The background starts with the understanding that all of Creation, as each of us, arise out of Oneness. As a result, all are composed of the same material of Creation and through this Oneness all is interconnected. Each aspect of Creation brought forth has it true needs nurtured to be able to grow and unfold true to itself. Human beings see this nurturing experienced as an unconditional love or loving presence. Hence the comment there is a loving presence behind and giving rise to Creation and each of our lives. This also means each of our true needs, needs which when fulfilled allow us to grow into the beauty of our unique own being, are being met. Our awareness for reasons stated below do not always allow us to see this.

We each of us are a unique expression or aspect of this Oneness. The essence of our being, our authentic self at the deepest levels are a creative awareness of infinite depth and breadth. This creative awareness creates by how it focuses itself. It primary methods it uses to focus itself is holding a clear intention and/or a desire accompanied by passion for that desire. Since we all arose out of the same material of Creation, we all operate essentially the same way. A simply analogy is the 88 keys on a piano. Each operates the same way but each is unique different. Here a note needs to be made. As a creative awareness of infinite depth and breadth it will take an infinite number of experience to fully encompass all that we are. Each experience we have reveals an aspect of ourselves.

As this awareness of infinite depth and breadth we have only limited our creative ability for the purpose of fulfilling an intention for a variety of specific physical experiences as a human being. Or better said experienced from within a human vehicle which we experience as a body and its associated mind. On this point, it needs to be noted, the awareness enters the body sometime around the birth of the body. But the human mind does not really become present for maybe four or five years. As such, there are numerous experience we have before our human mind has retrievable memories of the experience. One result of this is we develop response patterns to the world around us for which our human mind has no readily accessible memories. Yet these patterns are carried through our life and often no longer serve us.

As unique creative awareness we each have a unique perception of Creation. As such we each are a light unto ourselves and nobody experiences Creation as we do. No one has our pain, no one has our joy. We each area unique. Our uniqueness is one of the gifts we have to offer others.

The essence of our being is an creative awareness that defines itself by the experiences it has had. Our true authentic self at its greatest depth is this creative awareness before it somehow defines itself. This awareness has a free will. It is free to define itself however it chooses and free to choose any experience it desires to have without any judgment by Creation as right or wrong. There is only experience. It needs to be noted that this awareness has a property that we call mind. This mind has memories and it can think and imagine. But most of all it can tell stores as to how it perceives itself, Creation and the experiences it has based on what is has experienced.

Now this awareness for whatever reason it may have had, chose to incarnate into a human body. It incarnated with an intention to have certain types and kinds of physical experiences. It has limited it creative power and ability to have the experience it chose to have. These desired experience are unique to the awareness incarnating. These desired experiences may or may not be related to any other human being.

What needs to be understood here is the awareness that chooses to incarnate into a human body has a mind that has the memories of all this awareness has ever experienced wherever they were experienced. This mind of the incarnating awareness is what choose the intention for becoming a human being. Upon incarnating, this incarnating awareness gives rise to the human awareness and its associated human mind based on the experience it has a the particular human body in which it incarnates.

So the human being has, in essence, two minds. One is the mind of the incarnating awareness that can be called the “Higher Self” and related terms. But this mind is more than which is conveyed in the term “Higher Self” for the concept of “self” is extremely limiting in what it means. In essence this “Higher Self” is the part of the human being that is connected with the entire unseen realm of Creation. Better said, it is the part of our awareness that has not localized in the human body but remains in the unseen and fully interconnected with the unseen. As such it had no “self” as we understand “self.”

The second mind, the human mind and mind as we know mind as a human being, is the mind that develops along with the body and arises from the experiences had within the body. Or, may be better said, experiences that arise after incarnating into the body since some experiences can be had outside the body while having a body,  for example bi-location.

There are two important notes to be made here. The first note is as a human being and as seen by a human being and the human mind, our true self (our human true self) and authentic self (our authentic human self) is how and what exists at the moment of incarnating. This is the starting point as a human being for the human experience. It is from this point all our enculturation, our experiences in the body, and what is transmitted from our human ancestors line over laying our true/authentic human self.

The second note is this is the place where what is symbolized as the heart lies. It is the doorway to the unseen. That is, if we were to not allow our enculturation to takes us away from the our heart, if we did not allow our experiences to take us away from our heart and did not allow our ancestry to take us away from our heart, we would live our life true to what we incarnated to do. We would live in the magic of Creation and experience Heaven here and now every moment of our life. This is the place we all strive in one way or another to get back to or with which to align. The proverbial longing of the heart is simply our internal compass calling us back to what we came here to do and experience.

This bring up an extremely important point. It was said above “ Each aspect of Creation brought forth has its true needs nurtured to be able to grow and unfold true to itself. Human beings see this nurturing experienced as an unconditional love or loving presence. Hence the comment there is a loving presence behind and giving rise to Creation and each of our lives. This also means each of our true needs, needs which when fulfilled allow us to grow into the beauty of our unique own being, are being met. Our awareness for reasons stated below do not always allow us to see this. ” What this means is as follows.

The universe has your best interest in its actions and it nurtures your true needs. It provides that which allows you to grow and live true to yourself - first your human true/authentic self and then your true/authentic self. In our life it does not matter if we are talking about a spiritual, mental, emotional or physical illness and/or stress. We need to look at what is it we are being asked to see or what teaching is being provided to us about the life our mind has chosen to live. We need to understand our mind does not always look to our best interest. We need to see all that we experience we judge as unsatisfactory for some reason as problems to get rid of. Or we can view them as learning opportunities to align with our intention for being here or opportunities to become more aware of our true self, who we are and the creative power available to us.

We need to understand the intention for our life is guiding our life. It is what gave us our life to be here for what is intended. The love of the universe is pulling us to meet that intention. This intention whether we perceive it as the Creative Force/Energy of Creation, some concept of God, our Higher Self, an inherent wisdom within your being, it does not matter. It is guiding our life.

We align with this intention by feeling for it is the flow of energy that is animating our life. This feeling can be described in a variety of ways. It has been described as bliss, being in the flow, an inner satisfaction that never runs dry, an inner calmness regardless of what is happening in the external world, a contentment, a knowing, a feeling of connection with the Source, a passion for life and for living. But most importantly it is about being in the heart and feeling as opposed to being in the mind and what it thinks.

Now this intention pulls to us the situations, events, the people to give us the experience it desires to have to fulfill the reason it has called us into life. But we have a free will and the power of choice. We do not, for whatever reason we may give, do not always, or seemingly cannot always, align with this guiding feeling. The difficulties we face, the conflicts we face, the problems we face however we judge them are not random events ruled by change or a haphazard chaotic creation in which we participate. Rather they are pulled to us, and designed for us, by this guiding intention for our life. It is not about punishment or suffering. It is from a loving presence to fulfill our reason for being here. It creates situation and events, some pleasurable and some not so pleasurable to lead us to get in touch with our authentic self.

We are always being given guidance as to what way to go in life. But this guidance arises as a feeling at to what serves or does not serve us, what is true or not true for us as a unique being. We each need to learn to desire our truth and what is true for us as a unique unfolding creation. If we are not playing attention there will be some event or situation that pushes us to look in another direction. Often, when faced with pain, it is simply to look within and ask “why I am in pain?”, “how do I see I am not being served by what is occurring?”. This guiding wisdom, force, whatever we call it, does not wish us to loose the opportunity for what is offered. It will go to extreme measures to wake us up if we are not listening. The pain and suffering are simply wake up calls. If we believe there is a love that underlies the Universe then we have to learn to see the gift in our pain.

It is here we find the most interesting aspects of this human journey. We are totally unique and have a unique solo journey to express our human true/authentic self. We each carry a unique spark or illumination of Divine. We have the truth within our own being. We are much like a hologram. As a part of the Oneness out of which all arises we have the whole within ourselves. Yet as a fragment the picture is not as clear as it can be. However as we awaken to our true essence we expand our awareness and obtain greater clarity. We are enough and we have all we need for our unique solo journey. But we find ourselves following other people’s truth.

From the earliest age as a human, we are taught to look outward for what we need in life. We look for air, water, food, and those individual who teach us how to survive in the world to meet our survival needs. Yet we look to the outside for our own journey. We look to others who seem to have found what works for them and we then try and copy, follow, become like them or at a minimum follow their technique or teaching. But we will never get there. Something will always be missing for it is not our own unique path.

In essence we are all seekers. whether we realize it or not. We all have wandering minds. We go from thing to think looking. Looking for what? Our mind will have something to say about that which we seek. It is unique to each of us. But even if we get what mind says it wants we look for something else. We ultimately seek one who will answer our questions or give us what we seek. Many would say we have a desire to find out what life is all about or who we are or what life itself is, what reality is and why we are here. Ultimately we seek an inner satisfaction or contentment with what is. If we seek an intellectual answer, something will always be left out. Only our own heart provides that inner satisfaction.

Ultimately we all have the truth within ourselves. Usually most do not realize it. We each have an incredible light inside which cannot be squelched and desires to be expressed. This will also guide us in life and light our way. But few rarely see it or experience for we look outward or believe the programming we have been given and we keep wandering. We only need to look at our own lives to see this. But mind has its expectation as to what that teacher or master looks like as to who will guide us into our own heart. But mind only knows the past. If it knew we would already have what we seek. In essence we need to hear the truth that we already know within but we need to hear it confirmed to bring it into our conscious awareness.

It is here lies the power of the Salon of the Heart. A clear intention accompanied by a heart felt desire is probably the most powerful creative force available to us. In knowing the universe will pull to us the situations, experiences, and the people we need to fulfill the intention for our life and move to align with our authentic/true self we only need to have a clear intention to access our heart. The Universe will lead us to it, In the same way a seed planted in the ground pulls to it what it needs to grow, our passionately held intention will pull to it from the unseen realms what is needed for the environment in question.

If the host is intuitively lead to call a Salon, the universe is already at work. Who the host invites are being invited by the love within Creation itself. Those who attend will be those individuals that will help awaken aspects of each other. In the intellectual discussion about the heart seeds will be planted. Some will be consciously contemplated and ruminated upon. Others will lie dormant until the correct conditions for the seeds to germinate occur. Whether contemplated or a seed lying dormant the nutrients and conditions necessary for the individual to move closer to their heart will be pulled from the unseen realms. In this way attendees are not being taught or told what to do. Rather the understanding that come to them will be their own conclusions about things. They want to be able to have ownership of what they do.

We need to understand the mind wants to express itself. It wants to be heard. People want to be heard and tell their story and/or understanding and be accepted. Most are very much in their mind and what they think especially what they think the heart is and what they think it means to be in the heart. Unless mind is allowed to express itself it will not shut up and be quiet. If not heard it will not listen. In many ways it wants to say, “look at me”. Mind is not evil or something to be avoided. It tends to be an obstruction or an interference in what the heart desires. It only needs to be understood and turned into an ally.

The Salon allows the mind to be express and then become open. All that is really needed is to allow each individual to say what they are lead to say. The intellectual discussion of one’s experiences or understanding of the heart when reflectively presented and when the intellectual discussion of another’s experiences or understanding about the heart is reflected listened seeds will planted. These seeds will lie in one’s psyche and slowly germinate to bring one’s awareness to a deeper and more profound understanding about the heart.

Reflective listening is to not judge what is heard but to eat and digest is like any food. Taking within that which corresponds to ones’ truth the looking within as to why the remainder is being rejected. It is to look to see if is out of ego or simply does not correspond to one’s truth or simply one does not know if it is correct or not.

Reflective speaking/presenting is to look at what one desires to say and look at what the heart feels about what one desires to communicate. Is it from the ego in some way or does it come from a deep desire to communicate

Reflective listening and reflective speaking allows one to be present with the other(s) to understand and see them for exactly who they are and accept them for who they are. Reflective listening and reflective speaking in an invitation for you to be unconditionally present to the other (s) and for them to be in your presence unconditionally exactly the way they are.

In this reflective sharing and reflective listening seeds are planted. Seeds with grow in their own time and gives understanding about the heart. There is no struggle. There is no searching. There is no pain. there is only reflective listening and reflective sharing between those who are present.

In listening to all that mind thinks needs to be said the attendees only need to take the perspective that each individual in attendance is a master for each has the truth within them. Their mind is just to preoccupied with itself to condense its truth. In this awareness, rather than seeking master after master, teacher after teach whether in books, videos or lectures, we only need to hold a clear intention to understand and reflectively listen and reflectively speak to those in attendance. Remember those in attendance are revealing a part of ourselves to us. No one is teaching. Rather there is just sharing our truth of how and what we think and believe and understand about the heart whether it is what we believe about the heart or have experienced.

Participating in the discussions and conversations in the Salon may be from the mind about the heart but seeds are planted. These seeds will awaken the individual to an awareness of the heart and what it really means. Then an experience of the heart will unfold and the individual who now has a consciousness experience of the heart will forever be changed.

Addendum: Statements, Concepts and Phenomena discussed in How the Salon of the Heart works (Top)

Some, if not all of the statements, concepts and phenomena discussed in this Salon of the Heart document is available in the Releasing Your Unlimited Creativity understanding and related web sites. However the discussion topics are not condensed. So in will take some time to dig through all the information. As time permits the most important statements, concepts and phenomena discussed in the Salon of the Heart will be presented here. For now if you have questions, use the "contact" below to contact the author for clarification or additional information.

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