It is there
our hearts are set,
In the expanse
of the heavens.
Pawnee Wisdom
Translated by Frances Densmore
As I step outside, I am greeted by a blue expanse. This is one of my earliest memories that returns to me again and again, particularly in springtime after the air has been cleansed by rainfall. Still, regardless of the time of the year or stage of my life, this expanse has consistently been anchoring me in the world. Its immensity grounds me in an inner sense of boundless grace. More practically, it connects and reveals the horizon of every landscape – whether the smooth evenness of the grasslands, undulating hillsides, or mountainous peaks.
Among the uncountable memories that shape who I am, the open spaciousness of the sky continues to be the backdrop for all the others. This is in large part because the most consistent imprint in my childhood was opening the door into vastness – not only of the sky but of the land, in the Great Plains. I would walk up the steps out of the basement to the front door of our farmhouse and feel as though I was walking into the sky. That part of the earth is so flat that everything is enveloped in the sky’s immensity.
My experience is in no way unique. Every contour of a landscape, face, shape or form is intimately communing with space. Energies and sounds invisibly cycle through one opening into another. The blank stage or page peacefully holds endless possibilities of expression. Fragrances and radiance are quietly offered and received across distances. Creativity generously unfolds seemingly out of nowhere, offering new perspectives and insights. Beauty, love and joy abound in the realm of translucence. Each snowflake, raindrop or tear arise seemingly out of nowhere into the visible. All these experiences belong to existence.
Sky is the sacredness seeded into the heart of everything, and thus silently linking one heart to another. Timeless tenets for abundance and well-being echo the sky’s eternal presence. Even after those storms when it seems like the gods of evil are thunderously battling in heaven, the sky again presents the power of tranquil clarity and its timeless invitations for humans to live as living expressions of the its abounding and peaceful kindness. I will endeavor to do this through my awareness, thoughts, words, and actions. I hope you will join me.
Practice
This practice supports awareness of inner spaciousness
Prepare—
- Seated or standing, stretch your arms and hands open and upward. As long as it is comfortable for your shoulders, really stretch from the center of your torso.
- Invite in an awareness of the soft and generous spaciousness of the sky – boundless, formless, yet quietly ever-present, holding all.
- Soften your stretch somewhat. Imagine as you do this that the spaciousness of the sky is pouring into your upper torso.
- Stay there for one or two seconds. Tilt your head slightly upward and smile. Breath in deeply.
Practice—
- Seated. Gently lower your arms, bringing your palms over your heart center – one hand resting lightly over the other.
- Bow your head slightly.
- Allow your eyes to rest in a gentle gaze or, if comfortable, allow them to close. As much as possible, release tension around your forehead, cheeks and eyes.
- With your palms, still over your heart, recall the feeling of the soft and generous spaciousness of the sky. Imagine that gentle vastness is present within you under the surface of your palms, skin, bones and tissues of your torso. There, in the core of your being, is your boundless, ever-free essence.
- Feel the touch of your palms over your heart center. Imagine with this touch you are sealing in the awareness of your ever-present inner spaciousness.
- While being absorbed in the feeling of spaciousness, allow your breath to effortless rise and fall. You may wish to lower your palms onto your thigh or lap in a comfortable position. Or, continue resting them over your heart center.
- Stay here for as long is comfortable – absorbed in a sense of infinite spaciousness – inside and out.
Transition Back into Your Day—
- Slow lift your chin to a neutral level. If you had your eyes closed, slowly open them. Taking your time look around the area where you are – perhaps noticing the space everywhere – between the objects, above you, below you.
- Sit quietly for a few moments.
- Then, again reach your arms and hands open and upward. Lift your chin again and invite a smile.
- Lower your arms. And, when you are ready, transition back into your day.
This poem appears in Mala of Love: 108 Luminous Poems, page 5, edited by Ravi Nathwani and Kate Vogt and published by New World Library. The practice is from a prior. H E A R T H is posted each new and full moon. KateVogt©2025.
