Winter/Spring Heartcentre’s Newsletter

Issue no 2: 2008 Keeping you in touch from Heart to Heart

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♥ Heartcentre ♥
♥ ‘Peace Rose’ ♥
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On a path of Love
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♥ Everyone is welcome ♥
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♥ Everyone is progressing ♥
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Everyone is teaching
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♥ and everyone is learning ♥
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All photos in this issue by Georgia
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In this issue ~ Winter / Spring ♥
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♥ Page 2-3 Keeping in Touch ♥
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Page 4 Mid-Year Retreat
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♥ Page 5 Heartcentre Program details: ♥
♥ August - December 2008 ♥
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♥ Page 6-7 Themes for Contemplation & Meditation ♥
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Page 8-12 Teaching from Heartcentre:
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‘Finding the Gift in the Present’
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♥ Page 13-14 Photos from around Heartcentre ♥
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♥ Page 15 Blessing from Heartcentre ♥

‘Heartcentre’ 128 Waratah Road, Wentworth Falls NSW 2782 Telephone: (02) 4757 3066. ABN 15 003 995 195
 Winter/Spring
Issue no 2: 2008

come monthly to the Music, Meditation and Sufi

Celebrating our first on-line Poetry mornings, and those who come weekly to the
Heartcentre Newsletter Living Awareness Circles where we meditate
together, share the challenges of life, and study the
qualities of love. Everyone who comes to
Heartcentre can draw from the healing and
centering vibration of love, harmony and beauty
that fills the atmosphere here. This sacred energy is
added to by everyone who visits and contributes
their consciousness and intention to this centre of
light.
Georgia’s songs which we sing together are
not only inspiring to each of us as we sing them,
but also send out a wonderful vibration. Georgia’s
new double CD’s ‘Only Love’ create such a deep,
meditative attunement which is spiritually
sustaining and wonderful to listen to.
Our philosophy of encouraging visitors to
only take from Heartcentre what is sustaining to
them, and to leave behind anything which is not,
remains fundamentally important to us on this path
Hello hearty friends of freedom. Our logo of the heart with wings is a
It is Winter and the mountains are fresh and symbol of the liberation and freedom which is
beautiful after many months of rain. released when we live from an openhearted place.
It is wonderful to now be able to offer Thank you to all of you who have drawn on
HeartWaves through our website. This saves an the wellspring of Heartcentre this year and in so
enormous amount of paper, postage and time. For doing supported the message of love in this world.
those of you who subscribed to HeartWaves at the We both look forward to welcoming you to
beginning of this year we have used the money Heartcentre whenever you feel inspired to visit, fill
towards setting up HeartWaves on the website. your cup, receive support and share your love.
There will be no further subscriptions required and
you will now be able to access HeartWaves for free!
We will continue to post HeartWaves twice a year
Summer/Autumn and Winter/Spring.
You may have noticed that we have also
added the Sufi Poetry page with poems from Hafiz,
Rumi, and Kabir to our website. We draw on the
inspiration of this marvelous mystical poetry in our
evening meditation and study groups. Susan has
changed the language of the poems we share to
make them gender inclusive. The Kabir translations
have been reworked in a significant way to bring
them into a contemporary language without losing
the profound depth and meaning.
We are very excited about our new project in
the garden. As many of you know we have a
completely native garden, but have decided,
because of our passion for roses, to also plant a
beautiful fragrant rose garden outside our Sacred
Room – the space where we meet for all our
gatherings. We are presently preparing the soil and
await the delivery of 50 rose bushes in mid June.
Heartcentre has now been in the Blue
Mountains for three years and has become an oasis
for people from all walks of life. There are people
who come a few times a year, distant friends who SUSAN AND GEORGIA
keep in touch through email; there are those who and our standard poodle Shah

‘Heartcentre’ 128 Waratah Road, Wentworth Falls NSW 2782 Telephone: (02) 4757 3066. ABN 15 003 995 195
 is also powerfully effective with rescue dogs. Many
NEWS of the rescue centres are now using Jan’s
K9 Heart to Heart groundbreaking techniques to help calm and ease
dogs who are traumatised, and help them settle into
their new homes with security and confidence.
Her best selling book ‘The Dog Listener’ has
received world wide recognition. It is absolutely
fantastic to be able to finally understand how your
dog thinks, and how to communicate effectively
with them in a language they understand.
You can see why we were so drawn to Jan
Fennell’s wonderful work because it brings harmony
into the home. We are very inspired to be able to
bring more peace into this world through helping
dog owners understand their canine companions,
and how to implement this simple and effective
method. We would appreciate you letting people
know about this new branch to our work.

CAESAR & SHAH 6 months old Interfaith Service in Sydney

Every second month Georgia sings at the inspiring
Another addition to the services that Heartcentre Interfaith Service lead by Stephanie Dowrick at the
offers is ‘Dog Listening’. After a lifetime of passion Pitt Street (267) Uniting Church in the City.
for dogs and many years of interest and study in the
acclaimed techniques of Amichien Bonding, we have
both just completed the Advanced Course in Canine
Communication with world renowned Jan Fennell
and her son Tony Knight from the UK.
After observing how wolves communicate
with each other in the wild, Jan realised that all dogs
are looking for certain signals in order to establish
where they stand within the pack and who is the
leader - the Alpha. All dogs, no matter how
seemingly domesticated, think like wolves and have
their own canine way of communicating.
When a dog within the human family doesn’t
receive the right signals, it decides it will take on
the role of Alpha. This adds tremendous stress to
the dog’s life as it endeavors to understand and
lead in a world which it cannot possible grasp. This
stress can manifest as separation anxiety,
aggressive behavior, lack of cooperation, pulling on
the lead, biting etc. depending on the particular This is a very special service drawing on the
personality of the dog. wisdom from many faiths and spiritual ways. The
We offer private consultations in your home teachings all help to emphasise the unity of love
with your dog, to help address the range of behind the different forms. Stephanie leads the
problems that can manifest, and show you the service beautifully and it is a wonderful way to
changes you need to make so that your dog can be nourish your inner life.
released from the responsibility of taking care of It is a pleasure to be able to sing some of my
you. It is then free to become the relaxed and universal songs which fit in so well with this theme
happy dog you both deserve. of unity and celebration of all the different paths.
This method is gentle, non confrontational The Interfaith Service is on the third Sunday
and kind. It doesn’t use gadgets, cruelty or control. of each month at 3.00 pm - 4.30 pm. The next one
It does help you develop a deep, trusting and that I will singing at will be on Sunday July 20th.
cooperative relationship with your beloved dog. It It would be lovely to see you there.

‘Heartcentre’ 128 Waratah Road, Wentworth Falls NSW 2782 Telephone: (02) 4757 3066.
 MID-YEAR EXTENDED RETREAT ~ JULY 2008

Two Day Retreat

Friday 4th July ~ Sunday 6th July
Times: Friday 2.00 pm ~ Sunday 3.30 pm
Theme: ‘Just for the Love of It’

Spiritual Practice is an act of love

in an environment of love
generating a vibration of love

Spiritual sustenance is essential to help us flow with more ease through the ups and downs of
daily life. There is a tremendous resource available to us when we are able to connect to the
inner realm. This mid-year Retreat is an opportunity to replenish your inner reserves.

During this extended Retreat we will be creating an environment of love through movement,
songs, Sufi Poetry, and spiritual practice to help experience the sweetness that is possible
when spiritual practice is done as an act of love.

Our Friend in Spirit will help us to make love our focus and inspiration, and we will be
practicing a variety of ways which assist us in sustaining our inner life – just for the love of it.

We encourage you to join us for this very special annual gathering. You can stay at
Heartcentre and do this Retreat as a residential or you can participate non-residentially.

Cost: $360 residential $260 non-residential Deposit: $90

All delicious homemade meals included.
 HEARTCENTRE RETREATS ~ AUGUST-DECEMBER 2008

August Friday 1 You can stay the night before or after Day of Renewal
Saturday 2 DAY OF RENEWAL ★10.15 am - 5.00 pm
Cost: $100 Includes lunch Deposit: $45 non-refundable / transferable
Theme: The Reality of Abundance
‘The more generous you are with the flow of Divine Love the deeper your sense of abundance will be.’ As you know whether you see
the cup as half empty or half full will influence your experience of life and your place in it. As Rumi says: Stop! There is a Divine
Generosity coming towards you. We will explore this life changing theme and how to both give and receive in abundance, and learn
how to stay oriented to the abundance of spirit - no matter how life appears. Our Friend will bless us with her abundant heart.

September Friday 5 You can stay the night before or after Day of Renewal
Saturday 6 DAY OF RENEWAL ★10.15 am - 5.00 pm
Cost: $100 Includes lunch Deposit: $45 non-refundable / transferable
Theme: Staying Positive and Calm Amidst the Drama of Life
‘It is quite an art to have a tender heart and, simultaneously, have a heart which is strong and protected by the power of love and
loving detachment.’ It is all too easy to lose one’s balance and become over involved emotionally with the drama of life. There is an
art to having an open feeling heart in response to life, and at the same time allowing the compassion within to soothe and calm
oneself and others. Our Friend will share her infinite wisdom on this most practical teaching.

October Friday 3 You can stay the night before or after Day of Renewal
Saturday 4 DAY OF RENEWAL ★10.15 am - 5.00 pm
Cost: $100 Includes lunch Deposit: $45 non-refundable / transferable
Theme: Maintaining a Multidimensional Perspective
‘Full commitment is when your mind and your physical being your heart and your soul are all working harmoniously and at one,
together for the fulfilment of your ideal.’ We are well practised in listening to our bodies, minds and feelings - relatively. We are
much less willing to really listen from the place of wholeness, connected to the source of wisdom and guidance within. Our Friend
will offer guidance in how to maintain the multi-dimensional perspective on life which helps to liberate our being.

November Friday 31 Oct You can stay the night before or after Day of Renewal
Saturday 1 DAY OF RENEWAL ★10.15 am - 5.00 pm
Cost: $100 Includes lunch Deposit: $45 non-refundable / non-transferrable
Theme: How to Make your Mind your Ally
‘Instead of your mind turning to your brain as its reservoir for thought, your mind needs to turn its receptivity to the impressions of
the One. Then, like a clear mirror, it reflects those impressions from the Divine Mind out into this world.’ When the mind is
unattended by the influence of your loving heart, it runs in circles and is hard edged. However, when the mind and heart are held in
alignment the wisdom and intelligence of your inner being transforms the mind into your ally. Our Friend will illuminate this theme.

December Saturday 13 END OF YEAR CELEBRATION (Returning Tuesday 13th Jan 2009)
For those who have participated in Heartcentre events this year
Time: ★10.15 am - 4.00 pm
Free: Bring vegetarian food to share
Theme: Celebrating the year shared

Dec / Jan Tuesday 30 2008 - Friday 2 2009 NEW YEAR EXTENDED RETREAT
Time: ★2.00 pm Tuesday - 4.00 pm Friday
Cost: $490 residential. $370 non-residential. Deposit $100
Theme: Reflecting, Gathering In, Magnetising

This is a powerful time of the year to gather in all you want to keep from 2008; release what is finished; and to settle into the peace
and truth within as you attune yourself for 2009. During these precious few days we will stay in communion with our finest self,
receive inspiration from Our Friend, be inspired by the beauty of song and Sufi poetry, and deepen our attunement to Love. As well
as times of silence there will be time for creative expression and heartcentering movement.
Winter/Spring ♥ Themes for Contemplation
Issue no 2: 2008

Once your spiritual

practice is starting
to alert you
to the truth
of who you are
then it is
spiritually instinctive
to be with that truth
Our Friend Photo by Georgia

Spiritual practice
is an act of love
in an
environment
of love
generating
an atmosphere
of love
Our Friend

Photo by Georgia

‘Heartcentre’ 128 Waratah Road, Wentworth Falls NSW 2782 Telephone: (02) 4757 3066
 Winter/Spring
Issue no 2: 2008
In everyday life it is spiritually nourishing
to open to the beauty of this world,
and to the beauty of the human heart –
both within yourself and within others.
It is spiritually nourishing
to lift the veil between you and The Divine,
to allow the vibration of Universal Love
and Universal Light
to fill your being of light
and your being of love.
It is spiritually nourishing to take some time
♥
out of your busy schedule
and to let yourself concentrate
on the peace of your inner being.
When you connect to that inner peace
it sustains you
even when you are involved
in the activity of the world,
because you have a place to live from
which is strengthened
through your spiritual awareness.
It is spiritually nourishing
to remember who you truly are,
because that helps you release
the source of stress in everyday life
which comes from the personality self
and its worries and woes.
This remembrance allows you to relax
into the spaciousness of being –
of being who you truly are.
There is no stress in Spirit,
there is only the expansiveness of love
and the boundlessness of light.
In order to experience surrender into Love
one needs to practice
surrendering one’s identification
with who you mostly think you are.
That process of surrender
is the expansion of consciousness,
and also the application
of the principle of loving detachment.
So the practical way to experience
spiritual liberation
is through loving detachment
from the whirlwind of thoughts,
beliefs and judgements.
Life is not about reaching permanent stillness.
It is about bringing stillness into every activity
so the atmosphere you create
holds balance within the movement.
These beautiful teachings are from Our dear Friend in Spirit - Heartcentre © 2008
♥ Themes for Contemplation
Take time when you are not weighed down
by the responsibilities and roles
of your day to day life.
Sit in the spaciousness
of your own spiritual presence
allowing your consciousness to expand
into the Divine Presence
that is within you and all around you.
You can use the quality of loving detachment
in relationship to even your physical self.
It is a sacred manifestation of spirit,
and yet, to experience total spiritual liberation,
your consciousness can also transcend the physical
and move into the vast realms of light.
A key to true liberation
comes from learning how to let go with love.
You can free yourself
from all sorts of relationship entanglements,
reactiveness, obsessive thinking,
even the need to win an argument –
when you are willing to let go.
Letting go with love not only creates peace
but liberates your heart and spirit.
One of the ways of moving
beyond the duality of spiritual and worldly life
is to let the place of stillness be within you,
even when you are being busy
doing what needs to be done in your life.
‘Being in the present’ – what does it really mean?
It is one thing to bring yourself
physically and energetically into the present,
and it is quite another
to bring the consciousness of your mind
into a circle of presence.
Instead of your mind looking at the past
or into the future,
your mind is being tuned into or conscious of
just this simple moment,
or just this particular action you may be doing.
Or you may be sitting quietly,
but your mind is with you in that stillness
or with you in that activity.
Your consciousness and awareness
of the vibration and wisdom of your true self
is enhanced by being present to it
without distraction – simply being in meditation,
or in the stillness, or in the silence
where your inner being is able to expand
into oneness with the Divine.

FINDING THE GIFT
IN THE PRESENT
Every second you are given a gift, and this gift has in
it exactly what you need, precisely chosen for where
you are in your journey.  Of the billions of gifts that
are given to you, entrusted to you through your life,
you probably unwrap a thousand.  Of course, those
thousand provide you with so much meaning and so
much inspiration for your journey that you feel
complacent and leave the majority, not only
unopened but also out of your awareness.
Finding the  gift in the present is contingent
upon knowing there is a gift in the present, and
bringing yourself into the present in order to
experience it.  The power of the present is that it
unlocks a door within you to the Supreme Reality.  It
is only when you are fully aware and centred in your
true self that you can be aware of the
sacredness of the moment, and the unity, and
the oneness you hold with the All-That-Is.  you are locking yourself into a way of living
This is why meditation is such an
indispensable and precious experience to
practice because the key to meditation is that
it brings your awareness to your inner being.  expression of the inner being, or it can be
It teaches you how to quieten the mind through
focussing.  If the mind has something to focus on
then that in itself brings it into the present.  For
example, focusing on the rhythm of the breath or
the light of a candle.  Or you may choose a sacred
word, or a spiritual attribute such as peace; or it may
be a Holy One for whom you hold love in your heart.
LOVE CREATES THE BRIDGE
It is your love always that will draw you into the
present.  It is love that creates the bridge to whatever
you may be thinking about.  If, for example, you are
thinking about a spiritual attribute that you are
wanting to incorporate more into your present
moment, for example patience or strength – it is
your appreciation of that quality, your love for that
quality, that draws it to you.
I'm sure you have had those moments when
you have been centred in love when everything has
faded into the background. Because love is the
sacred reality, love is also the door to that reality. 
That is the oneness.
Teaching from Our Friend in Spirit – Finding the Gift in the Present– Heartcentre © 2006
PAGE 8
There are two primary impulses which steal your
awareness from this present moment.  One is the
past and one is the future.  How do you move from
your full awareness of the present into the past or
into the future?  Through the activity and focus of
the mind.  So, very simply, how do you return to the
place in the present?  You return through bringing
your mind into the present.
How do you do that when the mind is so
identified with its activity that it convinces you that
it is you?  It is so plausible because it is the only
voice that you listen to. It has no opposition. 
Therefore the way to teach the mind that it is only
an aspect of yourself and not you, is to strengthen
your identification with who you really are – with
your true self, with your inner being, with your
heart vibration, with your soul. Then there is a
dimension within which can actually address the
activity of the mind, can notice it, can observe
it, and can therefore detach from it.  When
you believe that the thinking you is you, then
and a way of perceiving which is one-
dimensional.
The mind can be used as a creative
obsessive, habitual, destructive, negative, lost.  It can
chew over things decades past; it can worry about
lifetimes in the future.  It can be a profound ally to
you in your life, but if you allow it to run your life,
to be the only perspective, then it will continually
undermine you. I have used the expression once
before that negative thoughts are like strewing tacks
on your path.  You might be able to pick your way
through. However, the odds are your own mind will
create hurt and pain for you, and for others, when it
isn't profoundly influenced by the gentle vibration of
your heart – because then your mind becomes a
godsend; then it is expressive and thoughtful and
mindful and creative.
Mostly you are hardly even aware of what is
going on in your mind, it is just thinking as if that is
just what it is supposed to do.  It is completely out
of your control.  In meditation you are learning how
to choose what you think.  You give yourself a focus. 
You give your mind an activity and then gradually,
through learning how to not panic when there are
not a myriad of things in the mind, and to be more

relaxed with there being a simple focus, your mind
settles into that simplicity.
YOUR MIND NEEDS RETRAINING
The mind needs to be retrained because in this
frantically, mentally-oriented culture it is applauded
to have the capacity to hold ten things in your mind
at once.  Or, to be able to always come up with
something as if you should be thinking ahead of
every possibility.  That is applauded.  It is a helpful
skill to have, however, when you are wanting to
focus in the present, putting your mind ahead is a
distraction from present consciousness.
I hear you saying 'but you still need to plan
your life'.  That is true, there are decisions that need
to be made that have complex implications for the
future.  How do you look at the future and still stay
focused in the present?  You do that by holding your
awareness still, in the present, centred in the
vibration of your being.  Not just being aware
of your head and what your brain is doing
but by being aware of your whole presence,
and then from that centred place you observe,
you think about what you need to do, you
think about what the options are. When you
have thought that through, you make your
commitment to follow through on whatever
decision it may be, and then release it.  You trust
your capacity to think something through.  You trust
your capacity to make a loving and responsible
choice.  You trust your capacity to follow through on
that at the appropriate time.  You don't have to
harass yourself and bully yourself to make sure you
don't waver. Because of that trust in yourself you
can let it go, you can return to being conscious of
the vibration of love that you are, the being of light
that you are.
You may then say: How can I work through
things from the past? This is an intrinsic part of the
healing process, to hold an awareness of the past
unresolved difficulties or areas where there has been
a lack of healing, a lack of forgiveness.  These things
from the past do intrude into the present if they
haven't been resolved.  That is one of the gifts – that
is how you know it is an area you need to work with:
because it has intruded from the past into the
present. You don't leave the present to go into the
past to find it.  You notice what is coming into the
Teaching from Our Friend in Spirit – Finding the Gift in the Present– Heartcentre © 2006
PAGE 9
present.  What thought is recurring?  What feeling is
recurring in the present?
Then, centering in that, you open yourself to a
deeper awareness of the source of that.  It may be
through talking with somebody else.  You may write
it in a journal.  In a way, you bring what was into
what is and there, in your atmosphere of love, you
can explore it in a way which allows you to release it. 
If you move your awareness and your consciousness
from the present and go on a journey, a reverie into
the past, all you will do is revisit, leave it, and come
back into the present. If you haven't made the
connection of love – which is the link to the present
– then nothing changes. You just leave yourself, go
and have a look at it, go and feel bad about it or
about yourself, feel that nothing ever changes, feel
the despair, feel the pointlessness of looking at
anything and then come back to yourself.  That pain
is not released, it is reinforced. The only bridge to
healing in the present is love.
THE METAPHOR OF AN OASIS
Before I said that the present is like a sliver in
time and mostly people live in the territory of
the past or the future.  The picture I have of
this is that the present is an oasis, it is
magnificent.  In the middle of this oasis there
is this sublime citadel and that is your inner being
which you want to inhabit.  You want to know how
to get there and you want to know how to stay
there.
Around this citadel are all the faces of you – all
the ones who you think you are, or you think you
will be, or you think you should be, or you think you
could be, or you think people think you are or think
you aren't, or how you see yourself – 'That is how I
really am.  Oh dear!  If only I were like so and so.'
Each one of those faces is calling you to attend
to it.  You can do that in two ways.  You can leave
this citadel of love, go outside the oasis and have a
talk with whoever that is.  Or, you can say: 'You, the
unloved part of me; you the part that is hurt or has
hurt others; you the person with the big ambition,
the dreams and so on - come in here!  I am not
leaving this space. I am expanding this space – this
space of love, in order to embrace all of who I am, all
of who I have been, all of who I could be, will be,
won't be – so that we all live in this one vibration of
reality, in this one holy space.'

You may say 'Yes, that sounds wonderful but
how can I take this citadel, this oasis into my
workplace?' This is the beauty of a daily spiritual
practice, because every morning and preferably more
than once during the day you remember who you
really are.  That remembrance is your path, not only
to recognising your inner truth, but also to holding
it.
Then when you are in your work situation, if
you gently bring your awareness back to your
presence, the vibration of your heart, the rhythm of
your breath, that will directly assist you to bring
light to this moment.  As you do that you will
recognise the citadel because that is what it is made
of.  It is not a stone castle, it is a vibration of light.  to meet others.
That vibration of light can move within you and
around you and into every corner of the world.
BEING INSPIRED BY THE GREAT ONES
When you admire the work and the lives of
the great ones, that is what they did. They
held that light in their consciousness, and
held their consciousness in the light to such a
degree of focus and intensity that it was
visible.  It made them visibly enlightened.  infinite.  It can only do that from that place
That is an incredible gift they have given
because in their example is the reminder to you of
not just your potential but your own capacity as a
sacred being. We are not talking about angels, we are
talking about human beings.  Human beings who
held such a commitment to a life of love and service,
of surrender and trust, that it was all of their being.
They were still eating and going to the toilet, and
talking to people, and having responsibilities and
making decisions about the future, and taking
themselves to task for their own weaknesses; they
were still committed to their inner growth and
within that, they held the connection to the One.
So don't separate yourself.  This is what the
mind does.  It says 'those people over there can be
spiritual but I cannot be'.  That is actually not the
truth.  You have the same capacity as the wise ones
and as every other human being no matter how out
of touch with their own hearts and light they might
be. There is that essential oneness, the same
ingredient of being.
I used the image of the oasis and of the citadel
because I want you to expand your sense of being in
the present.  I want you to expand it from being a
Teaching from Our Friend in Spirit – Finding the Gift in the Present– Heartcentre © 2006
PAGE 10
fleeting glimpse to being a state of being that you
can settle in, and then take with you.  I want it to be
more than a moment you glimpse in your
meditation. I want you to receive the gift of
presence. By having a picture of that, by having a
direct experience of that, it will inspire you to keep
dealing with the distractions and the detours, and it
will keep inspiring you to bring your awareness into
your heart, into the light of the present; into who
you really are.  That is why the present is a gift
because it is presenting you with your own inner
presence.  From there you can make the most
sublime heart contact with others because you have
surrendered into your heart reality.  That is the place
There are times when you will notice an
inspiration to be more in the present when you are
losing your identification with your personality self,
when you are in landscapes or seascapes that
are expansive, that reflect back to you your
own infinite nature.  So you think it is the
horizon, the valley; but it is an echo of your
true self, your true self that is awakened in
that moment to actually recognise the
of infinity within.
One of the keys to being in the present is the
capacity to forgive and let go.  Otherwise, in the
basement of the citadel you have the well-chewed
bones of old arguments, old hurts, and you need to
regularly flush them out. This is the beauty of having
a spiritual education.  It teaches you the importance
of all the spiritual qualities and of the necessity to
take responsibility for one's inner being.
Spiritual education teaches you about the
preciousness of the qualities of forgiveness and trust. 
Until you forgive, firstly yourself – for storing all
those things down there in the cellar – and secondly,
the person with whom that pain or difficulty was,
then a part of you will be running up and down
those stairs, having another little look and then
running back up.  It is a waste of energy. That is one
way of looking at it. You see the choice that you
have.  Firstly, you need to know that is what you
are  doing.  Secondly, that you have a choice.  And
thirdly, you need to know that you have the capacity
within yourself to heal from those things which you
have carried, and to release them into the past where
they belong, or into the future where they belong. 

Then you can have a crystal clear foundation to your
being.
THE HEALING POWER OF FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness is absolutely spectacular in its capacity
to purify and liberate you from past hurts, angers,
resentment and so on.  The vibration of peace and
acceptance and surrender and trust has a wonderful
capacity to cleanse and purify and make clear the
path of the future.
As a spiritual practice regularly attend to your
mind and sort out what actually belongs in the
future, what actually belongs in the past, and keep
widening the territory of the present.  At the
moment, the inner terrain is mostly desert with all
its demanding faces, and an occasional, momentary
foray into the inner being, into the light, into your
true self.  Your spiritual practice is to reverse that
ratio, to gradually expand the inner terrain.  Not
through pushing out and away those parts of
yourself that are in the desert, or those parts
of others that you reject, but through
softening the meeting place, through opening
your heart.  Then that place of peace that you
hold, that place of awareness, of truth, of
being centred in the present moment,
strengthens.  It will not happen automatically –
I can guarantee it. You can assist the inner awakening
through your contemplation, through allowing
yourself to come into situations like this where you
receive the inspiration of others.
Mostly you meet with others in either your
desert or theirs.  The times when you make contact
with others which has flow or meaning to it is when
you are meeting from your place of love, your open
hearted place of presence.  Sometimes you may be in
the presence of someone else who is holding that
consciousness, that open-hearted place of presence,
and you see it and it reminds you of that truth
within you.
Q:  After meditation, my mind starts up again.  I
cannot sustain that simple, clear space.  of consciousness, just come into the next thirty
Given that you have the opportunity (as you live by
yourself) after you come out of meditation, take
something that you have been focusing on in your
meditation. Take that awareness into your next
activity. It may be staying loving to yourself.  It may
Teaching from Our Friend in Spirit – Finding the Gift in the Present– Heartcentre © 2006
PAGE 11
be staying conscious of the presence of the Divine
around you.  It may be an affirmation like 'I have all
I need'.  Say that out aloud once you sit up and go
about your day because as your mind hears what
you say, it will have two effects.  One is that it will
remind your mind to say it again.  The other is that
it will help your mind to have enough to do so you
can hold with you some of that beautiful vibration
of light that you have accumulated, or been
conscious of, in your meditation.
Keeping it simple is a good way to maintain
more clarity.  You may want to write down some of
the fruits of your meditation.  It may just be a word
or a phrase which is alive and fresh for you that
morning – then say it aloud.  If you are in a situation
where it is not possible for you to be speaking out
loud, then it is equally helpful to either murmur it
very quietly if there are people nearby, or if people
are actually in your space then you can just repeat
things in your mind quietly.
There is an art to repeating things in your
mind.  The way you turn a mental repetition
into a spiritually centering phrase is by
repeating it in your heart.  So that the
reverberation of the phrase that you either
speak out loud or think, is actually being
experienced directly in the heart.  That needs
to be tangible, palpable, real.  We are not talking
theory here, we are talking about vibration. We are
talking about a direct experience of the vibration of
what you are saying.  You may be saying a holy word
or a name.  So you are not saying 'Jesus' up in your
mind; you are holding it in your heart.  Whether it is
'Jesus' or 'Divine Mother' or 'Spirit of Love', in your
meditation you practice saying those things until
you can feel it.  Then it is being repeated in your
heart. In your heart you are holding the
remembrance and your mind is just basking in that
glory.
Of course you will need repetition and
tolerance, because you will only remember deeply for
thirty seconds – if you are lucky.  Then you will keep
coming back to it.  Don't worry about the drop ‘out’
seconds and enjoy that.  Over time, the thirty
seconds will flow into a minute.

BRINGING YOUR LOVING CONSCIOUSNESS TO
EVERYTHING
Mostly the mind is a steamroller.  It needs to be
taught that there is an accelerator and a brake, and
you are slowing down the acceleration, and every
now and again you are actually going to stop and be.  capable of doing.  Be conscious of the issues that
Then, another way of doing it, of staying present is
to say: 'I am bringing love to the preparation of my
breakfast'. 'I am bringing love as I brush my teeth.'  'I
am bringing love as I say good morning to myself in
the mirror’. ‘I am making this home that I live in an
outward expression of this inner citadel of love.' 'I
am bringing love to cleaning the house.’ ‘I am
bringing love as I dust this area.'  'I am bringing love
as I freshen these flowers.'  'I am bringing love to the
preparation of this food, whether it is for myself or
for others, because I want these people around me to
recognise this vibration of love.  I want to feed them
love.'
Another thing that helps you in that
situation is to move a little bit more slowly
than you would normally.  Instead of leaping
up from meditation and going straight into
full gear, give yourself some space to walk a
little more slowly. The pace helps the
mindfulness.  It is much harder to be mindful
when you are moving quickly.  When you move
more slowly it is easier to be mindful.
 
Q:  Something I have difficulty with is working out
when is the right time to put attention to a problem.  not accumulating things.
My mind feels overcrowded and overwhelmed that I
have so many things to deal with.
 
Two responses to your question.  One is that time
itself does have an active healing ingredient.  You feel
that you are accumulating things, that you are not
dealing with everything but there are some things
that, just through time and sending love and
understanding and forgiveness, those things dissolve
into the past. There is some of this that you need to
do.
The other is the prioritising of your day, or
your week, and establishing what it is from the past
or the future that is actually intruding in the present
in such a way that it is interfering with your capacity
to be in the present.  These are the issues which need
to be worked through with consciousness and a
Teaching from Our Friend in Spirit – Finding the Gift in the Present– Heartcentre © 2006
PAGE 12
healing intention.  Particularly there needs to be the
intention to let it go.  It is not enough just to look at
it and to feel it.  That is only a preliminary step.  That
is just identifying it. The capacity to let go completely
is something you really need to believe that you are
have been big for you that you have completely
released, and notice what it was that you did that
allowed you that freedom.
This will help you as you sift through the
things which need the light of love to be brought to
them, and the light of release that comes when you
farewell some of those things into love, so they are
completely absorbed or dissolved into your heart.
 
Q:  In the past I used to be emotionally and mentally
reactive to everything in my life which meant that
there was so much to deal with, continuously, because I
was reactive.  I have needed to learn how to
turn the sensitivity and reactiveness volume
down so I have more freedom to be in the
present and enjoy the gift of the present.  It is
not discounting what I think or feel, it is
learning how to turn the volume down so there
is more space for me to be present and at peace.
 
That is very true, and the more you hold a vibration
of gentleness, understanding, compassion and love
for yourself and for others, and tolerance
particularly, the less reactive you are, so then you are
For example, if someone says something mean
to you, you just see that someone is saying
something mean. You don't say: 'What is wrong with
me or them?' You observe it. There may be
something you need to look at in yourself that has
inspired the meanness.  Then you change it, in the
present, and release it into love, in the present. Trust
yourself.  Trust in your own good intention.
I pray that you will all be strengthened
in your familiarity with your inner being
and in your capacity to enjoy
the beauty of this gift you are given,
in every moment,
to experience the true presence of your being
and the love and light within the whole of creation.
Winter/Spring Photos around Heartcentre
Issue no 2: 2008
Winter/Spring Photos around Heartcentre
Issue no 2: 2008
 Winter/Spring
Issue no 2: 2008

Our next issue of HeartWaves will be posted

in December ... until then ...

May the Essence of Love be with you

And may you know that it is with you
That it always has been with you
And will be with you through eternity

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