There are more than one thousand instances of the word “heart” in the Bible. It usually refers to the inner self, where our soulful meanings reside. In Hebrew symbology, the Holy of Holies in the temple in Jerusalem was considered to be a heart as was Jerusalem itself, the heart of the world. In addition to symbolizing a center, the heart in the Hebrew bible refers one’s character. The heart also signifies our understanding of God’s word and our personal decision to follow it. Jer 31:32 In Jewish tradition, the heart contains wisdom and evil too. Jer 17:9 Thus, it is a combination of opposites, that is, an example of spiritual wholeness. A “change of heart” is a transformation of one’s personality/being in the direction of goodness. Ezk 18:31 It was only in recent centuries that the heart referred to love. To love the Lord with one’s whole heart, i.e., one’s character and entire being, is a Jewish and Christian commandment. Babua ben Asher, a rabbi of the eighteenth century, commenting on this commandment, said that the heart was the first part of us to be created and will be the last to die, so to love with our whole heart is a promise to go on loving till our last breath. The commandment is devotion to a personal love for God which is an unconditional love of neighbor. In India, the heart is symbolic of the universe. This makes sense physically since the heart, like the whole universe, contracts in systole and expands in diastole. The human heart in Hindu tradition is called Bramapura, the abode of Brahma the creator. The heart has perennially represented centricity since it is the center of the body. The Celtic words for center and heart are similar. The word for heart is cridhe, related to the Indo-European word krd from which comes the Latin cor-cordis. In the West, heart represents feeling, especially love. It was also associated with intellect and intuition and considered the core of the entire psyche. In archetypal symbolism, a center is the zone of the sacred and the path to it is difficult. An heroic journey, our central human archetype, is the challenge required. To the Chinese, the heart in the human body mirrors the position of the sun in relation to the universe. In this sense, the heart is a fiery energy, an equation we will encounter later in the mystics and in Teilhard de Chardin. Master Su-wen says the heart lifts itself to the principle of light and is thus the center of enlightenment. Buddhists refer to bodhicitta, the enlightened heart, as the longing to heal the sufferings of the world. Taoist Lao Tzu speaks of the heart as the lord of breath and as light or spirit. Islamic mystic Ibn al Arabi speaks of the “breath of the Merciful One” that releases infinite possibilities into the world. This is the same as the Hebrew ruach, the Spirit/breath that brooded over the watery void in the first sentence of Genesis. Universally in the world of symbol, the heart is also recognized as a container. In Egyptian lore, a vase represented a heart. This representation accords with the principles of alchemy in which a vessel is the container and locus of the transformation of the leaden ego into the gold of the higher Self. The Grail myth is about the quest for a spiritual center and refuge. The Holy Grail in western legend is an alchemical vessel/container in which personal and universal transformation take place. In the Grail stories, the human heart is a container symbolizing the heart of Christ whose life/blood grants nourishment to the soul. Indeed, the heart is like an inverted triangle which stands for the Grail. Shakti, the Hindu female principle of life, is symbolized by just such an inverted triangle as are the primeval waters from which, in Hebrew and Mesopotamian lore, all life is said to have emerged. The inverted triangle is a feminine symbol. In the opposite direction, the triangle is a masculine symbol. These two directions are joined in the star of David. There is also a symbolic connection between a containing cave and the heart. The Sanskrit word guha means cave and also heart. The Upanishads speak of an inner shrine within us called the cave of the heart. A cave is an incubating place, the birthplace of the light and of gods, for example, Hermes, the god of alchemy, was born in a cave. Some rituals in ancient Greece included entering a cave and, upon emergence from it, the initiates were considered reborn. In the cosmology of Memphis, the God, Ptah, conceived the world in his heart and then gave birth to it by his word. The heart was understood as the center of life, will, and intellect. This is why the heart was the only internal organ left intact in a mummy. At judgment time, it was weighed by the goddess, Maat, against the feather of an ibis bird. If the soul weighed more than a feather because it still had attachments, the voyage to eternal life could not be embarked upon. If it was lighter than a feather, the ship of immortality was ready to set sail. An Egyptian sage alludes to this death experience and to the mystical realization of the oneness of human and divine hearts: “My heart is my God and is content with its life deeds.” In Islam, the heart (qalb) stands for contemplation, spiritual life, and the point of connection between spirit and matter. In Islamic mystical tradition, the heart contains seven colors visible only in an ecstatic state. Qalb is related to qabil, to receive, and thus the heart is the center of receptivity to whatever shape the divine may take, e.g., a needy homeless person asking our help or an awesome phenomenon in nature. The heart is the capacity for universal receptivity. Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam. Hazrat Inayat Khan says: “Sufism is the religion of the heart, the religion in which the most important thing is to seek God in the heart of humankind.” Sufism offers three ways of seeking God. The first is to see divinity in every person and then showing love by word and action. This entails a letting go of self-absorption and an ever-increasing concern for those around us. The second way is to extend our love toward those whom we do not see, a style we will see in the Buddhist practice of loving-kindness. The third way of realizing the Sufi ideal is to acknowledge and be thankful for grace and to be open to guidance from God. In Sufi tradition, the heart is eternity, light, and divinity. It is the center of consciousness and the vehicle by which God sees us. In Sufi tradition, God breathing life into Adam means that a heart was given to him: “The heart is the center of divine consciousness and the circumference of the circle of all that is,” wrote Sufi mystic Jili.
In the “Ring of the Dove” by Ibn Hazm we find this mystical stanza:
Love came as a guest Into my heart, My soul then opened, So that love could dine in me. God, speaking in the Koran, affirms this marvelous realization: “Heaven and earth cannot hold me but I am contained within the heart of my servant.” The heart is the point at which a mortal being encounters God. Sufi mystics sometimes call the heart “the throne of mercy” manifesting love from God to us. God’s rule is a rule of love. This means that a loving heart in any of us is mirrors God to the world. To be made in the image and likeness of God means that we can be fulfilled only by a life of love. Only loving keeps us true to our human nature. This may be why the Islamic sage, Yunus Emre, advised: “When you seek God, seek him in your heart.” The symbol of the Sufi Order is a heart with wings. The heart is considered to be both earthly and heavenly. The heart receives the Holy Spirit which rises to heaven, symbolized by wings. Hazrat Inayat Khan adds: “Realizing that love is a divine spark in one’s heart, one keeps blowing on that spark until a flame rises to illuminate the path of one’s life.” For the Sufis, love leads to “heart knowledge” and intuitive mystical knowledge comes through an organ of discernment called “the eye of the heart.” This is an immaterial reality that sees all that is in heavenly light, the light that is the raiment of God. “I have seen the Lord with my heart’s eye,” says al-Hallaj. This theme of light is echoed in The Egyptian Book of the Dead: “I long for nothing but to live as a light within, to enter God’s heart singing a song so stirring that even slaves at the mill and asses in the field might raise their heads and answer” (translation by Normandi Ellis). Notice how the heart of God is a source of joy and nature responds. We see this same equation throughout the history of mysticism.
Symbolic Meaning of the Heart: I got a question about the heart symbol meaning from a reader who sees hearts everywhere. I responded here, with the understanding that symbolic meanings are really up to the interpreter. What culture, society, or an interpreter says about the heart symbol will always be different because beauty (and symbols) is in the eye of the beholder. When signs come into our lives it simply means we’ve got to make sense of them as they apply to our life situations – there is a message, and it’s always personal (and usually profound). That said – here are a few ideas on the symbolic meaning of seeing hearts… Common Heart Meanings
Magicians and Alchemists used heart symbols for incantations pertaining to matters related to love and romance. The symbol was also used in rituals with a goal to strengthen relationships. The heart has long been recognized across cultures as being a symbol of love, charity, joy and compassion. Also an emblem of truth, the “Sacred Heart” of Christ is also the focus of Roman Catholic worship as a symbol of the Lord’s love. As a graphic representation of an inverted triangle, this symbolizes a vessel in which love is poured or carried. Consider the symbolism of an upside-down triangle. The heart evolved from this initial symbol. An inverted triangle is a geometrical representation of the heart. As such, it has big meanings. As most of us now know (particularly with the advent of popular movies such as the DaVinci Code) the inverted triangle is an esoteric symbol of the divine feminine, or feminine power in general. We see an inverted triangle as a focal point in the center of the Muladhara, or root chakra. This emblem signifies the tap root of primal power, sexual power. Its one (inverted) point ignites the spark that surges heat up the rest of the chakra spine. Inverted triangles are also seen in the solar plexus (Manipura), heart (Anahata), throat (Vishudha) and third eye (Ajna) chakras. Learn more about chakra meanings here. Upside-down triangles also represent the element of water. Why? It’s due to Aristotle. He designated triangles as the core elements of our existence (fire, earth, air, water, aether). The inverted (upside down) triangle stands for the element of water. Esoterically speaking, water is symbolic of many things – some of which include the following… Heart Symbol Meanings Related to Water and Inverted Triangles
Heart Symbol Meaningand the Human BodyI would be remiss if I didn’t note the heart symbol meaning pointing to human anatomy. With a little imagination, you can see the human heart resembling the heart icon. At least, if you move the human heart around at an angle. Whoa? Yeah. In my previous life, I was a student in the medical field. I got to sit in on an autopsy. I saw our professor open the chest and expose the heart. After I resisted my urge to gag, I started to really pay attention. It didn’t look like a Valentine’s heart at all. But once Dr. Floyd yanked the heart out of the body, and started to turn it around in his hands, at a certain angle, I could see that tell-tale shape…the dip and the point. This made my mind wander. It made me think back to the 14th century when the very first autopsies were performed. In fact – as another nod to Leonardo DaVinci – he was one of the first to dissect the human body for the purpose of discovery, knowledge and healing. At any rate…I envisioned Leonardo peering into his first chest cavity as I had, and marveling over the human heart. He was a genius, and also an artist – I’ve read that he saw our core organ at an angle (as I did) and perhaps sketched a simplified version of the common heart icon we see today. I dunno, but it made me think and dream, which is always a good thing. I wish I had continued in this dream, because once Prof. Floyd caught my attention at the autopsy table and I was snapped into reality – I fainted dead away. Yep. My career in the medical field didn’t last long after I realized I have a revulsion to human bits and gore. But I digress. Speaking of bits…and carrying on with the heart symbol meaning and the human body…I’ve also got to mention woman bits and parts. Let’s see, how do I say this in a classy way. Ummm…if you look at the heart symbol, and then observe the lovely curvey parts of a woman’s body…do you see a similarity? There is, and I think the origin of the heart symbol (at least some origins) may likely come from a way to artistically and simply mimic the female form. Let’s say a woman’s derrier. And perhaps a woman’s bossom. It’s not off the mark. I swear I’m not being pervy about this – it really is a valid observation – and many scholars agree with me. After my epic fail in the medical field, I was an art student. With that, came sketchings of live nudes. If you’ve had that experience, you tend to look at the body in terms of shapes. I guess experiencing an autopsy has the same effect, but I digress…again. There is no denying it. A woman’s bossom with cleavage is absolutely heart-shaped, as is a female posterior. Effectually, the heart is an acurate representation of the female form. This ties in with the ideas of DaVinci, Aristotle and Galen who are reported to have simplified pictographs of body parts…one of these being the heart simulating the female form. In this light, heart symbol meaning (in the feminine sense) is symbolic of neat things like: Sensuality, Passion, Emotion, Nurturing. Pretty cool, eh? Whether a representation of the human anatomy, or a Greek/alchemical symbol, the heart is a compelling feature in human iconography. I would encourage you to consider all of these meanings and associate them to the times the heart symbol appears in your life. Relate these meanings to the situations in your life. Make your own observations. Take the time to think about the deeper meanings involved with your heart sightings. When we take the time to observe and when we are still enough – the answers always come. I hope you this article offered you a good foundation on heart symbol meaning, and inspired you to utilize this versatile icon for big inspiration in your life. As always, thanks so much for reading! May all your your hearts beat with insight and delight. Brightly, Avia Other Articles of Interest on This Website |
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