Paulo Coelho

“It is the heart that gives birth to all knowledge” – this is a common trait that runs in many traditional cultures, ranging from Ancient Egypt to Islam.

Indeed, ancient cultures thought that the heart, instead of the brain, commanded the rest of the body. In Ancient Egypt the heart was the place from which understanding, will and emotions would come from.

The heart in the Bible is “being from within”. Whilst man sees with his eyes, God sees the heart (First Book of Samuel XVI, 7). In India, the heart is where Atman lies – he is the absolute in Mankind. In Islam, it is in the shrouded heart, protected by many veils, where spirituality and contemplation live.
In our current societies the heart no longer represents the center of being but merely the center of emotions.

Now you take the floor: what do you associate with the heart?