The Faculty of the Heart

Just now the soil of human hearts seems like black earth, but in the innermost substance of this dark soil there are thousands of fragrant flowers latent. We must endeavor to cultivate and awaken these potentialities, discover the secret treasure in this very mine and depository of God, bring forth these resplendent powers long hidden in human hearts. Then will the glories of both worlds be blended and increased and the quintessence of human existence be made manifest.

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace: 294)

In the next few posts I will be ending this long discussion on the role of spiritual faculties in bringing about peace with the heart and love.  But, in fact, for the peace of humanity, as well as the whole of creation, they are first.  That is because, with the heart, we have arrived not only at the end or conclusion of a line of argument, but also at the beginning of spiritual perception, which is the center, the pivot and Source, the motive power, the embracing, all-fruitful productive source out from which come all qualities when stimulated by divine Will and formed by divine Knowledge.  It is the essential union and unity, the joining and knitting together of the B and the E.

While the object of the will is “the good”, and the object of the intellect is “the true”, the object of the heart is “the Beloved”.  Spiritually, all things start in and with the heart, the receptor of higher energies and their radiant center out into the world, the pivot where transformational change takes place onto higher levels of being and knowing.  It is the heart's attraction and love for the Word of God, as both His speech and His Person, that begins spiritual transformation.  I have titled this discussion the faculty of the heart, the meaning of this phrase being not a faculty in the heart, but, rather, the faculty that is the heart.  The heart has its own way of knowing, and it is love. 

Love is the pre-existing, metaphysical “material” field and cause, the receiver of the active force of Intellect, and described by ‘Abdu’l-Baha as “the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things.”  (Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha: 27)  

Divine love is why there is existence at all.   In a prayer that declares some of the powers of God, Baha’u’llah has the one praying state of God “Whose love is the cause of my being,” (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah: 259) ‘Abdu’l-Baha generalizes this specific cause into a universal principle: “We declare that love is the cause of the existence of all phenomena and that the absence of love is the cause of disintegration or nonexistence.” (The Promulgation of Universal Peace: 255)

The station of the heart with its complementary focusing and radiating powers is, in relation to humanity, occupied by the Manifestations of God.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha writes: “Yet the Holy Manifestations of God are even as a looking-glass, burnished and without stain, which gathereth streams of light out of that Sun, and then scattereth the glory over the rest of creation.” (Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha: 50)

It is He and His Words that in every dispensation awaken within the soul its divine image and transform it more into His likeness.  It is He and His Words that bring forth the knowledge of the heart, and gives humanity the principles of the epistemology of love.  Baha’u’llah entreats us: “…endeavour to comprehend the meaning of the "changing of the earth." Know thou, that upon whatever hearts the bountiful showers of mercy, raining from the "heaven" of divine Revelation, have fallen, the earth of those hearts hath verily been changed into the earth of divine knowledge and wisdom. What myrtles of unity hath the soil of their hearts produced! What blossoms of true knowledge and wisdom hath their illumined bosoms yielded! Were the earth of their hearts to remain unchanged, how could such souls who have not been taught one letter, have seen no teacher, and entered no school, utter such words and display such knowledge as none can apprehend? Methinks they have been moulded from the clay of infinite knowledge, and kneaded with the water of divine wisdom. Therefore, hath it been said: "Knowledge is a light which God casteth into the heart of whomsoever He willeth." It is this kind of knowledge which is and hath ever been praiseworthy, and not the limited knowledge that hath sprung forth from veiled and obscured minds. This limited knowledge they even stealthily borrow one from the other, and vainly pride themselves therein!

“Would that the hearts of men could be cleansed from these man-made limitations and obscure thoughts imposed upon them! haply they may be illumined by the light of the Sun of true knowledge, and comprehend the mysteries of divine wisdom. Consider now, were the parched and barren soil of these hearts to remain unchanged, how could they ever become the Recipients of the revelation of the mysteries of God, and the Revealers of the divine Essence? Thus hath He said: "On the day when the earth shall be changed into another earth." (Kitab-i-Iqan: 46-47)

The relation of the heart to the rational faculty, or power of understanding, is inherent, the heart and its spiritual powers being an essential aspect of the power of understanding. Yet humanity has not used this great endowment as it could have.  We previously quoted these words of the Master that pertain to this theme: “They do not use that great gift of God, the power of the understanding, by which they might see with the eyes of the spirit, hear with spiritual ears and also comprehend with a Divinely enlightened heart.”

The rational faculty’s transformation into its highest state needs the heart to touch the divine, to absorb and reflect spiritual knowledge, the true gnosis: the knowledge of God.  In the human reality it is the heart that receives the imprint of Reality, and from the transformed heart radiates out streams of light.  In quotes I have used before, Baha’u’llah, quoting the Qur’an, states: "Knowledge is a light which God casteth into the heart of whomsoever He willeth."  The Master prayed…”that God in His mercy may illumine your hearts and souls with His glorious Light, then shall each one of you shine as a radiant star in the dark places of the world.”  In a prayer, Baha’u’llah asks God on behalf of every member of humanity: “Illumine mine eyes, O my Lord, with the splendors of the horizon of Thy Revelation, and brighten my heart with the effulgence of the Day-Star of Thy knowledge and wisdom...” (Prayers and Meditations of Baha'u'llah: 227-228)  And in another: “…enlighten our hearts with the effulgence of Thy knowledge, and illumine our breasts with the brightness of Thy names.” (Prayers and Meditations of Baha'u'llah: 220-221) 

Divine Love is both the law of attraction and the ground force finding, through the formative power of the Word of God, its highest natural expression in humanity’s gift of conscious understanding.  Yet, through conscious love and attraction for God and after recognition of His Manifestation human beings can go higher and manifest greater powers by going deeper. ‘Abdu’l-Baha says: “All the virtues which have been deposited and potential in human hearts are being revealed from that Reality as flowers and blossoms from divine gardens.” (The Promulgation of Universal Peace: 39)  He also stated: “In this century of the latter times Bahá'u'lláh has appeared and so resuscitated spirits that they have manifested powers more than human.” (Promulgation of Universal Peace: 277.)

The faculties of the rational faculty are active to some extent in their human state, and were prominent during the human era of life, but not to their greatest potential, for there are higher, nobler states than the human.  In the emerging divine state of being and knowing, these faculties will awaken to spiritual purposes and powers, to their full potential and perfection.  As we will see, the heights to which humankind will go are, as yet, unimaginable.  So great and noble are these states that Shoghi Effendi wrote of current efforts to perceive them: “All we can reasonably venture to attempt is to strive to obtain a glimpse of the first streaks of the promised Dawn that must, in the fullness of time, chase away the gloom that has encircled humanity.” (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah: 34)