Heartstrings Part 6
November 22, 2025
Heartstrings Part 6
Just think about why a child or an animal pulls on our heartstrings: we all have an innocent and helpless part of ourselves and identify with that helpless child or animal on some deep level. It could be an insurmountable struggle that we must cope with or a deficiency for which we have spent years compensating. It could be a long-held resentment or rage. It could be a loss or rejection. It could be an inability to feel joy, but we do not know why. It could be that we never found the love we had hoped for.
This struggle may have started in childhood or surfaced later in life, but our souls must heal it to progress spiritually. The bottom line is that we feel helpless in the face of this obstacle, missing part, struggle, or pain.
Many people on the spiritual road are aware of the innocent and helpless entity within. This part of us is not inherently evil or created a retribution for past failure. We must come to know it and understand it. It teaches us we are not perfect, that we are not all-powerful, that we may not heal on our own, and that it may take much longer to completely heal than we have years on earth. Though it is something we often wish we did not have to carry, it has the unique capacity to engender empathy and grace in us. So, it is part and parcel with our spirituality.
Whatever this heart suffering may be, it corresponds with the soul quality we are most disconnected from. It is a profound challenge to excavate for that vital quality, to bring it to the surface of our consciousness and once again make it a living part of our being. Some of us excavate all our lives. Like in archaeological digging we slowly brush away the layers of dirt, covering the object, then we see the gold of our forgotten quality. Even though it may not yet be unearthed, its golden glimmers give hope and healing as more of that quality is revealed.
So, when something tugs on our heartstrings, we can be glad for the connection to the divine light within our heart. It is empowering to feel our helpless part discovering the quality of soul it must re-embody.
Spiritual practice: What is your helpless part?
Self-inquiry: Why would you or I not excavate?
Prayer:
Dear God, I pray that the pick, the ax, and the brush unearth what my soul most longs for. Amen
