♥ “In her heart, she knew it was true.”
♥ “It broke my heart to see him so sad.”
♥ “His heart wasn’t into it.”
♥ “This comes from the bottom of my heart.”
♥ “He has a heart of gold.”
♥ “They are middle-aged but young at heart!”
In languages in all cultures, expressions place the heart as important and essential to our connection to life.
Interesting associations with the heart have been held throughout the history of the world. In Asian culture, it is believed that the body is one’s palace and the heart is the emperor. All organs are considered lieutenants to the heart, and the heart is considered the “home” of the person’s spirit.
The heart symbol itself can be traced to a time before the last Ice Age when Cro-Magnon hunters in Europe used the symbol, yet it is unclear what meaning it held for them. Egyptians believed that the heart was the center of morality and life. Ancient Greeks began to associate the heart with medical connections in approximately 400 BC, holding the heart to be the center of the soul and the source of heat within the body.
In cultures of ancient Mexico, it was believed that every human contained different spirit forces within them, and while some forces leave the body in the dream state, the heart’s spiritual force had to remain in the body at all times or the person would die. In Christian theology, the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, seen as emitting light and suffering, was a symbol of love.
May your heart be filled with love on this Valentine’s Day and wherever you go, may you go with all your heart!