Strawberry and
Heart-Centeredness
Fragaria spp.
The arrival of strawberries in the spring is heralded with festivals, strawberry desserts, and other delectables. Strawberries are one of the easiest and best fruits to grow in the home garden. Many of the cultivars grown for market are selected for their size and ability to be easily transported; flavor comes third. If you grow your own strawberries, you can have sweet taste as your first criteria. Popping a freshly picked strawberry into your mouth and experiencing that burst of flavor is a blissful experience that grocery store strawberries cannot match.
Strawberry plants are low to the ground, not usually more than twelve inches high. The fruit is often sheltered under the leaves, so it’s a bit of a treasure hunt pushing away leaves to discover the ripe berries. Strawberries spread by sending out long runners that touch the ground and root to create new plants. My strawberries are forever escaping from the beds and starting new plants along the paths and edges. The escapees have allowed me to provide many of my friends with strawberry plants.
Strawberry’s correspondence, heart-centeredness, is determined by its shape, that of a tiny heart. Many cultures have recognized the heart as an energetic wisdom center. The fourth chakra and qigong’s middle dantian, both energy centers, are in the heart area. Even though Western medicine has viewed the heart as simply a pump, poets and philosophers knew it was more than that. In English, phrases like “follow your heart” and “heart of gold” indicate this awareness. On an intuitive level, it is clear that the heart is intimately connected to emotions, compassion, and empathy.
The fact that strawberries are sometimes hidden under the leaves illustrates another facet of heart energy. We sometimes armor ourselves and hide our hearts so our emotions won’t be impacted by the world, but in doing so, we cut ourselves off from others.
Heart-centeredness is about making a choice to lead with empathy and compassion. As you mindfully work with this correspondence for the week, remind yourself to shift to heart-centeredness throughout the day. One way to cultivate this awareness is to imagine you are breathing in and out through the heart center. Intentionally move your awareness from your head to your heart, observing how that changes your perception of the situation.
Morning Attunement Questions
• What connections do I have with strawberries and heart-centeredness?
• Where else in the green world or in my life do I observe heart-centeredness?
• What does this correspondence feel like?
• How can I describe this energetic attribute of heart-centeredness in words or pictures?
• Where does this correspondence of heart-centeredness resonate most strongly in or around my body or in my life?
Daily Integration Questions
• In what ways is the world reflecting strawberries or heart-centeredness back to me?
• What nuances and shades of meaning do I notice about strawberries and heart-centeredness?
Evening Reflection Questions
• Where and how did I experience strawberries or heart-centeredness today?
• How did I embrace heart-centeredness today?
• What wisdom does the strawberry’s correspondence of heart-centeredness bring to my life?