In Your Heart of Hearts

Dear Reader,

Remember this old phrase? “In my heart of hearts…” This week, for no apparent reason, it popped into my mind. I probably haven’t heard or used it for decades. But I always pay attention (and I hope you do too) when thoughts or ideas come to me from nowhere. So I thought I would share it with you!

What does that phrase mean to you?

To me, it leads me inward, to the very core of my heart and my deepest meaning. I love that!

“In my heart of hearts” is an idiom – a phrase that cannot be defined based on the meaning of its individual words. Think “It’s raining cats and dogs,” or “We’re on the same page.” The English language contains thousands of them!

Turns out that this idiom originated, as so many sayings about love and the heart do, from Shakespeare. Hamlet says: “In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart of heart…”

The Free Dictionary contains several good definitions:

“In the deepest, most intimate part of oneself”

and

“In the seat of one’s truest feelings.”

But most important is what the phrase means to you, and what it evokes within you.

One reason why I love this idiom so much is because it can serve as a guide to your most powerful intuition. It leads you deeper than your surface emotions. It leads you deeper than your feelings and beliefs based on past experiences. You might try experimenting with it by asking yourself this question:

“What do I know in my heart of hearts?”

Allow yourself to be surprised, and see what comes to you.

Or, you could ask yourself the question in regard to a specific situation in your life.

“What do I know in my heart of hearts? In my heart of hearts, I know that this job…”

You might find yourself finishing the sentence by saying “…is not right for me,” or “…will not make me happy,” or “…is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for!”

But here is perhaps the most important thing.

When I thought about how this idiom gets used, I realized that it sometimes refers to a choice that one regrets! “In my heart of hearts, I knew that the job wasn’t right for me, but I took it anyway.” Or, as an actual example I saw in the Free Dictionary, “In my heart of  hearts, I knew that I didn’t really love Bill – and yet, I married him anyway.”

Let that sink in.

Dear Reader. Always, always follow what’s in your heart of hearts.

Don’t settle for anything less.

And if you aren’t sure of what’s in your heart of hearts – practice. It is there for you, always ready to act as your guide. The more you tap into it, the more you can trust it.

Because the truth is that your heart of hearts is your soul. And as I always say:

Your soul knows.

I honor your loving heart (of hearts),

John