FINDING YOUR TRUE NORTH (AND RECOGNISING WHEN YOU ARE OFF TRACK)

Yesterday, I received a  question : HOW DO YOU FIGURE OUT YOUR NORTH STAR?

I thought this was an important question, that deserved some thought and attention.

So, I set sail on the sea of exploration and discovery with my HEART COMPASS set on TRUE NORTH, to see what I could find.

In 1600, the English scientist William Gilbert, wrote a book called “De Magnete”, all about how a compass works with the Earth’s magnetic field, or the GEOMAGNETIC FIELD. He wrote:

“…Iron, a rich ore of which, placed in a vessel upon water, by an INNATE PROPERTY OF ITS OWN, directs ITSELF, just like the landstone, north and south, at WHICH IT POINTS IT RESTS, and to which, if it be turned aside, it REVERTS BY ITS OWN INHERENT VIGOUR.”

This is all very interesting, but where does MAGNETISM come from then? 

Anyone who knows a bit about physics, will be able to tell you that the GEOMAGNETIC FIELD is generated by the swirling, boiling cauldron of rock, thousands of kilometres, deep inside the centre of the EARTH. This powerful field originating in the centre of the Earth, reaches all the way out into space, where it interacts with the SOLAR WIND, which is a stream of CHARGED PARTICLES emanating from the SUN. 

Why am I writing about how a compass works, and about the geomagnetic field, you may ask? 

Well, if you understand HOW a compass WORKS, you will understand the PRINCIPALS by which it works, and that it is the result of two FORCES profoundly working from, and connected through, each of their innate qualities. The EARTH’s MAGNETIC FIELD, and IRONS INNATE PROPERTY to attract and repel the magnetic field. 

In this way, HUMANS have an ELECTROMAGNETIC field, governing its relationship with the Earth. And I’ll give you one guess which of the major organs in the body possesses the LARGEST electromagnetic field. 

THE HEART!

Bingo. So, keep reading if you want to learn HOW to tap into your HEART COMPASS, and FIND your TRUE NORTH. But first I want to use the example of how other creatures of our natural world use their true north to navigate, and HOW it works for them.

We can learn from how compasses work in relation to the planets forces, and also how animals, reptiles and insects, like for example the MONARCH BUTTERFLY, use the GEOMAGNETIC FIELD, and the sun’s SOLAR MAGNETIC FIELD, in correlation with the light sensitive MAGNETOSENSORS contained in their ANTENNA,  to navigate them to their destination. Their innate design is in perfect coherence with their survival as a species. It is a beautiful example of the IMPORTANCE of COHERENCE within nature. These creatures maintain their interconnection with the planet, as it is a matter of LIFE and DEATH. 

[https://www.seeker.com/monarch-butterflies-use-magnetic-field-to-navigate-1768741825.html]

I would go as far as to say, that this is also true for the longevity and health of the human species. As Rollin McCraty, Ph.D, and director of research at the HeartMath Institute, says in his research of the human ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD: 

“…The heart emits the largest electromagnetic field of all the body’s major organs. These fields, and the information encoded into them, can change based on how we are feeling, what we are thinking, and different emotions we take on.

[Rollin McCraty, Ph.D https://youtu.be/pp-r_f8-qz8]

The heart even sends signals to the brain through a system of neurons, that have both short-term and long-term memory, and these signals can affect our emotional experiences. 

The emotional information that’s modulated and coded into these fields, CHANGES THEIR NATURE, and these fields can IMPACT THOSE AROUND US. We are fundamentally and deeply connected with each other, and the planet itself” 

So, as you can start to see, the common denominator with these examples is that they all are in correlation with the NATURAL FORCES of the planet. And the NAVIGATION process can only happen, when all the elements are in COHERENCE with one another. 

Now we’ve established the IMPORTANCE of finding your perfect coherence and your TRUE NORTH. But HOW do we find it, and maintain it

The following things are what I consider the ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS to finding your North Star, YOUR TRUE NORTH. 

• Quiet time: You will need to take a minimum of 5 minutes, ideally everyday, to meditate, turn off the noise, and get rid of all distractions, to have any hope of finding clarity and heart coherence. It takes commitment and prioritizing.

• Knowing your identity: Identify your values, your passions, your curiosities. What are your unique defining characteristics?

• Knowing your life purpose and your mission: This is up to you. Usually, it will come intuitively, through your passions, and become clearer through time. I find the only purpose and point to life, is the one YOU give it. Knowing your PURPOSE, and knowing your IDENTITY, are two important KEYS in finding your TRUE NORTH. These things will become the BEARINGS, with which your HEART COMPASS can keep navigating towards.

• Courage: You must have the courage to face your fears, and step outside your comfort zone, to take risks, which are directed by your intuition. This can only happen by making yourself vulnerable, Courageous actions come from a place of authenticity, when you are acting boldly from the truest version of yourself. 

• Acknowledgment of your emotional state: When your HEART COMPASS is NAVIGATING, keeping you inline with your TRUE NORTH and your LIFE PURPOSE, your EMOTIONS are like the wind in your sails. They will be able to tell you if you are in flow or not. If you feel love, appreciation, gratitude, and joy, from the actions you are taking and the things you are doing, that’s a sure sign that things are plain sailing in flow with the wind in your sails. Contrarily, if you are stressed, depressed, frustrated, angry and constantly tired, this is a reflection that you’re swimming against the current.

• Hindsight: Looking back over your path to see where you have come from, not only helps build appreciation, and confidence. It also builds wisdom, and deeper self-awareness. It develops a skill for recognizing WHEN you are aligned with your TRUE NORTH, by remembering the feelings you had and the experiences you have lived. 

So,concluding this study, and thought process, I would say that the more you feel love, appreciation, gratitude, happiness and compassion, the more you are living IN COHERENCE, IN FLOW, with your HEART COMPASS at the helm, keeping you inline with your TRUE NORTH. Listen to that little voice throwing you suggestions, and leaving you breadcrumbs. It’s time to pay attention, and BELIEVE that putting your fears aside, and getting out of your own way, can really keep you pointing to your TRUE NORTH.