The Second Heart

An Introduction to the Second Heart

The second heart is a key concept in understanding the mysticism of the First Dynasty. It is mentioned often in the literature as presented by the Sith of old, that the second heart is the place where the dark emotions are felt. It is never clearly stated whether it is the source of them, or merely the place where this set of physical reactions are experienced.

What is the second heart anyways? In yogic tradition, the second heart is referred to as the forth chakra (the heart chakra). In this tradition, this chakra is the energy node from whence what are described as "virtuous emotions", such as love, joy, respect and similar emanate. It is also the center at which empathy and connections to other beings are felt. It is described by yogis as a ball in which one side is dark and the other light, while the center is of a pure white.

As seen above, in Sith traditions this chakra is identified as the surge of "negative emotions", such as anger, hate, despair, jealousy... and connections of a negative nature, such as manipulation, also stem from this place. It is interesting how both traditions, Sith and Yogic, seem to be in direct opposittion regarding this important node. This opposition is only so at a surface level.

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The Second Heart as an Emotional Node

So what is the truth about this center? It is to be assumed that it is the combination of the approaches cited above. Claiming that it is a center of emotional states, and that all emotion, empathy, connectedness stems from there would not do science justice. Assuming a rational approach, it should be safe to claim that this is a energy center, where the physical manifestations of emotion are felt, as the electrical impulses travel through our nervous system.

Identifying emotions in "evil" and "good" is an oversimplification, in hopes of catering to a moral system heavily influenced by catholic traditions. From a biological, psychological and spiritual standpoint, however, this distinction does absolutely not exist, emotions being the same body. With this in mind, it is no wonder that both traditions identified in this chakra the emotions they were interested on, while conveniently leaving the other half aside.

The Second Heart in Dark Knights

Dark Knights of old attempted to corrupt this energy center by turning it into a storm of raw impulse and feeling. By focusing on their most primal insticts, and by enforcing what they deemed as negative emotions through meditation and other practises, they hoped to reprogram their bodies so they became a catalyst for negative waves of energy.

If we were to split open one of those Dark Knights, in order to examine their second heart closely, we would not see the ball of pure energy, with dark and light in perfect balance as described in yogic communities. What we would get, on the other hand, would be a black ball of negative energy, constantly pulsing and spinning, eroding the meat that surrounds it in the process.

This way, the old Knights of the Sith turned one of the most important energy nodes of the body in a dysfuctional body, capable of physically deteriorating the health condition of the individual. In blocking what they described as positive emotions, large quantities of energy where blocked, which could no doubt make the whole system to overload and fail under certain cirscutances. Effectively, the second heart became a center of pain.

Dangers of Perverting the Second Heart

It is not unheard of in former Dark Acolytes that, by practising some of the meditations presented by the first dynasty, they felt physically sick. As seen in the above section, actively focusing on reinforcing certain emotions, while blocking others, large quantities of energy are generated and then eiter stored or completely discarded. This is likely to cause all sort of ailments in the limbs and organs of a human being.

In order to manage the energies as generated by emotional responses healthily, emotions of all sorts have to be acknowledged and acted on, in a rational manner. This way, the energy which is aroused is properly channelled in a productive ways, which truly helps the dark knight to achieve his goals and live a plentiful, industrious existence.

Personal Interpretation

When I was but a mere Dark Padawan, taking baby steps in my studies of the ruinous powers,Ii told my master that I was affected by a problem of a nature I could not identify. This problem was that, under certain conditions, and when affected by some stressors, I would feel at the level of my chest a rather unsettling sensation, which spread through my limbs, practically depleting my energy levels, and washing my emotions, in a sort of dysphorya.

With the knowledge I now hold, this relates to the issue that has been discussed in this essay. The place where I was experiencing the sensation was the second heart, which I could not properly identify with the knowledge I was in possession with at the time. The energy wave was the physical reaction as felt in my body, undoubtedly aroused by the stressors presented at the time. The shock that I was subject to, thus, should be now identified as a blockage of these energies on my part, which caused them to spread through my limbs.

Putting It All Together

Emotions have to be acknowledged and listened to. Actively attempting to mess with the physical reactions of the body, and trying to divert the energy generated by emotional responses, is dangerous and counterproductive to the physical and mental health of the individual. Even if there are momentary advantages to this approach, in the long run it is not wise to disrupt the natural balance of our bodies.