The Human Heart

Sanjay Doctor

This article is written as an reflective essay after the conference, 'The Human Heart - Cardiology
in anthroposophic medicine', (12 - 15 September, 2013) organised as the international annual
conference of of the Medical Section at the Goetheanum, General Anthroposophical Society,
Dornach, Switzerland.

1. If we are asked to point to the Sun, we will look out of the window to the blue sky and point
in the direction of the bright light that we all identify as the Sun. Likewise if we are asked to
point to the heart, we will tap the centre of our chest cavity and picture the beating organ called
the heart.

2. Sun Meditation:
At a level 1 cognition, this is what the physical holds as truth. Go outdoors, stand still with your
eyes closed and experience the Sun. There is warm touch to the skin which may even penetrate
to the interior and cause the blood to heat up and may even lead to perspiration.
At a level 2 cognition, the Sun is experienced through our senses and not as an entity which we
were pointing to earlier.
Now concentrate on your feelings. Depending on your individual state, you may welcome the
warmth and be receptive. On the other hand, it could lead to a restlessness and irritability with
a wish to move into the shade. This is a level 3 cognition of your feelings and emotions.
Now be in an comfortable environment, be still and think about the the Light. How it comes to
our earthly planet moving from the centre of cosmic space and how it permeates through all
existence. Minerals capture light and become crystals, metals are created and compounds from
interactions are created. The magical world as depicted in the period table emerges. Plants
receive the cosmic light and photosynthesis takes place where light or energy gets transformed
into matter and carbohydrates, sugars, fats and oils are produced. Humans and animals alao
receive light and it streams into bodies creating Vitamin D and exciting our glands and providing
a reference to the brain to sense time. This is a level 4 cognition at the sense making level. Thus
we may say that the Light and Warmth is brought into our cognition as a metaphoric Sun. Now
at the level 5, consider the thought that if all of creation is interacting with the Sun than Sun-
processes are in minerals, plants, animals, human and in the great Akash - the matrix, Garbha
Grih of Life itself. Now if asked again to point to the Sun, could we point to the nearest point in
the Sun- space: ourself.
The Sun is I.
I am the Sun.

Rudolf Steiner, wrote to Hedda Hummel in 'Riddles of the Soul' (1917):

The light of the sun strengthens earth's creation
the sunlight of of the truth strenthens the human heart.

3. Heart Meditation:
Where is the heart? At first, we point to the heart organ that we can imagine within us, but will
never see. Modern day cardiology can allow you to hear its beating sound, see an MRI imagery
and also show you specimens. Repair of heart tissue and correcting physical decay is common
today with stents, bypasses and even transplants.
 Level 1 observation shows a set of muscle contained chambers and many inlets and
outlets and suction pulls blood in and pushes it out so that oxygen rich blood from the lungs
nourishes the brain, organs and muscles - the client subsystem. In turn the oxygen depleted
blood is retrieved from the client sub system and sent to lungs and kidney for extraction of
metabolic waste and carbon and nitrogen are excreted through the lungs and kidneys
respectively. By this observation, the Heart is actually a larger system of the heart organ and
extends to the arteries and veins that reach its clients and at the other end the sub system that
interfaces with the external in the lungs and kidneys.
The key attribute is that the entire Heart system is impregnated with a pulsation that is
tripolar. There is a compression and and expansion. There is also a moment of rest of about 0.06
secoonds in which the polarity must shift between compression and expansion and vice versa.
This reversing stage, called Umpollen in german, creates a vortex like when buttermilk is
churned to produce butter. Research studies show that ionisation takes place allowing for
oxygen ions to be attracted into the medium. This principle is at work in potentisation of
medicines.Blood is the medium and by arrangement of the flow, it moves in a spiral movement
through the heart. What is the source and power for this pulsation? This is the Level 2
observation.
Our feelings, emotions, love, care, warmth are sensed within us and to other entities
animate and inamimate in our world. As a pulsating system, the Heart carries a fundamental
tone with many harmonics at different wavelengths and frequency. Resonace is a universal
phenomena where we can pulsate in unison with others and grow in pulsation. Light and sound
go tether and are different phases of the Sun's energy. So we can now observe our selves as a
storehouse, generator and receiver ofpulsation from the universe and our own being. This is our
level 3 cognition.
At the level 4 cognition, we may consider the Heart system with all its attributes.
Nourisher to the client sub-system bring the cosmic oxygen to our inner world and removing
carbon and nitrogen from the system. Taking digested nutrients from the intestines to the liver,
Its delicate relation to the lungs and kidneys which move in a rhythmic dance. The outer world,
our universe offers us prasad and we reciprocatethisthroug the Human deeds that we offer as
service to the world.