Heartfulness: The Art of Embracing Life

Written By Erica Blackburn
Certified BodyTalk Practitioner &
Certified Conscious Living Investigation (CLI) Agent

“[God*] grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” - R. N. 
 
Are you familiar with this poem?

As I consider how to share the difference between the words accept and embrace, it continues to come to me. Although the definitions for accept and embrace are not significantly different in the English language, from a consciousness-based perspective there is a significant difference. 
 
Let’s explore it!

The poem above highlights that accepting is born from the mind, from fear. The part of us that believes there is separation, and because of this separation we now must modify ourself and our environment to try to get our needs met. As you read the poem, can you feel how it includes: 

• Judgement 
• Conditions 
• Have to
• Compromise 
• Settling 
• Putting up with
• Active emotions 
• No other choices
• Attached to an outcome 
• Managing outcomes 
• Life happening to me

 
Consider how much effort, energy and manipulation is happening to force the mind, which is built upon fear, to “accept” - when that truly doesn’t feel safe for the mind. In fact, this behaviour of “accepting” spirals the mind into states of denial, anger and bargaining. 
 
Here is an alternative: embracing! 
 
Imagine that embracing is always happening in the heart. Our Conscious Parent (a.k.a. Universal Consciousness) is in a constant state of embracing whatever is naturally unfolding in life. Embrace includes: 

• Unconditional love
• No judgement 
• Openness 
• No fear
• No agenda 
• Innate priorities 
• Gratitude 
• No attachment 
• Individuation  
• Surrender 
• All possibilities being equal and available 
• Life unfolding for me

 
If I was to re-write the poem from the consciousness-based perspective of embracing, it would simply be:

“[God*], thank you, that I am already whole and unconditionally lovable as I am - always.”
 
Can you hear and feel the wisdom in this? It wouldn’t even be said out loud, the heart simply expresses gratitude in each moment - no matter what is unfolding. 
 
Beyond the mind, true ‘embrace’ exists because there is wholeness: there is no fear, no agenda, and no attachment to what is unfolding. 
 
From a consciousness-based perspective, this looks like showing up for whatever is present in the moment and using the awareness practices of CLI and BodyTalk to collaborate with the mind and fear, so that life and ourSelf can truly be embraced! 
 
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* The word ‘God’ can be interchanged with: Universe, Universal Consciousness, Source, Bliss, The Dao, Unmanifest, Undifferentiated Energy, All That Is, etc.