Breaking the Shell Around Your Heart

“A loving heart is the truest wisdom.” – Charles Dickens

While the month of Gemini is an air sign ruled by the intellect, the coming month of Cancer is all about the emotions. As a water sign, Cancer’s inherent nature beckons us to experience the deeper, more profound aspects of our being.

Cancer is ruled by the moon, and therefore people born under this sign can be the most sensitive in the entire zodiac. In fact, one of their spiritual missions here on earth is to find a way to balance their strong emotions. Because of their watery centers, Cancerians tend to form a shell to protect themselves from getting hurt. This is one reason why it’s so appropriate that the animal that represents Cancer is the crab.

The spiritual idea of this month is that if we are able to break out of our shell, then we have the potential to experience the greatest of all freedoms: unconditional love. Unfortunately, the greatest shell that we all harbor—and the most difficult to get rid of— is the shell we have created around our heart.

When we have a closed heart, we tend to be very judgmental of others and ourselves. We feel stuck in a rut. We are cynical, afraid to try new things, and overwhelmed by the uncertainties of life. Perhaps worst of all, we have difficulty allowing others to be a part of us and we a part of them.

When our heart is open, on the other hand, we feel in harmony with others and with the universe. We have less fear of the future or the past. We are able to look on others with love instead of judgment, and are able to share in their joy and pain. Best of all we are able to feel the presence of the Light the Creator in our lives.

In short, the power of an open heart is much greater than we realize. It can affect every aspect of our lives and the lives of those around us.

So how do we open our heart this month?

Well, if we think about it, to make a tree grow, we have to take a seed and bury it in the cool dark earth, covering it with soil. The outer shell surrounding the seed then has to break because only after it breaks can the seed expand itself outwards and upwards.

A similar process happens with the shell around our heart. In order to break it, we first have to go into the darkness to feel the pain and limitation of living with a closed heart. Out of that realization, we can build within ourselves the desire to break our shell, and if we are lucky, our heart will come forth into the Light, out of the “me,” and into the “we.” No, this is not an easy process (growing spiritually never is), but we have ample tools that can help us.

Here are a few practical suggestions:

1. Make time each day to scan or read the Zohar and meditate to open your heart. (If you don’t have a physical Zohar you can go to www.zohar.com).
2. Appreciate the blessings in your life.
3. Put forth a conscious effort to stay open to life’s experiences.
4. See the love in other people. It is so easy to judge people and to see their faults. But all of us are flawed. God didn't make us perfect. The more we put ourselves in the realm of love by choosing to see the good in others, the more chance we have at experiencing an open heart.