The Territory of the Heart is Prickly
April 1, 2021
Raja Gopal Bhattar, Ph.D., (they/them/theirs) hails from a long lineage of Hindu spiritual leaders from the Srivaishnava tradition. They are a higher education leader, advocate, and consultant. Bhattar is a 2020 Interfaith America Racial Equity Fellow.
The territory of the heart is prickly.
Like a wild cactus,
forgotten,
dusty and
entangled upon itself.
What is the purpose of this existence?
Messy, dehydrated
and reaching towards
the Sun.
“The wound is where the light enters.” Rumi
What if the entire heart is wounded? Can the light hold my wound? My pain? My healing?
While my heart feels lonely,
it is not alone.
I am in a desert full of other beautifully prickly beings,
learning, healing, growing, belonging.
The snake of my soul
sheds this thick skin,
unlearning
these
traumas, messages and voices that have gotten stuck on my soul over time.
It is the prickliness of my heart that allows my much-needed shedding to manifest.
Without the prickliness, where would I be? Is healing even possible?
In fact, the territory of the heart is prickly with purpose.
Protecting,
catalyzing
and weathering the many storms.
The prickliness is sweet. The prickliness is resilience. And even full of light.
This wound is not a source of shame but a symbol of my strength.
Each prickly piece a reminder of my journey towards peace.
***
