We enter the month of February, and already the stores have been filled with Valentine’s cards and candies since December. I don’t want to get caught in the commercialism of it all, but I do want to catch the fire behind February—the month of Love—before the commercial world catapults me into the next holiday to be monetized.

On February 14, I usually stay away from supermarkets and drugstores. But when I do find myself there, I can’t help but notice men and women alike—though especially men—running in at the last minute to grab a card or flowers for their beloveds. Why? What is it about this day that stirs us to awaken a heart that has always been here for us? There is something good in everything, and I always look for it.

As we begin February at CSL Kaua‘i, we are focusing on the heart as our theme. While it is a fitting theme for this month, I do not want to minimize it. Focusing on our heart center is not meant only for February, any more than the Light of Christ Consciousness is relegated to December 25. These reminders of Truth, Light, and Love are meant to build upon one another until they become our daily bread.

I truly believe the heart-centered living is the purest and clearest route to living a loving life. The phrase “from the heart”—especially in the sense of acting, speaking, or leading from a place of sincerity, authenticity, and deep feeling—doesn’t come from a single origin or inventor. Rather, it arises from an ancient metaphor rooted in many cultures and languages that understood the heart not merely as a physical organ, but as the center of our inner life—our feelings, intentions, and true self. This embodied understanding carried through centuries of language.

To speak or act “from the heart” is not simply about emotion; it is about expressing the deepest and most sincere part of who we are. How often do we use phrases like “honestly,” “I’m feeling,” “I really mean it,” “you’re making me feel,” or “I understand”? When spoken with sincerity, these expressions come from someplace deeper than our analytical mind. They arise from the truest part of us—where intuition and clarity reside.

The heart is more than an organ that pumps blood. It is a center of truth—our truth—and one we can rely on. Our memories, and even the memory of the Universe, reside there. The phrase “our heart knows” is not merely a New Age cliché; it is grounded in the wisdom of the ages.

Over the past several decades, the Heart Math Institute has researched heart–brain coherence as a measurable psychophysiological state. In this state, the autonomic nervous system becomes more regulated. People experiencing coherence show improved emotional regulation, reduced stress and reactivity, increased clarity, focus, and resilience, greater access to positive emotional states, and a greater capacity for compassion, empathy, and calm. While heart–brain coherence may not prove love, it clearly reduces fear—and love naturally arises where fear no longer dominates.

So, since Science of Mind is about bringing Spirit into living in a practical way, what is all this “heart talk” really about, and how can we use it? Placing ourselves in heart–brain coherence before acting would help us become more centered and less fearful, opening us to greater love and compassion. It would make us better parents, teachers, friends, activists, and human beings. Acting from the heart heightens our listening and communication skills. In times of immense change and challenge, living from the heart feels not only relevant—but wise. When making decisions about our own lives, our health, or the choices we make for our families—as parents, guardians, or children—being heart-centered offers clarity and calm.

I cannot think of a single negative in living a heart-centered life. Nor do I see it as a fluffy existence of false positivity. Living from the heart is courageous living. It requires resilience during turmoil and persistence in choosing love during difficult times. Living from the heart means committing to integrity and love for all humanity—not just those we like. It calls us to stand for our planet and one another, asking not only, “What is mine to do?” but “What is ours to do?”

This week, my heart took me to the streets—not to protest, but to stand for the values I strive to live by: freedom, kindness, compassion, human rights for all, and freedom of speech. I do not wish to demonize anyone. If all is God, then God is moving through each of us as the embodiment of our thoughts. God is not a figure on a cloud assigning good or bad to this person or that. God is a Presence that lives, moves, and breathes through the Universe according to our level of understanding and embodiment of thought and action. We are God—each of us.

When I speak of Principle, I am speaking of the Law of Cause and Effect that is always in operation, returning to us our mental equivalent. If I want a better world, then I must begin living as if I am already in one.

And wouldn’t living from the heart be that better world—that aligned world—that loving and compassionate world?

Love and Aloha,

Rev. Dr. Rita Andriello-Feren
Co-Founding Spiritual Director, CSL Kaua‘i
Author • Veriditas Certified Labyrinth Facilitator • Consciousness Coach

Rita Andriello-Feren — Transformational storytelling that blends mysticism, New Thought, and emotional authenticity.