In his description of the heart as a mirror, Hazrat Inayat Khan says that the reflective quality is destroyed by the dense ‘outcome’ or product of our own mind.  In other words, if our heart is not as clear and reflective as it could be, it is not because of external circumstances, but because of our inner condition.  We might wish to blame our hectic life and our many responsibilities, but it would be better to examine ourself.  If we would only tune ourselves well, the dust of the world would find no place to stick.

It is helpful to consider what the ‘rust’ is that spreads over the mirror.  Hazrat Inayat says, “The heart becomes covered by confusion, fear, depression, by all manner of excitement that disturbs the rhythm of its mechanism.”  We might feel some surprise at this; it is easy to see how confusion, fear and depression might rob us of our clarity–but excitement?  In our modern society, excitement is highly valued.  One can assure one’s fortunes, it seems, if one can only find a way to make something mundane and prosaic, like a brick or a soup-spoon for example, ‘exciting.’ But excitement is very transient, and is related to agitation;  for the heart to be reflective, there must be stillness.  The ripples on the pond must die away before we can glimpse the reflected beauty of the moon.

What is more, excitement is connected with pleasure, the worldly simulacrum of happiness.  Pleasure is only momentary, and most often costs more than it is worth, whereas happiness is enduring.  Since pleasure is derived from what is outside of us, it means that when we pursue it  we neglect what is within.  And if there is any source of happiness, it is one that cannot be bought or borrowed or learned from others; it can only be discovered within ourselves, in the depths of our own being.