Chapter 38: The Weighing of the Heart

The Egyptian traditions speaks of the weighing of the heart, suggesting that the heart must be as light as a feather to pass into the afterworld. Going to the Egyptian museum in Torino and the British Museum in London to see the Egyptian collection allowed me to ponder the meaning associated with the scarab.
 
Scarabs also represent synchronicity in Jungian psychoanalysis. These sacred beetles can be found in museums and on our walking paths. Recognizing the signs and deciphering the synchronicities is part of the meaning-making process.
The sacred heart is also an important Christian metaphor. Jesus points to the sacred heart in many paintings in statues. Heartways open up to us through transformative practices, forgiveness, and grace. Making peace with the past allows us to walk forward in a more lighthearted way.
 
Peacemaking involves engaging on multiple levels. However, peacefulness can be found in mediation, and other practices like prayer and mindfulness that we can incorporate into our daily routines. Making peace with all our relations is a lifelong endeavor and a daily practice.
Our family histories can be transformed when we engage in autoethnographic practices that bring us to a form of narrative coherency. Dr. Daniel Speigel uses the term mindsight to describe this interconnected vision. The mind-body in an interconnected system influenced by the field of the heart. Writing and praying can facilitate the transformative process.
 
Mediators also contribute to world peace initiatives. And Thomas Berry writes about yet another form of peace, the “Peace of Earth”, that is dependent upon human decision in this era of Anthropocene. Berry wrote about a cosmology of peace in the Dream of the Earth. The “Peace of Earth” arises from hopefulness. He suggests that we can find guidance in the dream of the earth for the task that is before us. My experience suggests that we have the innate capacity to home in to our hearts, and connecting to our inner compass, to find our way into the future.
 
Integrated relationships lead to resilience and wellness. Social engagement fosters our wellbeing. Working on our inner state of being can contribute to fostering strength in the face of adversity. We can create a culture of presence, by attuning to our inner compass, and resonating in a world of trust where we give our best effort while facing planetary challenges. Kindness and compassion can light up the world, opening relational heartways.

​Here is a lecture from Dr. Seigel that explains the importance of brain integration:

​Here is a picture of a scarab in the British Museum:

Here are pictures of a beetle on a path near our chalet:

Healthy Hildegard: