Photo: Gabriela Camerotti

Is your heart cozy at home inside your relaxed stress-free body, or is it sending out an S.O.S. call for help?

Right now, I’m sitting in a local coffeehouse listening to two women talk about sensitive men, the Anna Karine movie (“heavy”) and hanging out with brothers at holiday time: “Jake’s really cool, but he and Cooper are glued to the computer screen.”

My goal, however, is not eavesdropping. Instead, it is to use this focused moment at a busy coffeehouse to have a heart-to-heart talk with myself about what lies ahead this holiday season. I’ll mostly be the listener here, as my heart…well, pours out it’s heart to me in a one-to-one dialogue.

Can I really have a serious conversation with my heart?

I learned a journaling technique years ago, while living and working in New York City, called the Progoff Journaling Technique. I know it works; really works!

Why?

Well, when I first tried it out, I was a successful writer or so I thought. I was a published author, nationally syndicated columnist and writer for the national desk of the Washington Post. However, when I launched into a conversation with my writing muse, I discovered it was very angry with me.

That’s why I know it works.

I didn’t have a clue; I thought I was successful. It disagreed. As I learned, my writing muse was angry with me because I wasn’t consistent. I hadn’t created a daily habit focused on writing. Some days I would begin writing at five a.m., other days, not until nine or 10 a.m. Some days, not at all.

What my muse wanted was consistency, writing at the same time each day.

I had started my journal exercise with a single question: “Are you happy?” In a series of written questions followed by “channeled” answers from my writing muse, it informed me, “We’re like a board of directors. When you first started writing, you started every day at the same time. We were there to work with you. But, now, most days, we show up and you’re not there.”

So today, I’m having a heart-to-heart with my heart.

I’ll take a few deep breaths to slow down my mind, then focus my awareness on the blank sheet of paper in front of me. With pen in hand, I’ll begin the dialogue with this: “Hello my heart, how are you?”

I’m hoping for words like “joyful,” yet remain open to its heartfelt discourse.

Deep listening is a powerful tool for change.

 

Alexia Parks is CEO and Co-Founder of 56percent.org. She has been called, “One of 50 people who matter most on the Internet” by Newsweek Magazine for her visionary launch of the electronic democracy website, Votelink.com (1995). In addition, she has enjoyed life at the leading edge of change for more than 30 years.  She has been a magazine publisher in New York City, a Director of Communications for a trade group representing a network of 100 major daily Sunday newspapers and a writer for the national desk of The Washington Post. She is also author of 12 books including Hardwired: The 10 Major Traits of Women Hardwired by Evolution That Can Save The World (Amazon). A veteran journalist and Huffington Post blogger, Alexia was the first accredited blogger for the (2007) United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali.

~

Editor: Alisha Kay Bull

Like elephant spirituality on facebook.