The Confident Heart. From Fear to LOVE by Nils Klippstein - HTML preview
PLEASE NOTE: This is an HTML preview only and some elements such as links or page numbers may be incorrect.
Download the book in PDF, ePub, Kindle for a complete version.
Download the book in PDF, ePub, Kindle for a complete version.
13. Who Are We Without the Armour?
We have lived as an armoured guardian for a long time. We believed that the iron suit was our own skin. We thought that the cold, grey fortress was the whole world and that our duty was to patrol its walls, always on the lookout for threats.
However, after learning to pause at the gate, speak from the heart and navigate the strange echoes from beyond the walls, a question arises: If I am not this iron suit, then who am I? If this fortress is not my home, then where do I belong?
Taking off the armour can feel terrifying at first. After all, it has been our structure, our definition of strength and our identity for so long. There can be a sense of grief for what is familiar, even as we yearn for something new. Without its reassuring weight, we may feel exposed and vulnerable, yet strangely liberated and uplifted.
As we consciously let go of our old, defensive patterns, we bring an end to our long confinement. This is the moment we realise that we are not our armour, but the living, breathing soul within. The fortress remains in the landscape, but now it is a place we can visit to find true shelter in a storm – not a permanent prison. We are stepping out into the vast, beautiful and colourful world that has been waiting for us all along.
The air is fresh. The sun is warm. You realise that the strength you once gained from rigid protection now comes from a deep inner trust. The world is no longer a battlefield to be survived or conquered; it is a living landscape to be engaged with lovingly, a garden to cherish and care for.
This new territory operates by different rules. While the inner protector used strategy and force, the heart relies on flow and intuition. Where the ego built walls, the heart builds bridges. This new world is not based on control and command, but on LOVE, connection and co-creation.
Imagine a world where LOVE is written in capital letters. (*) A new way of intuitive being emerges from within. Below is a list of qualities that arise naturally from a heart that is no longer battling with itself or its surroundings. See if you recognise any of these traits as your authentic nature. Perhaps take a pen and note a number from 1 to 9 next to each trait, depending on how strongly it reflects your current reality. 1 means 'I never embody this', and 9 means 'I embody this constantly'.
- Presence: Fully inhabiting the present moment, without getting caught up in the past or future.
- Openness: A receptive and welcoming position towards new ideas, experiences and perspectives.
- Honesty: Clearly feeling and kindly communicating one's truth.
- Inner alignment: A deep, intuitive sense of being in harmony with your heart's truth that naturally guides your actions and choices.
- Compassionate curiosity: The desire to understand one's own and others' feelings and motivations without judgement.
- Inclusive perspective: The understanding that multiple, seemingly opposing viewpoints can all simultaneously be true.
- Forgiveness: Releasing the grip of past hurts in order to free oneself from resentment.
- Vulnerability: The courage to embrace uncertainty and emotional honesty as a path to true connection.
- Clarity: Seeing situations more plainly, without the fog of fear or worry.
- Empowered responsibility: Taking ownership of one's feelings, reactions and life circumstances without assigning blame or viewing oneself as a victim.
- Deep listening: Offering one's full, non-judgemental presence with the intention of understanding rather than replying.
- Unconditional acceptance: Offering kindness and space to oneself and others, regardless of perceived flaws or mistakes.
- Generous interpretation: Giving others the benefit of the doubt and assuming positive intent until proven otherwise.
- Emotional fluidity: Allowing feelings to arise, be experienced, and pass without suppression or attachment.
- Heart-centred boundaries: Setting clear, loving limits that protect one's energy and well-being without hostility.
- Joy for others (compersion): Finding genuine happiness in the success and happiness of other people.
- Intuitive action: Taking fearless steps forward while letting go of the need to interfere, fix or force a specific outcome.
- Gratitude: Naturally acknowledging and appreciating the good things in one's life, both big and small.
- Trustful surrender: The deep, inner knowing that life is unfolding for your growth, allowing you to meet challenges with grace and learn from them without despair.
- Spontaneity: The freedom to act on genuine inspiration in the moment, without being constrained by rigid plans or expectations.
- Fearless peace: The blissful stability of knowing your true nature as the conscious heart, which cannot be threatened.
- Humility: A quiet confidence that does not need to proclaim its own importance, recognising the value in all things.
- Unity consciousness: A deep sense of connection and belonging with others and the world, transcending the illusion of separateness.
- Ease/effortlessness: The smooth execution of tasks that feels more like play than work because inner tension and stress have disappeared.
- Resilience: The steady, unchanging centre that enables you to confront chaos or hardship without becoming overwhelmed.
- Kindness in Action: The habit of naturally performing small, loving gestures for others without thinking about it.
- Joy: A quiet happiness appears, often for no specific reason, simply because you are alive.
Understanding the heart's qualities is one thing, but learning to live with them naturally as your new identity comes through requires making regular, small choices and breathing consistently from the heart. You can use the list of heart qualities as a guide. When you notice an old, armoured pattern arising, don't fight it. Simply pause, breathe through your heart centre, and ask with curiosity: "Which heart quality would serve me here?"
If you wish, you could pick one heart trait each day and practise it consciously. It doesn't have to be a big thing. For example, if you choose spontaneity, you could try taking a different route on your walk. These micro-moments will rewire your nervous system for the new world.
Another way to work with the list is to sit quietly for a moment and breathe into your heart centre. Now, choose one quality – fearless peace, for example. Don't just think about it. Ask yourself: "How does fearless peace feel in my body?" This creates a living, somatic connection to your new identity that goes far beyond an intellectual concept.
Your identity is not set in stone, but a living, breathing garden. You can feel vulnerable, powerful and authentic all at once. As you learn to speak the language of a confident heart, you become its living embodiment. This is who you have always been. Welcome home.
...
(*) This is what www.sanuela.org is all about. You can find out more on the website or in the appendix.