Know by Heart

Listening to a recent podcast, I was struck by a particular line: "know it by heart." What this phrase typically implies is that we don’t have to consciously think about something; we simply know it intuitively. For instance, riding a bike is an activity many of us know ‘by heart.’ Once we've learned how to ride, it becomes a deeply ingrained skill that remains readily accessible within us, allowing us to effortlessly pick it up again even years or decades later.

The phrase "know by heart" intrigued me. Sitting with this for but a few breaths, there's a profound invitation to move beyond mere intellectual understanding into a deeper, heart-centered knowing that can only come from within, from the lens of interior knowing. 

This ‘by the heart’ is an experience, several experiences, that continue to invite us to let go of who we are not, so our true essence is, bit by bit, more readily seen and experienced. It is like reading about something in a book; it offers an intellectual way of understanding and yet, when we have an actual experience of that reading, the recognition deepens so we really know it, or we know it by heart. Thus the experiences inform our understanding and understanding is made clear by experience. And, when one (understanding or expereince) contradicts the other, experience is often where we anchor.

I recently read an article that distinguishes between belief and faith. Belief often stems from the mind and intellect, relying on logical reasoning or evidence. On the other hand, faith emanates from the heart; it's a profound trust and awareness that transcends intellectual proof or even our capacity to articulate. It is those moments when we are as if struck by deep overwhelming awe. A deep, profound, innate trust and awareness.  Faith is what we may turn to, what we trust in deeply, and where we can be met with both certainty and uncertainty all muddled together.

This distinction may seem insignificant at first glance, but it reflects broader differences between Eastern and Western spiritual practices. Western cultures, heavily influenced by Christianity and its relative emphasis on professions of faith, have historically placed more emphasis on intellectual beliefs and are less concerned with the heartfelt, interior places of knowing. In the past half century or more the focus was often on being welcomed into the religious tradition by articulating beliefs, often scripted, in front of, or with, a group of people.

Counter this with the Eastern approach that dives deeply into the somatic (body sensing) and interior knowing, guiding experiences of both movement and stillness. This leads to an experiential knowing, to bring us into the Presence, to bring us into that place where we know by heart. When we know something by heart, or by faith, it is relatively firm, and a place to which we can go back, a foundation, a knowing sense. It is the beacon in the storm. 

Imagine a childhood memory that you know by heart—a story, a song, or a cherished moment. Notice how effortlessly you can recall the details and how they evoke emotions and sensations, how it becomes a felt experience. Contrast this with an class you took where learning was imparted via a series of dates and facts; there may not be much recall and if so it is more intellectual.

When we truly know something by heart or through faith, it becomes a stable foundation—a place of [mostly] unwavering trust and into a deeper knowing without knowing that heightens awareness of Presence, even in challenging times. It begins to serve as our guiding light amidst life's storms.

Next time you encounter the phrase "know by heart," pause to consider whether it resonates with your own heart's knowing, belonging, and awareness. It just might hold profound significance for your spiritual journey.

This to ‘know by heart’ is the essence of the practices and experiences offered within Even Being. The journey may begin at the spiritual, physical, mental or emotional levels of our being and we discover through breath and other practices that the answers are already there, in the heart, just waiting patiently to be revealed through the uncovering, unclenching and simply BEing.