Nikki Mirghafori gave a talk on the relationship of emptiness and compassion that has the engaging title: “Dreaming Together – In the theater of life, emptiness and compassion go hand in hand.” In her talk, she looks at ways in which we can explore letting go of our self-centeredness and how that supports and is supported by compassion and lovingkindness. You can find her talk here: Dreaming Together
Gil Fronsdal has an article on the factors of awakening taught by the Buddha. Those factors can help us appreciate and practice with aspects of our heart and mind that are already present that can contribute to awakening in a natural way. The factors include joy and equanimity, as well as mindfulness, investigation, tranquility, and others. You can find his article here: The Ordinary and the Seven Factors of Awakening