While traveling in the South of France recently, the anchored heart appeared as a symbol above the church at Les Saintes Maries de la Mer, on gates, and on postcards as a symbol of the seaside town. The Camargue cross is an intriguing symbol – one that brings about a reflection of where a heart would best be anchored. Boats use anchors to keep from going adrift. If they stop for a night but drop anchor in sand, then the captain and crew may wake up in the middle of the sea the next morning. But if they anchor in solid rocks or to a buoy they remain steadfast even if high waves and storms arise. 

What would be a good place to anchor the human heart? The heart is an interesting thing. In ancient times it was considered the seat of the soul and of intuition and wisdom. But it can also be fickle if it’s left without direction. If a heart is anchored in worldly things, in material possessions and relationships, then how can it find peace? Both material things and relationships come and go. If, on the other hand, it’s anchored in the eternal and permanent, in divine love, then we can’t go adrift for long, even if we feel confused and lost. A human heart attuned to the spirit, the Divine-Self remains steady and peaceful.

One way the Hindus suggest for anchoring the heart is through taming the mind with repetition of a name that represents the Divine. Attuning to the Divine lifts us into the domain of the eternal and helps us to hold fast to peace even in periods of difficulty and despair.

Where is your heart anchored?

Bio: Debra Moffitt is the award winning author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life and “Garden of Bliss: Cultivating the Inner Landscape for Self-Discovery” (Llewellyn Worldwide, May 2013). A visionary, dreamer and teacher, she’s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices, writing and creativity in the U.S. and Europe. More at http://www.awakeintheworld.com and on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/DebraMoffittAwakeintheWorld