A closed heart is brittle and may shatter when confronted by a crisis. An open heart is soft and supple, drawing from a strength that makes room for what life brings its way. It is as though, in opening our hearts, we create all the internal space we need to allow awareness and feelings to move through us, as the wind moves through the space between the branches of a tree, or between the leaves on the branches. The more open our hearts, the more room we have inside to meet ourselves and others with a willingness to connect and be aware. The love that is generated spontaneously by an open heart pours into our experience even as it flows out to others.

~ Nancy Napier, “Sacred Practices for Conscious Living, 2nd Edition”

Winter Sunset – photo by Yanika, bigstockphoto.com